Is Facebook the new Tinder? Dating feature is undergoing testing
Two months after Facebook announced its upcoming Dating feature during its F8 developers conference, reports have surfaced saying that the social media giant has already started testing the feature internally. Notably, contrary to general expectations, Facebook will reportedly include the Dating feature on its website (presumably) and native app, and not as a separate app like Tinder. Here's what we know about it.
What Mark Zuckerberg had promised at F8
"This is going to be for building real, long-term relationships, not just hook-ups," CEO Mark Zuckerberg had said when he announced Facebook Dating at the F8 developers conference.
Reliable tipster Jane Manchung Wong is responsible for the preview
The latest information on Facebook Dating was released by reliable tipster Jane Manchung Wong. Based on screenshots and other information provided by Wong, it seems that Facebook's Dating feature has a mature design and is geared towards finding more long-term matches than Tinder's hot-or-not approach which, arguably, works more for one night stands and hookups. Currently, it's only available for Facebook's US employees.
Not meant for dating coworkers, clarifies Facebook
"This product is for US Facebook employees who have opted-in to dogfooding Facebook's new dating product. The purpose for this dogfooding is to test the end-to-end product experience for bugs and confusing UI. This is not meant for dating your coworkers," reads Dating's current disclaimer.
A sneak peek!
Users can control who can see their Dating profile
Interestingly, Wong's screenshots indicate that users will be able to choose if Facebook Friends, or other lists like Family, can view their Dating profiles. Neither will the activation of a Dating profile be shared on a user's newsfeed. Other screenshots indicate the the Dating profile asks for information on one's gender, location, and genders they're interested in. However, that's not all.
Facebook Dating's efforts at helping create more offline connections
Reportedly, Facebook Dating will also have a feature where a Dating user can browse through other Dating users' profiles if they're attending a common event. The feature, aimed at helping make more offline connections, will allow two people attending the same event to text each other over WhatsApp or Messenger if they express interest (not swiping) in each other.
Other details about Facebook's Dating feature
In addition, according to TechCrunch, Facebook is looking to limit the number of times a Dating user can express interest in people, in a bid to crack down on spammy behavior. Reportedly, there are also no plans as of now to have a paid premium Dating service, it won't show ads either. However, ads could be added later.
