More than a year after it was first announced, Facebook Dating is now ficially rolling out to select users.
“We’ve been really slow, actually, with this rollout,” Charmaine Hung, a product manager at Facebook Dating, told CNN Business. “We really wanted to make sure we got it right because dating is so personal.”
Many apps already make use Facebook’s API and populate lists with your friends, interests, and other notable descriptors, but this is the first time that the platform itself is venturing into the dating world. And why not? Whether through Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, or WhatsApp, much today’s communication — and flirting — goes through one the company’s platforms.
Facebook Dating gets an immediate leg up on the competition with a functionality called Secret Crushes, which allows users to select up to nine friends whom they already have a crush on. If one your crushes also marks you down as one theirs, the app lets you know and you two can take it from there..
The process for setting up your Dating prile, shown in its entirety below, goes into detail about what information you supply, how it will be used, and more. Check your Facebook app to see if you’ve been selected for early access, or go into your settings (bottom-most right picture) to see if you can access it there.