Meta has launched a new standalone iOS app called Forum, built as a dedicated platform for Facebook Groups and positioned as a direct competitor to Reddit.
The app, first spotted by social media consultant Matt Navarra, is available on Apple’s iOS and requires a standard Facebook account to access. Existing groups, profiles and activity carry over automatically when users sign in, while posts made in Forum appear on Facebook and vice versa.
Forum’s feed is distinct from the main Facebook feed, centring exclusively on conversations within a user’s groups rather than surfacing algorithmic content from friends, followed pages or unrelated posts. On first login, users are prompted to indicate their interests, which Meta may use to surface content from additional relevant groups.
Table of Contents
AI-Powered Features
Forum includes two AI-powered tools. An “Ask” tab aggregates responses from across a user’s groups to answer questions directly without requiring manual searches. An admin assistant helps group moderators manage their communities and moderate content.
Users can post under anonymised usernames, although group administrators retain the ability to view members’ real identities, distinguishing Forum from fully anonymous platforms such as Reddit.
Market Reaction
Reddit shares fell nearly 6 per cent on the Friday following Forum’s release. Truist analysts described the app as “an attempt by the company to compete against Reddit as an online forum for public discourse” and called it “a new threat.”
“The risk from this move, if successful, is a gradual erosion of Reddit’s utility for casual users who have less community loyalty to Reddit and simply want answers,” the analysts said.
Reddit’s stock is down roughly 40 per cent in 2026, despite reporting its seventh consecutive quarter of revenue growth exceeding 60 per cent in April. Meta reported revenue growth of 33 per cent in its most recent quarter.
Testing Phase
Meta previously launched a standalone Groups app in 2014, which was discontinued in 2017. A Meta spokesperson confirmed the company is still testing Forum.
“We test lots of new products publicly to see what people find interesting and useful to their experiences across our apps,” the spokesperson said.
Forum is one of several new apps Meta has released recently. It follows the April 2026 launch of Instants, a disappearing photo-sharing app for Instagram users.
Source: Net Influencer
