Facebook Dating Features Now Being Tested In Colombia

In May, Facebook announced that it would be bringing a dating service to its main Facebook app. Now, Facebook Dating is being tested in Colombia and it comes with a bunch of features that make it stand out from other dating services.

The dating feature is an opt-in service and can be accessed right inside the main Facebook app. Users will be able to create a new dating profile that’s different than their regular Facebook profile. Users will be able to add information on their bio, workplace, education, religion, gender and sexual orientation. There’s even an option to include information on whether or not the user has any kids.

All of these are optional, as pointed out by Engadget. The only information that will be carried over from the user’s regular Facebook profile will be their age, location and their first name. This is likely a way to prevent any catfishing on the service. The dating feature will only be accessible to users who are 18 or older. Users of Facebook Dating can also upload 12 photos and answer up to 20 personality questions.

Unlike Tinder, Facebook isn’t using any swiping gestures. Instead, the dating service is centered on a home screen powered by an algorithm that is able to suggest matches to users. The algorithm’s suggestions will be based on data that Facebook has collected about its users over the years. These will include Liked pages, videos watched, Groups joined, shared links and places visited. Users are also able to filter out and set their own criteria to see potential matches. They will be able to filter their matches by distance, age, religion, height or if they have kids.

Users can freely browse through the home screen’s Suggested matches. Users will also be able to go to their Events and Groups to see other people who are using the dating feature. People that have already been blocked by the user will not pop up as Suggested matches.

When a user is presented with a Suggested match, they have the option to indicate whether they’re interested or not. If a user is interested with one of their matches, they will be able to choose a photo or question from that person’s profile and send them a message. The user who sent the message won’t be able to see the recipient unless the recipient decides to deliver a reply.

Messages from potential dating matches will be stored in an “Interested” tab in the chat section of the Facebook app. If the recipient of the initial message replies, the message thread will then be moved to the “Conversations” tab. Chatting through Facebook Dating doesn’t have read receipts and there’s no option to send photos.

Facebook said that it currently has no plans to monetize the dating feature with ads or paid subscriptions. The new dating features are now available in Colombia. Facebook Dating’s product manager Nathan Sharp told TechCrunch that South America has already culturally accepted online dating. The region also has 30 million monthly active Facebook users. There’s no word yet on when it will be available in other countries.