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Meta says Forum, a separate app for Facebook Groups, is available to download in the US on iOS and Android. The company is testing AI-assisted group search, topic labels and a new role for members whose contributions help their communities.
Meta has introduced new features in Forum, its app for people who want to follow Facebook Groups in one place. Available to download in the United States on iOS and Android, Forum now includes tests of AI-assisted search, topic labels and a new role recognizing helpful group members.
Meta describes Forum as a purpose-built app that syncs with a user’s Facebook Groups, bringing their activity together so they can see new posts and join conversations. People log in with a Facebook account to find groups they already belong to and discover others. Meta says it started testing the app in May; it has not described Forum as a replacement for Facebook.
One new test is a member recognition role intended to replace contributor badges and the group expert role. Meta says the role reflects the quality and value of a member’s contributions, including answering questions, sharing firsthand experience, offering practical recommendations and starting conversations. It comes with a badge and benefits such as faster post publishing. Posts remain subject to Facebook’s Community Standards.
Group admins can grant the role to members they identify as valuable contributors, and Meta says it will also nominate members to help admins spot potential recipients. Members will be notified when they receive the role and can remove themselves. The role is beginning to test on Forum in the US and on Facebook globally, according to Meta.
Forum’s Ask feature uses AI to highlight existing posts and comments in Facebook Groups, Meta says. It surfaces conversations from groups a person has joined and public groups they have not joined, with a link to enter the discussion. Two new Ask tests are designed to gather recommendations for comparing options and to suggest questions based on recent searches.
A New Route Into Group Conversations
Forum gives Meta a separate place to organize activity from Facebook Groups, which can be useful for people who belong to several communities and want to find fresh discussions without searching each group individually. The app’s approach keeps the underlying conversations within Facebook Groups: Ask highlights existing posts and comments, and users can open the discussion from its results.
The tests also show how Meta is adding AI-assisted discovery and recognition tools to group participation. Ask may help users find advice shared by community members, while topic labels are intended to connect related posts. The recognition role gives admins a way to mark members whose contributions they value, with faster post publishing among the stated benefits. Meta has not provided evidence about how these features affect participation or the quality of answers.
From Facebook Groups to Forum
Facebook Groups are the communities Forum is built around; the app syncs with a person’s existing groups rather than asking them to start over. It also presents public groups a user has not joined as a way to discover communities. Meta says the app is being explored for people who want to go deeper on Groups and that it plans to share more about tools for admins in the coming weeks.
The latest announcement follows the start of Forum testing in May. Meta now says it is testing a role that replaces contributor badges and the group expert role, alongside updated Ask features and topic labels such as Solo Travel or Korean Food. The company has not given a broader rollout date or said whether all features will reach every user.
““Forum is a purpose-built app we’re exploring for the people who want to go deeper on Facebook Groups.””
— Meta
Rollout and Feature Scope
Meta has not said when Forum might become available outside the US, whether the current tests will become permanent features, or how many people are using the app. The announcement also gives no details on how Ask selects posts and comments, how it handles conflicting recommendations, or whether users can control which groups appear in results.
The company has not specified how it will evaluate whether the new member role reflects contribution quality, nor how nominations will work in practice. It also has not detailed the other admin tools it says it is developing. These points remain open while the product is being tested.
More Admin Details Expected
Meta says it plans to share more about how it is building for group admins in the coming weeks. In the meantime, Forum is available to download in the US for iOS and Android users who sign in with Facebook, while the new recognition role is being tested in the US on Forum and globally on Facebook. The company has not announced dates for any wider availability or additional changes.
Key Questions
What is Forum?
Forum is a Meta app for Facebook Groups. It syncs with a user’s groups and brings group activity together in one place.
Where can people download Forum?
Meta says Forum is available in the United States on iOS and Android. Users sign in with their Facebook account.
What does Ask do?
Ask uses AI to highlight existing posts and comments in Facebook Groups. It can show discussions from groups a person has joined and public groups they have not joined.
How does the new member role work?
Admins can grant the role to members they consider helpful contributors. Meta says recipients get a badge and benefits such as faster post publishing, and can remove themselves from the role.
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