What Is Facebook Dating? [4 Things You Need To Know!]

So what is Facebook Dating, and how does it work? While you may be no stranger to trying to get something started with one of your Facebook friends, now it’s official - Facebook has a mobile app for that.

Let's dive in!

#1. Facebook Dating Release Dates

Facebook Dating officially launched in 2018 as a feature within the main Facebook app. The 2018 rollout was limited to Argentina, Canada, Colombia, Mexico and Thailand.

2019 releases included:

Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Paraguay, Uruguay, Guyana, Suriname, Malaysia, Laos, Singapore, Vietnam, the Philippines and the United States. 

2020 Facebook Dating releases focused on Europe:

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

#2. Facebook Dating Privacy Features

The dating service is part of the social network, but completely separate from your existing Facebook. It's also only available on Facebook's mobile app.

Your dating profile is only visible to other singles who have also chosen to activate Facebook Dating, so you don’t have to worry about it popping up in anyone's News Feed, nor will your friends see that you've registered on Facebook Dating.

But if you want, you can allow the app to suggest friends of friends as potential matches in the privacy settings:

You can also control who can view your dating profile via the “Blocking” menu.

From there, you can preemptively block people like your friends, family and coworkers from seeing your dating profile or being suggested to you as match if they’re on Facebook Dating as well.

Facebook Dating Secret Crush

And if you actually want one of your Facebook friends to check out your dating profile because you’re interested in them but not sure if they feel the same way - you can deploy Facebook’s Secret Crush feature.

It allows you to curate a list of up to 9 Facebook friends (or Instagram followers), and if that person's profile is also on Facebook Dating they’ll get notified that one of their friends has a secret crush on them.

The feature won’t share names, so your secret is still safe unless they’ve also named you as a Secret Crush. In that case, names will be unveiled and the two of you will match.

Facebook Dating Privacy

So what information does your profile reveal to your potential matches?

Like most dating apps, your first name, dating location, age and photo will be shown. And if you want, you can also share your job, education, and other biographical details:

Since they are two separate entities, whatever you do in one won’t affect the other.

And if you decide to delete your dating profile entirely, that won’t impact your primary Facebook profile either. To delete Facebook Dating, bring up the Dating Settings Screen and tap “Delete Profile”:

For more details on what Facebook does to keep your data private, check out Facebook's privacy policy.

#3. How To Create Your Facebook Dating Profile

After Facebook Dating is released in your area, you can activate it via the News Feed notification that will pop up.

You’ll also notice a heart icon that you can tap to access your Facebook Dating “home” screen.

If you’ve already got a Tinder or Bumble profile, setting up a Facebook Dating one won’t be anything new.

And even if you’ve never used a dating app before, the set-up process is simple and user friendly - just follow the prompts on the screens!

If you’re like most singles, you’ll probably find the hardest part of setting up your dating profile is writing the bio. Clocking in at 500 characters max, it’s the same length as Tinder’s “About Me.”

Filling it out is optional, but as with most dating apps highlighting an attractive trait or two and few interests will generally boost your match rate - and likely even get you higher quality matches.

That's good news for those seeking long-term relationships!

For maximum impact, include things that do double duty - for instance, mentioning an activity like hiking, kayaking, climbing, etc. lets your matches know you’re physically fit.

Describing a recent trip implies you have at least some discretionary income, and writing about a recent DIY project lets her know you’re a handy guy to have around.

Here’s an example of a good Facebook Dating profile for guys:

For more short dating profiles that would work for Facebook, check out these examples!

Facebook Dating Tiles

Next up, you'll want to select your Facebook Dating icebreakers and pictures. You can include up to 12 in any combination, as each one is displayed as its own “tile.”

Just like on the popular dating app Hinge, the other person has to “like” one of your photos or icebreakers in order to match with you, so you want to make strategic choices.

When it comes to choosing your Facebook Dating pictures, a selection of 5 to 7 is ideal. If you don’t include enough, your matches may not feel like they’re learning much about you.

Use too many and the odds are good you’ll have at least one photo that’s not as attractive as the rest - and all it takes is one bad photo to sink your chances of matching.

An ideal Facebook Dating photo lineup includes:

• A high-quality primary photo, preferably “headshot” proportions where you’re making eye contact with the camera.
• At least one full-length image - “activity” shots like hiking, surfing or sports are great for this!
• Pictures taken outdoors - natural light is far more flattering that indoor lighting, plus you’ll give the impression that you’re an active, energetic person who goes out and does fun things.

Want to choose the best possible pictures? Check out this expert online dating photo advice!

The Facebook questions are straightforward - and a great opportunity to spark a message exchange about a common interest with one of your matches.

Here are a few of the options:

Just like in your bio, your answers should paint you as an attractive dating prospect. Think about your ideal match, and what sort of person they would want to date - then choose your answers accordingly.

To share even more information with your potential matches, you can also integrate your Instagram posts.

#4: How Facebook Dating Works

Once your profile is ready to go, it’s time to get some dates!

To navigate within the app, use the icons at the top of your screen:

You can view potential Facebook Dating matches in 3 places:

1. Suggested For You
2. “Liked” You
3. Groups & Events

The Suggested Matches section is filled with singles who meet your stated preferences. You can scroll through them one by one, and “like” any you’re interested in exchanging messages with.

When someone also “likes” your profile, a match is made and the messaging platform becomes accessible.

You can check out all the people who want to match with you in the “Likes You” section. If you’re interested, you can like them back or respond to their message.

Facebook Dating allows you to send an icebreaker before you’ve matched, which sets it apart from apps like Bumble and Tinder.

Facebook Dating Groups

The Groups/Events section makes it easy to strike up a conversation because you’re both interested in the same thing.

When you “unlock” an event or join groups, your dating profile will then become visible to the other singles who are also interested in that event or in the group - if they're compatible with your dating preferences.

Messaging Your Matches

Facebook only allows you to send one message at a time. That’s an attractive feature to many, as there’s no risk of getting bombarded with unwanted attention from a single person.

You can send a message when you “like” someone, or wait until you’ve matched with them and then reach out.

All your matches will be displayed in the “Conversations” screen, so simply tap on the match you’d like to message and the text box will appear:

You’ve likely sent plenty of Facebook messages in your time, but Facebook Dating is different.

When a match is getting a lot of attention from your competition, a basic, boring message isn’t going to suffice.

You need to impress right out of the gate if you want to meet your potential dates offline, so start things off with a question that’s creative, engaging, and fun to answer.

You’ll find plenty of Facebook Dating conversation starters here, and this is one you can use right now:

Facebook Dating also has a video chat feature where you can chat with your matches via Messenger.

Video chatting is one of the best ways to see if you "spark" with a match - and if your match sparks with you. Check out these video dating tips to look and sound your best!

There you have it - how Facebook's dating service works in a nutshell.

Now You Know How It Works...

All you have to do is create an intriguing profile, select your most attractive photos to go with it, and come up with some witty messages that compel responses… and then keep that convo rolling until your matches are ready to say “yes” to a date. Easy, right?

You wish. It might be Facebook, but using it to get dates with your most amazing matches takes time, energy and skill.

Or you can bypass that stressful learning curve entirely, and enlist the team of modern dating experts at VIDA Select to do everything for you!

Facebook Dating, Tinder, Bumble, Match.com… whatever dating apps and sites you want to use, VIDA can get you incredible results - and all you have to do is show up for the dates!

Intrigued?

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