Facebook Dating Explained: How it Works, Features, and Business Model

The demand for online dating has been increasing over the years. Various businesses & startups are joining this industry by launching dating apps. Hence, there are many dating apps available for users.

According to BusinessofApps, more than 323 million people worldwide use dating apps. The number will reach new heights in the coming years.

Facebook, the leading social media platform, announced plans to join the dating industry by launching a dating service within its parent application in 2018. Later, Facebook Dating got officially launched in the US in 2019.

It’s Facebook official, Dating is here: https://t.co/BTUz0ymXmS
(art by @butlikemaybe) pic.twitter.com/zlLkVh0Xyb

— Meta (@Meta) September 5, 2019

If you are a business owner who wants to make a dating app like Facebook dating, you have reached the right place.

Here, we will explain the unique features of Facebook dating which you should consider for your dating app. Before we look into that, we will go through some basics.

What is Facebook Dating?

Facebook dating is a new feature available inside the Facebook app similar to the Marketplace section.

After navigating to Facebook dating, you need to create a dating profile. Here, it is not the same as the Facebook profile. However, you can take information from your Facebook profile and update it accordingly.

Your profile would be only visible to people who have opted for Facebook dating. All of your friends & family members would not get any chance to see your profile.

The Facebook dating app is available in 20+ countries like the USA, UK, Iceland, Ireland, and more. You can check the complete list of countries here.

If you have decided to create a dating application, you should know how it works. Here, we will explain how exactly the Facebook dating app works. By this, you can define the workflow of your dating app. So, let us start:

How does Facebook Dating Work?

Facebook Dating enables you to create an account within the Facebook app. Anyone above 18 years of age and having a profile on Facebook for a minimum of 30 days can join Facebook dating. Your profile would be visible to people who have also chosen to use this service.

After creating a profile, you get recommended profiles depending on your interests, preferences, and past activities on Facebook. Like other popular dating apps, Facebook allows you to like profiles according to your needs. It also allows you to comment on their profile to notify them.

Facebook dating never pairs you up with friends of friends or people in your friend circle. However, there is also a Facebook secret crush feature, which pairs you with your friends. How? We will see this soon.

Facebook has set strong measures to protect users’ privacy. It ensures that a user’s activity doesn’t get shared with anyone on Facebook.

After understanding how Facebook dating works, it is essential to understand its features. Being a business owner, you can make proper decisions on what you want in your dating application.

So, here we go:

What are the Unique Features of the Facebook Dating App?

Let us look at the most notable features of Facebook Dating not present in other dating applications.

Connect Facebook & Instagram Stories

Instead of keeping the profile static, Facebook Dating enables you to share your Facebook & Instagram stories. It is beneficial for users to know each other well after they have matched.

Secret Crush

Facebook’s secret crush is one of the most talked about features in Facebook Dating.

Generally, the app does not match users to their Facebook friends. However, many people want to make relationships with extended circles, such as Facebook friends or Instagram followers.

To match with people like this, you need to opt-in for the Facebook secret crush feature. When you choose to enable this feature, you get an option to choose nine people from your Facebook friends or Instagram followers.

If your crush has chosen to use Facebook Dating, they will receive a notification that a person has a crush on them. If they also add you to their crush list, it’s a match.

On the contrary, if they aren’t using Facebook dating or have not opted for a secret crush, they do not get a notification.

Opt into Events & Groups

There are a lot of events happening across the world listed on Facebook. Besides this, there are also a lot of Groups on Facebook.

When you opt-in to events & groups, Facebook dating gives you the privilege to view people following the same group or are attending the same event as you.

On Pause

It is a trigger available inside the dating section of the app. As soon as you turn off this setting, you don’t get profile suggestions, and also your profile will not be suggested to users. Doing this will help you give attention to matches you have in the dating app.

Second Look

It is one of the most amazing features that set Facebook Dating ahead of other dating apps. When you turn on the second look button, you will view all the suggested profiles you dismissed earlier. You can analyze their profile again and choose whether to give them a second chance.

Match Anywhere

Many people work remotely and often change their travel location. The match anywhere is specially targeted for these people. With this feature, you can add two more locations apart from your existing location to your profile. Further, you can change your location according to your need to find relevant matches.

Lucky Pick

Many people are unable to find dates by applying various filters and preferences and want to let go of these preferences. Surprisingly, Facebook dating has also introduced a feature to resolve their issues. With Lucky Pick, daters can find compatible candidates that fall outside their stated interests.

Audio Dates

Initially, a virtual date feature where users do video dating was available for users. It had been a massive hit. Facebook then introduced an audio version of the same.

You can send an audio call invitation to your date to get to know them well. If your match accepts your requests, your name & photo will be visible to them during the call.

Facebook Dating Business Model

As of now, Facebook Dating is completely free. There are no paid features or premium subscriptions. The core purpose behind keeping it free is to reach a wider audience.

However, as soon as Facebook declares any updates on the monetization model, we will notify you.

If you are creating a dating app for the first time, it is recommended to keep it free for some time. You can later introduce ads, in-app purchases, or subscription models according to the requirement to generate money. To know in detail, you can check out how dating apps make money.

How Much Does it Cost to Develop a Facebook Dating App?

The cost to build a Facebook dating app is at least cost you about $30,000.

The cost further varies based on various essential factors like complexity, features & functionalities, developer location & experience, tools & technologies used, etc.

To know in detail how the estimated cost of a mobile application gets calculated, you can check out this blog on app development cost.

Final Words

We hope you have understood all the essential things related to Facebook Dating. Now, you can integrate the same features as Facebook Dating in your dating app or add new ones to attract a wider audience.

If you want to make a Facebook Dating like app, you can reach out to us.

Guru TechnoLabs is a popular dating app development company. We have developed some of the best dating applications for clients worldwide. Hence, we can understand your dating idea well and provide you with a suitable solution.

FAQs on Facebook Dating