Meta launches group chats independent of Messenger

The groups, called “Communities,” allow administrators to add up to 5,000 people, even if they are not part of the same Facebook group. Meta previously introduced this feature in 2022, allowing Facebook group admins to create Discord-like chat rooms for members. This new type of chat, in turn, is open to anyone – users can create one for their neighborhood, school or event, for example.

goal grades that creating “communities” on Messenger is not yet available to everyone and that users should be aware that there is a different level of privacy than they typically associate with personal messaging.

Messenger’s gradual updates bring it more in line with platforms like WhatsApp or Discord. In 2022, WhatsApp’s messaging capabilities also expanded, allowing group administrators to communicate with thousands of people at once, rather than the more private and direct conversations the platform was known for.

Messaging has also become a main focus for other Meta platforms like Instagram. Instagram boss Adam Mosseri has he said that DMs are responsible for much of the platform’s growth and that young people especially spend a lot of time sending messages. Last year, Instagram launched the ability to send mass updates via DMs – called “channels” – in a feature similar to Telegram. Creators can run their own channel for followers and send updates, announcements, and more. The company has also tried to make DMs more interactive with things like contests held via messaging.