Facebook launches
independent ‘Groups’ app
for Android and iOS
for Android and iOS
Facebook is
launching a new free mobile app for its popular Groups feature that lets users
create and interact with communities on the site, whether they’re based on
hobbies, geography or culture.
More than 700 million
of Facebook’s 1.35 billion members use Groups, according to the company. It
says the site hosts hundreds of millions of groups, which people use talk to
others who share their religion, to plan holiday dinners, or to discuss hobbies
or health issues.
The new app is meant
to make accessing Groups easier on a mobile device, allowing users to avoid
having to dig through the Facebook app. It lets people manage their existing
groups or discover new ones, either based on recommendations or by searching
for different topics. Users can also create a shortcut on their phone’s screen
for their favorite group if they want to access it quickly.
Facebook says that, as
with its messaging app, having a stand-alone Groups function “helps people
share faster and more easily with all the groups in their life.”
Facebook has been
working to expand its presence on people’s mobile devices by creating — and
buying — apps such as Messenger, Paper, Instagram and WhatsApp.
The apps Facebook created from scratch through its Creative Labs have faced
varying levels of success.
Paper, a mobile news
reader, hasn’t really caught on. Slingshot was launched as a rival to the
ephemeral messaging service Snapchat but it hasn’t proven much of one. Facebook
on Tuesday declined to provide user figures for Creative Labs apps.
Messenger, which predates
the Creative Labs division, has fared much better, though it helped that
Facebook essentially forced users to download it after it removed the messaging
functionality from its main app. It has more than 500 million users.
Unlike with Messenger,
though, the company says it won’t require people to use the stand-alone app if
they want to use Facebook Groups. They will still be able to access Groups
through the Facebook app or on the website.
Associated Press
