Meta has discreetly introduced a novel “Communities” feature on Messenger, confirming the update to TechCrunch. This new feature aims to enhance communication within organizations, schools, and other private groups by offering a more organized and structured platform. Notably, this rollout follows Meta’s introduction of Communities on WhatsApp in 2022.
The Communities feature enables users to connect with others without necessitating an associated Facebook Group. While Meta previously launched Community Chats on Messenger in 2022 to facilitate real-time interactions within Facebook Groups, this new feature allows users to establish dedicated spaces for real-time communication on Messenger independently of Facebook Groups.
This development signals Meta’s ambition to extend Messenger’s capabilities and distinguish it from other messaging services such as iMessage. Additionally, it reflects the company’s intent to broaden the social networking dimension of Messenger, helping users find and connect with their communities directly within the app.
Communities amalgamate several group chats into a single location, with each Community featuring a specific “Home” space where administrators can post updates and announcements. According to Meta, these communities can accommodate up to 5,000 members through shareable invitations.
The feature is versatile, suitable for creating dedicated spaces for various entities such as organizations, schools, PTAs, and neighborhoods. It also serves as a platform for friends with mutual interests to connect more effectively.
For example, a neighborhood could establish a Community to keep residents informed about various topics. Separate group chats can be created for different subjects like upcoming events, security alerts, and waste collection schedules. Similarly, a school could form a Community with dedicated group chats for each grade, allowing parents to engage in discussions relevant to their children.
Although the functionality is similar to WhatsApp’s Communities, Meta highlights a crucial difference: Messenger Communities are integrated with Facebook’s social graph. Unlike WhatsApp, which requires a phone number for Community invitations, Messenger allows Community builders to grow their networks by inviting Facebook friends and friends of friends.
Meta clarifies on a help page that Communities on Messenger are intended for more public interactions compared to Facebook Groups. For instance, the content of chats is visible to all current and future Community members.
The new Communities feature is being rolled out globally to all users.
