Mashable: It's just one of a slew of new features that Facebook is trying out.

Facebook is testing out a new audio function for its Groups service. Facebook has announced that it is testing audio channels, which will allow Groups to have Discord-like voice conversations, in a blog post.

In the past, audio functionalities were available for Groups with rooms on Facebook. Audio channels, on the other hand, are specialized locations where members of a group may communicate with each other at any given moment, much like Discord.

It's just one of a slew of new features that Facebook is trying out. Additionally, Facebook is experimenting with "channels," effectively sub-groups inside a group, where users may debate certain themes. A community feed channel is a subject-based area inside the group, whereas a community chat channel organizes group message threads based on a certain topic.

Additionally, Facebook is developing a new sidebar that will make all of its users' Groups more apparent on the Facebook app (and have dedicated shortcuts for creating new channels). For the time being, only a select group of users will be able to make use of these new services, but the business plans to make them accessible to everyone eventually.

The modifications come as Facebook prepares to make more substantial alterations to its primary app. Users' feeds will be increasingly focused on AI-driven suggestions in the future, rather than on their current social networks. Additionally, the new sidebar is designed to keep Groups at the forefront of the app's main feed.