Meta has a new app on the App Store, and it looks an awful lot like Reddit. The app, called Forum, is “a dedicated space built for deeper discussions, real answers and communities you care about,” according to its App Store page. In practice, it is just a standalone app version of Facebook’s existing Groups feature, in which Facebook users can join groups and participate in discussions. In the new standalone app, the feed is entirely focused on the conversations taking place in the groups you are already a part of on your existing Facebook account. Forum and Facebook are still linked, meaning that you can enter Forum with your Facebook login, and whatever you post on there will be visible in your groups on the Facebook app as well. Some readers might be getting deja vu, and rightfully so, because this is Meta’s second attempt at launching a stand-alone Facebook Groups app. Then known as Facebook, the company launched a similar, dedicated app back in 2014 that was ultimately discontinued in 2017.
Perhaps to spice things up a bit, this time around, Meta is also including a dedicated AI assistant in the app. The “Ask” feature on the app will rely on the information posted on the group pages to respond to users looking for “opinions, advice or recommendations,” Meta said. There is also an additional AI assistant for group admins, which will supposedly assist them with tasks like content moderation.
