New Facebook Groups app goes live in App Store

Facebook Groups 1.0 for iOS (iPhone screenshot 001)

Facebook on Tuesday announced a brand new iPhone application, now available at no cost in the App Store. Dubbed Facebook Groups, the 54-megabyte download promises to give you a dedicated space for you and your groups and make it easy to discover and join new groups, post photos and links, or create your own.

For those wondering, Facebok Groups are like forums on the Internet. Anyone can create a group covering specific topics.

For example, families can create closed groups to share family photos, organize vacations and more. Or, your team could use Facebook Groups to post updates and schedules, your school or neighborhood may have set up a Facebook Group and so forth.

Facebook Groups is available free in the App Store.

Facebook has long had Groups functionality, but this is the first time a dedicated iOS app has been made available to manage Facebook Groups in the palm of your hand.

Here’s creating a group on an iPhone.

Facebook Groups 1.0 for iOS (iPhone screenshot, create)

The main Facebook app also supports Groups interactions and functionality although ordinary users would be hard-pressed to spot those features in the mobile app. The screenshots below depict the Facebook Group app icon (left), your feed (middle) and main menu (right).

Facebook Groups 1.0 for iOS (iPhone screenshot 002)

The app collates all your Facebook Groups in one place, with the most frequently accessed groups listed at the top. Groups can send you alerts but you can control which notifications you want to see.

The Discover tab is where you’ll find group suggestions based on Facebook Pages you’ve liked, groups your friends are in and where you live.

The iPhone-only app requires iOS 7.0 or later, is optimized for the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus resolutions and available in all countries on Android and iOS today.

Download Facebook Groups free in the App Store.

[Facebook PR, Facebook Groups]