Meta is making some significant changes to Facebook Groups by adding new features, such as a sidebar and channels, that have compelled many to compare the new interface with social platform Discord.

Part of a larger shift in Meta policy to make Facebook feel more like TikTok, according to a leaked memo seen by The Verge recently, the new features are being tested to make Facebook Groups attractive to those looking for small, focused spaces for discussion on a range of topics.

Get connected to your Facebook Groups faster We’re testing updates like:
New sidebar from Feed to easily access groups
Channels for smaller group chats
Real-time audio calls

Learn more: https://t.co/p82aW916bd pic.twitter.com/A98EM304Yt

— Meta Newsroom (@MetaNewsroom) June 28, 2022

A new left-aligned sidebar will allow users to find their favourite groups quicker from a list of groups with latest activity, such as new posts and chats, within them. Users can also pin their favourite groups so that they show up first, discover new groups and even create their own.

“For example, if you want quick access to the latest recipes in your cooking group, you can now pin it to the top, find related groups and be inspired to start your own,” Meta wrote in an announcement yesterday (28 June).

Admins will also soon be able to create channels within groups for casual conversations in smaller circles, another instance of Meta’s push to fashion Facebook Groups more like Discord. These discussions can take place in three formats: text-based chats, audio channels and feeds.

While the community chat channels resemble Messenger, the audio conversation rooms look strikingly like that of Discord based on screenshots released by Meta.

Unsurprisingly, many have picked up on the uncanny resemblance and are not happy about the move.

Verge editor Alex Heath took to Twitter to write: “If you have a scaled social app that hasn’t been blatantly copied by Facebook at this point, you should take offense.”

In 2020, Meta (then Facebook) launched Instagram Reels to take on TikTok with very similar short-form videos and accompanying features.

“You really have to admire the extent to which Facebook is trying to be TikTok, and Snap, and Discord, and basically ANYTHING other than Facebook,” tweeted David Pierce of The Verge.

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