Facebook Dating was launched in the United States

Nearly a year after testing began in Colombia, Facebook Dating is now available in the United States. The product, available to users aged 18 and over, will appear in the form of a new tab in the Facebook mobile application. People who opt for Dating can create a separate profile from their main Facebook profile in one click and meet potential romantic partners among their friends – or, if that makes you feel uncomfortable, completely outside your network. Existing friends.

Facebook says it will suggest matches based on the preferences you express when you create your profile, as well as your interest centers and Facebook activity. The application, which borrows many design elements from the Hinge dating application, allows you to send a "like" and a message matching any profile encountered on the service.

You will not see your Facebook friends in the app if you do not use its "secret" feature, which allows you to express your interest for up to nine Facebook friends (or Instagram followers). If you both love you, you will receive a notification informing you. ("Probably one of the best notifications of their life," said product manager Nathan Sharp The edge.)

Facebook Dating is free and contains no ads or in-app purchases.

"We did not want to include anything in the sweep or the games," said Sharp. "Facebook Dating is about conversations."

Dating is also integrated into Facebook groups and events. If people in your group have created dating profiles or plan to attend the same events on Facebook, they might show up in your correspondences.

With today's launch and the antitrust case against the company, Facebook is stepping up Dating's integration with Instagram. As on Tinder and Hinge, you can now add a module to your profile, displaying your latest Instagram photos. And in the coming months, says Facebook, you can also add ephemera stories – from Facebook and Instagram – to your profile. (The details about the appearance of this integration are not ready to be shared, said the company.)

Facebook Dating also has a potentially powerful feature to protect the security of users: you can tap a shield icon to share details of an upcoming date with a friend or family member for help Facebook Messenger, as well as temporarily share your place of residence. This way, they will be able to watch you when you meet a new person.

With today's launch, Facebook Dating is now available in 20 countries. In addition to the United States, he now lives in Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Laos, Malaysia, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Singapore, Suriname , Thailand, Uruguay and Vietnam.

The product will arrive in Europe early next year, said Facebook.

Can Facebook Dating Succeed? The company says its research shows that 40% of people are not satisfied with their current dating app (it looks weak!), And the fact that Facebook has brought the product to 20 countries in less than a year suggests that he was popular among the first users.

The company would not share any statistics, but is aware of the commitments and marriages made between people met on the application, Sharp said.