--- description: Facebook introduced on Tuesday a standalone app for Groups, an existing Facebook feature for sharing messages with small groups. title: Facebook's Newest App Looks Like WhatsApp Meets Google Plus image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt41521db9dec89397/698769685f570f5a81b13a07/groupsscreen4.jpg?branch=production&width=1920&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Tech](/tag/time-section-tech/) ## Tech Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Facebook's Newest App Lets You Chat in Small Groups  by [Jack Linshi](/author/jack-linshi/)  ## Jack Linshi Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 18, 2014 9:38 PM CUT  Facebook Groups Facebook GroupsFacebook  by [Jack Linshi](/author/jack-linshi/)  ## Jack Linshi Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 18, 2014 9:38 PM CUT Facebook [introduced](http://newsroom.fb.com/news/2014/11/introducing-the-facebook-groups-app/ "undefined") on Tuesday a standalone app for Groups, [an existing Facebook feature](https://www.facebook.com/about/groups "undefined") for sharing messages with small numbers of contacts. The Groups app was built “with the people who use Groups the most in mind,” such as those who use it communicate with coworkers, fellow students or distant friends, according to Facebook’s [press release](http://newsroom.fb.com/news/2014/11/introducing-the-facebook-groups-app/ "undefined"). The Groups app features a list of user’s Groups on a single screen, in addition to a notifications page providing updates on what’s going on throughout all of a user’s groups. There’s also a discovery feature to suggest groups of interest based on a user’s likes or friends. ### This Is What Your Facebook Profile Looked Like Over the Last 11 Years  The Original Facebook Group Page, 2004\. Before people realized how awesome pictures are. Courtesy of Facebook  Facebook Profile Page, 2005\. Back when Facebook looked a little bit like MySpace. Courtesy of Facebook  Facebook Profile Page Facelift, 2005\. The "the" is finally dropped. Courtesy of Facebook  Facebook Profile Page, 2006\. You no longer need to be reminded "this is you" at the top of your profile page. Courtesy of Facebook  Facebook Profile Page, 2007\. Every profile update still had to begin with "is," forcing you to talk about yourself in the third person. Courtesy of Facebook  Facebook Profile Page, 2008\. The wall. Courtesy of Facebook  Facebook Profile Page, 2009\. It only took five years for Facebook to create easy-to-find privacy settings. Courtesy of Facebook  Facebook Profile Page, 2010\. Facebook starts to get pretty. Courtesy of Facebook  Facebook Profile Page, 2011\. Zuckerberg realizes that people love pictures, usually of animals. Courtesy of Facebook  Facebook Profile Page, 2012\. The timeline allows you (or your parents) to trace your life from birth to death. Courtesy of Facebook  Facebook Profile Page, 2013-2014\. Facebook introduced a new app, Paper, on Monday. Courtesy of Facebook  Facebook Profile Page, 2014-2015\. Facebook updated both the newsfeed algorithm and the privacy settings. Courtesy of Alex Fitzpatrick/Facebook Unlike Facebook Messenger, which Facebook moved entirely to a standalone app, the Groups function will still be available in the main Facebook app. All told, the Groups app appears similar to WhatsApp, a group messaging app that Facebook purchased in October in a deal worth about $19 billion. The Groups app is a product of Facebook Creative Labs, a Facebook initiative to designs apps that facilitate new ways of communication. Facebook has also recently released standalone apps for [chatting anonymously](time.com/3534690/facebook-anonymous-app-rooms/ "undefined") and for [sending](http://time.com/2890337/facebooks-slingshot-snapchat/ "undefined") self-destructing messages. Groups is now available for free download on iPhone and Android devices. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3593158/facebook-groups-app/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3593158/facebook-groups-app/"},"headline":"Facebook's Newest App Lets You Chat in Small Groups","datePublished":"2014-11-18T21:38:34.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:45:33.065Z","description":"But don't worry — Groups will still be accessible from the main Facebook app","url":"https://time.com/3593158/facebook-groups-app/","keywords":["Tech","Social Media","facebook"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt41521db9dec89397/698769685f570f5a81b13a07/groupsscreen4.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jack Linshi","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/jack-linshi/"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt41521db9dec89397/698769685f570f5a81b13a07/groupsscreen4.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Facebook Groups","caption":"Facebook Groups","creditText":"Facebook","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-tech/","name":"Tech"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3593158/facebook-groups-app/","name":"Facebook's Newest App Lets You Chat in Small Groups"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Facebook’s Rooms App Imitates Old-School Chat Rooms","description":"Rooms bills itself as a mobile-focused version of early chat rooms and forums. Users group up into micro-communities — the rooms — and share photos, videos and text in a communal feed, which can be easily moderated.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/wffwSsXh/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-10-24T16:28:38.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/wffwSsXh.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3593158/facebook-groups-app/","duration":"PT1M43S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3593158/facebook-groups-app/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```