Facebook Dating was a feature that was launched by Facebook in 2018 as a way for people to meet potential romantic partners through their Facebook profiles. It allowed users to create a separate dating profile within Facebook and match with other users who opted into Facebook Dating. However, as of September 2019, Facebook Dating is no longer available for users in most countries.
When did Facebook Dating launch?
Facebook Dating first launched in Colombia in 2018 as a test market. It was then expanded to other countries like Canada, Thailand, and Mexico later that year. In early 2019, Facebook Dating became available in the United States and 19 other countries.
How did Facebook Dating work?
Users who wanted to access Facebook Dating needed to opt into the feature and create a dating profile that was separate from their regular Facebook profile. The dating profile included things like photos, age, location, occupation, education, and other details about yourself.
You could then browse other users’ dating profiles and like or message those you were interested in. Facebook would match you with other compatible singles based on your tastes, interests, location and other factors. It was free to use and was accessible through the Facebook mobile app.
Why did Facebook launch a dating feature?
Facebook likely launched a dating feature for a few key reasons:
- Growth – Dating represented a new area of growth for Facebook outside of their core social media app.
- Data – Having a dating profile provided Facebook with additional user data they could use for ad targeting and optimization.
- Engagement – It was a way to keep users engaged on Facebook products and provide additional utility.
- Revenue – While free to use, Facebook Dating provided opportunities for Facebook to eventually monetize through premium features, promotions, etc.
Why is Facebook Dating not available anymore?
In early September 2019, it was reported that Facebook Dating would be pulled from the European market to focus instead on the US. Shortly after that, Facebook Dating disappeared for users in most countries where it had launched. There are a few possible reasons for this:
Regulatory challenges
Facebook faced scrutiny from European regulators over how they managed user data and privacy. This may have led Facebook to pull Dating from Europe due to uncertainty around upcoming regulations like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Limited adoption and engagement
The usage numbers for Facebook Dating may not have lived up to Facebook’s internal targets. Compared to more established dating apps like Tinder, adoption rates were likely lower. Pulling the feature may have been an admission that it was not gaining the traction Facebook expected.
Development challenges
Integrating dating profiles into the Facebook ecosystem likely presented product and engineering challenges. Facebook may have decided to pull Dating temporarily to focus engineering resources on other priorities.
Brand safety concerns
Facebook was dealing with multiple scandals around data privacy, election interference, and offensive content. Associating their brand with dating may have raised additional concerns around user trust and safety.
Is Facebook Dating ever coming back?
Facebook has not provided a specific timeline for when or if Facebook Dating will return. Here are some possibilities:
- Return in US only – Facebook may decide to relaunch dating just in the US market where they face less regulatory hurdles.
- Return after changes – Facebook may choose to tweak the dating product based on learnings before relaunching it.
- Integrate with Instagram – Facebook could potentially integrate dating into Instagram instead of the Facebook app.
- Permanent shutdown – If the product fails to meet Facebook’s goals, they may abandon it altogether.
For now, Facebook is focusing its resources elsewhere. But they built substantial dating infrastructure and have incentives to find ways to make it work. So it’s quite possible Facebook Dating or some iteration of it will return at some point when the conditions are right.
What countries currently have Facebook Dating?
Since its removal from most markets, Facebook Dating’s availability is now very limited. As of October 2022, the only countries where Facebook Dating can still be accessed are:
| Country | Launch Date |
|---|---|
| United States | September 2019 |
| Canada | November 2018 |
| Mexico | November 2018 |
| Thailand | November 2018 |
| Vietnam | March 2022 |
Many major markets like the UK, France, Australia, India, Brazil and others no longer have access to Facebook Dating after having it briefly in 2019.
Are there any alternatives to Facebook Dating?
If you’re looking for dating options on social media, here are some Facebook Dating alternatives you can try:
Tinder
Tinder is the most popular dating app globally with a large user base. You swipe right to like someone’s profile or left to reject them and message matches.
Bumble
On Bumble, women have to make the first move when a match is made. Bumble has modes for dating, meeting friends and professional networking.
Hinge
Hinge aims to match you with friends of friends on Facebook. Profiles focus on personality prompts and personal interests.
Match
Match.com is a longstanding dating site with in-depth profiles, proprietary matching algorithms and options to search or get matched.
OkCupid
OkCupid uses a personality test to match members based on compatibility. You can browse matches for free or use premium features.
Coffee Meets Bagel
Coffee Meets Bagel curates a limited number of matches (bagels) per day based on your preferences. Highlights quality over quantity.
Key takeaways
- Facebook Dating launched in 2018 but was removed from most countries by late 2019.
- Low adoption rates and regulatory concerns likely contributed to the decision.
- Facebook Dating is still available in the US, Canada, Mexico and some Asian countries.
- Competitors like Tinder, Bumble and Hinge offer similar dating experiences.
- It’s possible Facebook Dating could return in the future, but there’s no set timeline.
Conclusion
Facebook Dating represented an attempt by Facebook to leverage its social data and massive user base for online dating. However, challenges around getting users engaged and responding to privacy concerns resulted in the product being pulled very shortly after launching. While Facebook may try again with dating someday, for now users will have to rely on established dating apps or try Facebook Dating where it’s still available in select countries. With large single populations still looking for partners online, Facebook still has incentives to tap into the dating market in some capacity when the time is right.