Facebook Community Chats Are Being Discontinued: Here’s What You Need to Know and Do

If you’re a Facebook Group admin or an active member, you may have noticed a banner announcing a significant change: Facebook is shutting down its Community Chats feature. This integrated chat function, designed for real-time conversations within groups, will soon be a thing of the past.

This move will impact how many groups communicate, so it’s important to understand what’s happening, how to save your data, and what your options are moving forward.

What Were Community Chats?

First, let’s recap what this feature was. Community Chats were special chat rooms created specifically for a Facebook Group. They allowed for more immediate, public conversations among members, separate from the main group feed. For example, members could use them to coordinate an in-person event, discuss a niche topic with a smaller subset of the group, or simply socialize in real time.

These chats were managed by group admins and moderators and operated under different privacy guidelines than standard Messenger chats, as they were considered an extension of the group itself. You could typically find them directly within your Facebook Group page or in the left menu of the Messenger app.

Your Chats Are Going Away: How to Save Your History

The most critical step right now is to save your chat history before it’s permanently deleted. Facebook has provided a way to download your information.

Before the chats are fully removed, they will enter a “paused” state. During this time, you can still read old messages, but no one will be able to send new ones. To ensure you don’t lose valuable conversations, follow these steps:

1. Open your Messenger app.
2. At the top of the screen, you should see a banner about Community Chats. Tap on Learn more.
3. From there, tap on Download your information.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.

It is highly recommended that you do this as soon as possible to avoid losing any data.

What’s Next? Facebook’s Alternative

Facebook is suggesting that groups transition to a feature called a Messenger Community. However, there is a very important distinction: this new community will be entirely separate from your Facebook Group.

While it aims to provide a similar function, it won’t be integrated in the same way. The new Messenger Community will allow you to:

• Start a main chat for members.
• Share important news and updates through an announcements channel.
• Create threads to share or plan events.

This shift means admins will have to manage two separate spaces: the original Facebook Group for posts and discussions, and a new Messenger Community for real-time chat.

Suggestions for Group Admins and Members

With this change on the horizon, here are some actionable suggestions to ensure a smooth transition for your community:

1. Communicate with Your Members: As an admin, announce the change clearly in your group. Let members know that the Community Chat is closing and explain the steps to download their chat history. This prevents confusion and shows that you are on top of the situation.
2. Archive Important Information: Before the chat is paused, go through it and manually screenshot or copy any critical information, links, or files that might not be easily found in the downloaded data file.
3. Evaluate the New Messenger Community: Don’t automatically assume the new Messenger Community is the right fit. Discuss with your moderation team and perhaps poll your members. The lack of direct integration with your Facebook Group might be a deal-breaker for some.
4. Explore Other Platforms: This could be an opportunity to find a better tool for your group’s needs. Platforms like Discord or Telegram offer robust features for community management, including topic-specific channels, voice chat, and better moderation tools that might serve your group better than Facebook’s offerings.
5. Create a Simple Group Chat: If your community is small and you don’t need advanced features, a standard Messenger group chat could be a simpler alternative. While it lacks the organization of a Community, it keeps the conversation in a familiar app.

The removal of Community Chats marks another evolution in how we connect online. By acting now, you can preserve your group’s history and thoughtfully choose the best path forward for your community.