2024's Ultimate Facebook Dating Guide (Basics, Tips & More!)

In a nutshell, Facebook allows users to create a separate Dating profile that you’ll access within your Facebook account. Your Dating profile is only visible to other users who have opted in to the Dating service.

The dating service works in a similar fashion to other dating apps - you’ll have the opportunity to match with other Facebook users who have also opted in to the dating service and meet your specified criteria.

Just like Tinder and Bumble, Facebook Dating requires both people to “like” each other before any messages can be exchanged - although you do have the ability to send a message along with your like.

For good message examples and conversation tips, make sure to read our Facebook Dating Openers article!

It’s a feature within the Facebook app, and it’s called “Facebook Dating.” To read more about it, go here.

Your Dating profile is hidden from your Facebook friends, and anyone who isn’t using the Dating service. Nothing gets posted to your Newsfeed. Your friends, or anyone that you’ve blocked, won’t be suggested to you as matches.

However, “friends of friends” could be suggested as matches unless you turn that feature off in your Dating preferences. If the “suggest friends of friends” option is toggled on, you’ll also see mutual friends once you’ve matched.

According to Facebook, you matches are suggested based on things such as your specified match preferences and other information you’ve input, your Facebook activity, and groups & events that you’ve joined.

No, right now Facebook Dating is totally free.

If the Facebook Dating app is available in your market, you’ll see the “Dating” option on the menu screen. To activate Facebook Dating, simply tap the heart icon and start building your Dating profile by following the prompts.

Right now, Facebook is available in these 20 countries:

Asia: Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam

Europe: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom

North America: United States, Mexico, Canada

South America: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay

If you can’t find Facebook dating, it’s likely because it hasn’t been released in your area yet. It’s also only available for mobile, so if you’re trying to find it on your desktop check on your phone instead.

No - Facebook users choose whether or not to use the Dating feature.

When you first create your Facebook Dating profile, you must turn Location Services on. This will establish your dating location, which will then be used to select your potential matches based on your distance preference.

To start a conversation with someone on Facebook Dating, simply tap on one of the photos in their profile and send a message along with your “like.”

If they respond, you can then freely exchange messages. This will occur in a separate Dating inbox, and those messages will not appear in Messenger.

This Facebook Dating feature lets you curate a list of up to 9 of your Facebook Friends that you’d be interested in dating. If those “secret crushes” also happen to be using the Dating service, they’ll receive a notification that someone is crushing on them.

Don’t worry, Facebook won’t name names - unless that person also added you as a Secret Crush. In that case, the cat’s out of the bag and you’ll match.

You can remove names from your Crush list at any time, but you can only add one name per day until all the spots have been filled.

Yes - you can add Instagram stories. Once you’ve linked Instagram, you can decide which stories to share with Facebook Dating. You can also share your Facebook stories to your Dating profile.

Facebook Dating doesn’t have the popularity of apps Hinge, Tinder, Bumble and Match, so you’ll likely find you won’t have as many potential matches.

But that being said, Facebook Dating does give users the advantage of matching with people who have joined the same Groups & Events, which can make it easier to connect over a common interest and meet up IRL.

As with any dating app, your success also depends largely on the strength of your profile, photos and messages.

Yes. You can temporarily pause Facebook Dating. While it’s paused, you can still respond to people who have liked or matched with you, but you won’t match with anyone new.

To pause Facebook Dating, go to the general settings menu, and toggle on “Take a Break” in the Account section. You can resume your Dating activity at any time by toggling the setting back off.

To delete Facebook Dating, simply navigate to the general profile settings menu, scroll down to the “Account” section, and tap “Delete profile.”

You can choose to answer the questions, or simply tap “skip” in the upper right hand corner. Confirm your action by tapping “Delete.”

Deleting your Facebook Dating profile will not have any effect on your general Facebook profile, and it will also get rid of the Facebook Dating shortcut.

Yes, to block someone simply tap on their profile, then tap the three dots in the upper right hand corner. From there, you can block them or report their profile.

Facebook Dating initially launched in Colombia in 2018, and has been adding markets ever since. The dating service was released in the US in late 2019, and with the next anticipated release date being 2020 for parts of Europe and Australia.

No, currently Facebook Dating is only available on mobile, as it’s a feature of the Facebook app. That’s why you won’t find Facebook Dating on your desktop!

The Second Look function lets you go back and revisit profiles you've passed on.