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Meta says its Forum app, which brings a user’s Facebook Groups together, has been in testing since May and is available to download in the United States on iOS and Android. New tests include AI-assisted search across group discussions, topic labels and a role recognizing helpful contributors.
Meta has added new features to Forum, its app for people who want to follow and take part in Facebook Groups, as the company continues testing the product. Available to download in the United States on iOS and Android, Forum brings a user’s groups together and adds AI-assisted search, topic labels and a new way to recognize helpful members.
Meta says Forum syncs with the groups a person already belongs to on Facebook, letting them see recent activity and enter discussions from one place. People can sign in with a Facebook account to find their groups and discover others. Meta describes the app as a product it is exploring, and says testing began in May. The announcement does not say when testing might end or whether Forum will be released more broadly.
One new feature is Ask, which uses AI to highlight existing posts and comments in Facebook Groups. It can surface conversations from groups a user has joined and from public groups they have not joined, according to Meta. The company says users can open the source discussion directly. New Ask tests include compiling recommendations to help people compare options and suggesting questions based on recent searches.
Meta is also testing topic labels on posts, such as “Solo Travel” or “Korean Food,” to help users find related discussions. A separate role is intended to recognize members whose contributions help a group, including answering questions, sharing firsthand experience and offering practical recommendations. Meta says the role replaces contributor badges and the group expert role. It includes a badge and benefits such as faster post publishing; admins can grant it, and Meta may nominate members for admins to consider.
A New Route Into Group Advice
Forum gives Meta a dedicated way to bring Facebook Group activity into a single app. Its Ask feature may make information scattered across group posts easier to find, while links into discussions let users see the conversations behind an AI-generated summary or recommendation. That could matter to people who use groups for advice based on members’ experiences, but the announcement provides no usage figures or independent evaluation of the tool’s usefulness.
The contributor role also gives Meta and group admins another way to identify members whose posts help a community. Faster publishing could affect how those members participate, although Meta says all posts remain subject to its Community Standards. The company has not specified how it will assess contribution quality or how the role’s benefits will work in practice.
From Facebook Groups to Forum
Facebook Groups are the existing communities that Forum is designed to organize. Meta says the app syncs with a user’s groups rather than requiring people to start over with separate communities. The new product therefore sits alongside Facebook’s established group discussions and can also surface public groups that a user has not joined.
The September announcement follows the start of Forum testing in May 2026. Meta presents the latest features as additions during that ongoing test, and says it plans to share more about tools for group admins in the coming weeks. The source announcement does not describe a launch date beyond US availability for download or give details on whether access is limited to particular testers.
““Forum is a purpose-built app we’re exploring for the people who want to go deeper on Facebook Groups.””
— Meta
Testing Leaves Key Details Open
Meta has not said how long Forum testing will last, whether the app will reach users outside the United States, or whether it plans to make Forum a permanent product. The announcement also gives no figures on the size of the test or the number of people using the app.
Details about Ask remain limited. Meta does not explain how the AI selects or presents posts, what safeguards it uses to address inaccurate or outdated group advice, or whether the feature will appear beyond Forum. The criteria for earning the contributor role and the scope of faster publishing are also not specified. These features are described as tests, so their availability and design may change.
More Admin Tools Expected
Meta says it will share more about how it is building tools for group admins in the coming weeks. It also says it wants to hear from the community as it continues developing Forum, but has not announced a specific date for another update. For now, people in the United States can download the app on iOS or Android and sign in with Facebook; the new features remain part of ongoing tests.
Key Questions
What is Forum?
Forum is a Meta app for Facebook Groups. It syncs with a user’s groups so they can see activity, join discussions and discover other groups from one place.
Where can people download Forum?
Meta says Forum is available to download in the United States on iOS and Android. Users sign in with a Facebook account. The announcement does not confirm availability in other countries.
How does Ask work?
Ask uses AI to highlight existing posts and comments in Facebook Groups. Meta says it can surface discussions from groups a user has joined and public groups they have not joined, with a way to open the conversation.
What is the new contributor role?
It is a role Meta is testing to recognize members who help their communities through contributions such as answering questions or sharing practical advice. Meta says admins can grant it, members can remove themselves, and the role includes a badge and benefits such as faster post publishing.
Source: rss
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