With little fanfare, Facebook Dating was launched last week in the U.S. The latest dating app—a part of Facebook’s existing app—received a lot of press, but it was unclear if users would respond favorably to a dating app from a social network that many have fled. Of course, Facebook still owns many of these users on Instagram, but the social network is increasingly seen as tragically uncool and mostly populated by Boomers. Facebook also established a company’s image not to be trusted with your data after the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The brand is not healthy, in other words.
I was curious about Facebook Dating, as a single individual who used dating apps such as Hinge and Bumble, admittedly because I thought it would have a short shelf life. I chose Dating (which required me to download the Facebook app again; I had deleted it a long time ago because my phone battery was depleted), and then I looked around the app. It was a city with ghosts. There is a “Secret Crush” section where you can add someone as a crush, and if they also list you as a crush, you can match them. However, the more significant issue is that I don’t want to date anyone who is already one of my friends on Facebook. Facebook Dating also suggests individuals you don’t know for you, but in New York City, that feature is not yet available to me.
Facebook Dating is a static app right now without a lot to do. Dating is supposed to match you with others outside of your friend group in the future based on mutual interests and even data such as what events you are going to do. Again, however, the business will need to persuade people to trust its app and opt-in. In one year, or even in six months, will Facebook Dating exist? That’s yet to be determined, but if you’re curious about Facebook’s foray into the online dating world as well, here’s all you need to know.
How to get started on Facebook Dating
As I mentioned earlier, Facebook Dating is not a separate app, but it is integrated into the main Facebook app. You need to update the new version of the Facebook app to get access to it. It’s accessible from the icon in the lower right-hand corner of the hamburger menu; press that, then scroll down. With a heart logo, you’ll see “Dating” right under Activities. Facebook asks you to fill out a profile after you opt-in, similar to Tinder, Hinge, and Bumble’s profiles. This profile is different from your usual profile on Facebook. You can pick who you want to date (all choices are women, trans women, men, trans men, and non-binary people), age range, chosen height, religious beliefs, and whether you have or want kids. In most dating applications, these choices are all pretty standard.
You can add pictures to your dating profile from your current Facebook profile. You “describe yourself in three sentences, three words, or three emojis,” Facebook also suggests.
In the United States and 19 other nations, including Mexico, Brazil, Canada, and the Philippines, Facebook Dating is currently open. It will be released next year in Europe. You must be at least 18 years old for Facebook Dating to be included.
How to see people who like you and message you on Facebook Dating
In Facebook Dating, there are “liked you” and “conversations” tabs at the top of the home screen. Here, you can see the people you enjoyed and the interactions you had with your matches.
The interactions that you have are different from Facebook Messenger on Facebook Dating. The Secret Crush feature, which is a relief, can also only fit your current Facebook mates.
How to use Facebook Dating’s ‘Secret Crush’ feature
Hidden Crush sounds like a 2004 feature (remember Pokes?), but Facebook hopes users will be drawn to it. To use, on the Dating Home screen, pick Hidden Crush, then add current Facebook friends to your crush list. The app notifies all sides of a match if they also choose you as a crush. When you pick someone as a crush, they are told that someone has a passion for them, whether they have already decided to date. At a time, you can add up to nine crushes and delete individuals as you wish. A feature such as Hidden Crush is certainly not new to the online dating community. When people like you, apps like Bumble remind you and display blurred-out avatars to try to entice you to find out who’s behind the blurs.
Facebook Dating aims to incorporate the option to add Instagram followers to the Hidden Crush list as well, a step that could be semi-successful because Instagram is already something of an unofficial dating app itself. Yet, to use this feature, if Instagram users need to download the Facebook app, that might discourage many of them.
By the end of the year, Facebook plans to add the ability to connect your dating profile to Instagram and Facebook Stories.
Facebook Dating and privacy
People may be reluctant to send more data to Facebook for a good reason. Facebook is not profiting from its dating service, as the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) points out, although that could change in the future. It’s hard to imagine the business giving up the opportunity to add its years of user data with the latest data it gathers about its Dating,” the organization says, “Facebook might merge your dating profile details with the rest of your account data.
So, while Facebook does not sell your dating details to third-party businesses as of today, you should be aware of the possibility of that move.
When building a profile on Facebook Dating, the app lets you adhere to its terms of service. Your dating profile in Dating is available to everyone,” says the app.” “On your dating profile, your first name, age, and photos are always available.”
Your Facebook Dating profile is different from your standard Facebook profile, so the other will not be affected if you change one. The app also notes that “anyone who joins Dating can see your dating profile, except your current Facebook friends and anyone you have blocked.”
If you delete your Facebook account, your Facebook dating profile will also be deleted in turn.
Is Facebook Dating worth it?
It’s difficult to say if it’s worth downloading Facebook to build a dating profile because Facebook just rolled out Dating to the U.S. Tinder debuted in 2012. In recent years, several apps have followed that imitate its user interface and profile. Facebook is coming to the party late. It also sounds like Facebook’s futile effort to attract younger users over to its app. Single individuals know at this stage which apps they want and how to use them. In 2019, it was doubtful everybody would be migrating to Facebook Dating, but we’re going to have to wait and see. Next, people really ought to join in.
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