at 9:30 PM

Facebook's Dating feature has launched

Facebook has decided to formally enter the online dating arena with its public launch of Facebook Dating.

In the Facebook Newsroom post announcing the service’s availability, Facebook Dating Product Manager Nathan Sharp describes the service as “start meaningful relationships through things you have in common, like interests, events and groups.”

In a synergistic move, Facebook will also allow people that use the Facebook Dating service to directly embed Instagram posts into their profile, as well as add followers from the photo-focused social network as "Secret Crushes." This feature will allow people to match with people you already know on either social network. The company promises that "no one will know that you’ve entered their name" if they aren't signed up for Dating or haven't created a Secret Crush list with you on it. Facebook also plans to allow users to add Stories from Facebook and Instagram onto their Dating profiles by the end of the year.

As of this post, Facebook Dating is available in the following 20 locations:

Argentina Bolivia Brazil Canada Chile Colombia Ecuador Guyana Laos Malaysia Mexico Paraguay Peru The Philippines Singapore Suriname Thailand The United States Uruguay Vietnam

Facebook plans to launch dating across Europe in "early 2020."

Further coverage: Facebook Newsroom Fast Company The Verge

by Ian Dorfman

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