‘Facebook Dating’ is the social media giant’s latest feature and it has now been officially launched. Announced at the F8 conference in May, the feature is currently restricted to 20 countries – USA, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Columbia, Ecuador, Guyana, Laos, Malaysia, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, the Philippines, Singapore, Suriname, Thailand, Uruguay, and Vietnam.
Users in Europe are likely to have access to this feature by early 2020. India is currently not on the list of countries in which Facebook Dating will be available.
Facebook has said that it will provide users the option of integrating their Instagram profile directly into their Facebook Dating profile, which will allow users to add Instagram followers to their Secret Crush lists apart from their Facebook friends.
How it works
Users have to be at least 18 years or older to start a Facebook Dating profile. Based on your preferences, interests and browsing habits on Facebook, your profile will be suggested to others using the feature. If you are interested in a particular person, you can comment directly on their profile or click the ‘Like’ button.
The feature will allow you to match with people not on your friends list. Instead it will match you with those who are friends of your friends as well as others not on your friends list.
Secret Crush feature
Facebook Dating won’t match you with friends unless you choose to use Secret Crush and you both add each other to your list. Secret Crush allows you to select as many as nine of your Facebook friends or Instagram followers who you’re interested in. If your crush is a user of Facebook Dating and also adds you to their Secret Crush list, it becomes a match.
Other features
Dating activity will remain on the Dating feature and will not be shared on your regular Facebook page. You can also block people on your friends list from seeing your Facebook Dating profile, even if you want them to still have access to your Facebook or Instagram accounts.