This Is How Facebook Dating Works: Dating
Facebook is a social media platform that links billions of people all over the world. It’s now assisting them in hooking up and (possibly) finding the love of their lives. After launching in 19 countries last year, including Argentina, Canada, Chile, Mexico, Peru, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, the social media giant is launching its new dating service, Facebook Dating, in the United States.
Facebook unveiled the new dating service at its 2018 F8 developer conference, claiming that users who opt-in and build a dating profile would be recommended possible matches based on their Facebook activity. The service uses dating interests, mutual mates, groups, and events attended on Facebook to pair possible matches. It’s also completely free to use.
With this feature’s launch, Facebook enters the $3 billion dating market, where apps like OkCupid, Tinder, and Bumble compete fiercely. Match Group (MTCH), which owns Tinder and OkCupid, saw its stock drop as much as 6% on Thursday. On the day that Facebook announced the dating feature, the stock fell more than 15%.
Facebook has the distinct advantage of tap into its approximate 221 million U.S. users as it joins the fray. According to a Pew Research survey, seven out of ten adults in the United States use Facebook, implying a massive user base at launch. Tinder, on the other hand, has just 3.8 million users.
According to another Pew Research survey, only about half of American teenagers (51%) use the main Facebook app. Since this dating feature is only accessible to users aged 18 and up, it is unlikely to help raise Facebook’s dwindling popularity among teenagers.
The service is currently only available on mobile and does not need any additional downloads. It’s integrated right into the main Facebook app. You will access it by going to the top-right menu, where you’ll find the marketplace and classes.
The app, according to Facebook, is different from main Facebook profiles and is not scraped for data that can be used to target ads. That might, of course, change in the future.
Users who build a dating profile can choose which aspects of their Facebook profile they want to display, such as whether they wish to share mutual Facebook friends with their dating prospects. They won’t be able to see someone they’ve already added as a Facebook friend or someone they’ve blocked.
Initially, profiles are auto-populated with only first names. Users can then add information such as their location, gender, height, religion, job title, business, colleges, whether or not they have children, and other popular details among dating apps. Users may, for example, pick who they want to date from a list that includes all, all women, trans women, all men, and trans men. The gender identity of users may be displayed as cis woman, trans woman, cis male, trans man, or nonbinary.
A profile may have up to nine images and an ice-breaker question like “What three emoji best represent you?” Once you’ve done it, Facebook’s dating algorithm will pick and view possible matches for you.
From this point on, Facebook Dating parallels most dating sites. It would help if you are looking for people who live nearby, share your religion, or have specific physical characteristics. Searches for unique ethnicities, for example, are not eligible.
Users press a heart button to signal interest or a “X” to move instead of swiping left or right. It is possible to like unique content on someone’s profile, such as a picture or a response to one of the ice-breaker questions. This is identical to how the Hinge dating app operates.
Other apps on the market have strongly inspired the bulk of Facebook Dating’s key features. If you’ve ever used a dating app like Tinder, Hinge, or Bumble, you’re probably very familiar with the controls and how pairing works (i.e., when two people like each other, they are paired and can begin chatting).
Facebook Dating has a few distinct features, the most prominent of which is the “Secret Crush” feature. If you click past the app’s events and groups section, where you can pair with people from Facebook events and groups, you’ll find an area where you can add hidden crushes to your interests.
Users can add up to nine friends from Facebook or Instagram followers that they secretly admire in the Hidden Crush section, and they will be notified. They’ll get a notification once you add them to your Secret Crush list. Users who have each other on their list will be matched and will receive a notification. They can start messaging once they’ve been matched.
Until you match with them, Facebook claims that your hidden crush will never realize it was you who added them to the list. The aim, according to Facebook, is for people to try to establish relationships with people they know but are afraid to approach.
It’s an intriguing term, and it’s one that’s exclusive to Facebook. There is no other service in the United States that is broad enough to support this function. It remains to be seen if it succeeds, but it’s important to see Facebook using its vast user base to give Facebook Dating a small advantage over other dating apps.
Finally, the last noteworthy aspect of Facebook Dating is its focus on protection and support. The service also has a new “Share Your Plans” feature that makes it easier for people to share their locations with others if they decide to meet up for a date.
You can opt to share your plans with family and friends after you’ve finished chatting with one of your matches to let them know where you’ll be meeting your date.
This function allows you to share your location with friends or family for a set time. When you plan to meet with a stranger, it is easier for loved ones to keep track of you.
Facebook Dating is now open to all 18-year-olds in the United States who have downloaded the most recent edition of Facebook.