Facebook Inc. announced its new dating service is available to users in the United States on Thursday. The announcement sent shares soaring by two percent for the company. The new dating feature will allow users to integrate the profile they create on Facebook dating with the profile they maintain on Instagram. Users can also add their followers on Instagram to their list of secret crushes. The secret crush feature provides users of the dating app to explore the possibility of a romantic relationship with a present member of their circle of friends.
The app was first tested in Colombia a year ago and can be accessed in a new tab that can be found on the user’s homepage.
Facebook users will have the option of deciding whether or not they wish to interact with the dating app. Interactions with the dating service will not show up on a users profile or newsfeed. Users will have the opportunity to decide who is able to view the information present in their dating file.
The Facebook dating app will suggest matches to users based on the information they provide in their dating profile. Users will be allowed to send a ‘like,’ as well as, a message to the profile of any other dating app user that interests them.
There is no fee to use the Facebook dating app and users will enjoy the full suite of services offered by the app without the need for in-app purchases.
A spokesman for Facebook says their dating app is built around conversations between users and does not include games or swiping that are available with some other dating apps. The app also works in tandem with both group and event features on Facebook. For example, if one user is part of a group or attending an event as another user, they may be more likely to show up as a match.
MatchGroup, the owner of the Tinder dating site, experienced a six percent value decline in their shares following the announcement of the dating service from Facebook.
The dating service by Facebook is presently available in 20 countries and the company says it will expand to Europe in 2020.
