Facebook has been connecting billions of people around the world for over a decade. The social media giant is now looking to be a matchmaker with its new dating service.
Facebook Dating has launched in the United States, and it is coming to Europe next year.
The new function has been welcomed by some users, who argue it will "cut through the noise and curate our experience".
However, Facebook's entrance into the online dating market could be "too late".
The Claim
Finding love online "just got a whole lot less intimidating", according to Refinery 29's Emma Banks.
It can be difficult to judge someone by their online dating profile - but Facebook's new dating service will reflect your interests and priorities, through the information you have already submitted on the social media platform.
Banks asks: "But what if we could cut through the noise and curate our experience on dating apps to more closely match our realities?
"Facebook - the app we already use to document our memories and nurture virtual connections - is helping us do just that with its new feature for finding love online: Facebook Dating."
She calls the new function for Facebook "the latest evolution in online dating", arguing that something different is finally being brought to the table.
The Counterclaim
However, Tech Crunch's Lucas Matney says that Facebook's new feature might be "arriving too late".
He argues: "The biggest threat to Facebook's dating play (which launched in the United States this week) is that people aren't using Facebook the same way that they did 10 or 15 years ago.
"Facebook very well could have missed the boat."
Matney explains that the social media platform would have once been the ideal space for online dating, but it is "a bit less natural of a home" compared to the likes of Messenger.
The social media giant now has "a whole mess of contending apps to take on" when they launch Facebook Dating.
The Facts
Facebook Dating is only available on mobile, but does not require any additional downloads because it is built directly on its main app. It will exist as a tab within Facebook's main menu, in the same place as marketplace and groups.
When users set up a profile on Facebook Dating, they will be asked to specify their gender and the gender of the people they are interested in. Options include: cis woman, trans woman, cis man, trans man, non-binary people. This identity will not be shared with potential matches.
Users can fill in details such as their height, job title, religion, place of work, where they attended school, and whether they have children. Up to nine photos are allowed and ice-breaker questions, like "What does the perfect day look like?", will be asked by Facebook.
There will be no swiping left or right on Facebook Dating. Users can like a person's profile or respond to their questions, photos, or Instagram posts. There will be a separate inbox for users - but they cannot send photos, links or payments.
As well as the United States, Facebook Dating is available in 19 other countries, including Brazil, Canada, Thailand, and Mexico. It will be available in Europe from early 2020.
The online dating market could be worth $12billion by 2020. The Match Group, which includes Tinder, OKCupid, Plenty of Fish, and Match.com, made $1.7 billion in revenue last year.
