The Facebook Dating App Review

Facebook Dating App Review - How Good Is it?

Facebook has launched its dating app, attempting to match people based on its matching algorithm. Is the Facebook Dating app a good way to meet women?

The breakdown of this review of Facebook's Dating apps if the following:

1. The features of the app and how it works.
2. How to create a dating profile on Facebook
3. How to send messages to women in the app.
4. The bonus features, including "secret crush" and "second look."
5. The pros and cons of the app.

Overview of the Facebook Dating App

Before diving into the review, it's critical to understand how the app works. If you're curious about how the app works, here are a few facts about the Facebook Dating app:

• The Facebook Dating app is free.
• You can only access the Facebook dating app on your phone.
• Facebook Dating is not a stand-alone dating app; you must be a member of Facebook.
• Your current Facebook friends won't be able to see your dating profile.
• All conversations on Facebook Dating are separate from your conversations on Facebook Messenger.
• Facebook dating doesn't suggest your Facebook friends within the app.
• The app won't share your activity with anyone outside of dating.
• You can delete your Facebook Dating profile without deleting your Facebook profile.
• Deleting your Facebook account will also delete your Facebook Dating profile.

The dating app is accessible from your Facebook settings. Click on the settings icon, and you'll see "Dating" in your options.

How to set up your Facebook dating profile

The setup time for your bio on the Facebook app is quick and similar to apps such as Tinder and Bumble. You can get up and running in minutes. Here are the things you can do for your bio:

1. Add photos - Upload from your phone, photos you're tagged in, old photos uploaded to Facebook in the past, and Instagram pics.
2. Write your bio - 500 characters max.
3. Answer various questions which highlight your personality (optional) -  This is similar to Hinge and Bumble. One cool feature is you can add images which appear as backgrounds to the questions which makes them stand out. I recommend doing this.
4. Fill out your preferences in women - Distance, age, children, religious beliefs.
5. Link your profile to your Instagram account (optional).

These features are nothing new and will be familiar for anyone who has used apps like Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge. Each section above is discussed in depth below.

For a comprehensive overview of setting up your profile on the Facebook Dating app, you can visit here; How To Create A Dating Profile On Facebook Dating App.

How the Facebook Dating app finds you potential matches.

The app presents you women based on several factors. These include:

1. Your preferences - includes distance, age, height, children, and religious views.
2. Facebook Groups you’re in - women who use the dating app and are in Facebook Groups you belong to, are presented as matches.
3. Events you are interested in or going to - when you show interest in an event, female members of Facebook Dating who are attending the event are presented to you.
4. Friends of friends - the friends of your friends who use Facebook Dating will appear as potential matches, and you will appear to them.
5. Secret Crush - you can select your friends as a "secret crush" to show you're interested in them.

Let's dive into each of these settings below.

How to set up your dating preferences

The preferences on the Facebook Dating app is minimal. Your preferences are what you are seeking in a partner.

You can filter women on distance, age, height, religion, and children. There's no education, ethnicity, smoking, drinking, pets, etc. which is found on many sites and is disappointing.  

Discover women in your Facebook groups and events.

Any female who uses Facebook Dating and belongs to groups you're in, as well as any event you are interested in, will be shown as potential matches. You show up to female members as a possible match to all the groups and events you are a member.

You can turn the matching feature off but must do it for each group and event you are a member of. You do this in Facebook Dating app itself and not in the groups/events.

Facebook will suggest "friends of friends" as a match.

The Facebook dating app suggests friends of friends as potential matches. Yes, mutual friends who use the dating app will see you. You can disable this feature in your "Privacy" settings.

What is Secret Crush on the Facebook Dating App?

The Facebook app offers "secret crush," which allows you to like a woman who is one of your Facebook friends or someone you follow on Instagram.

Any women you have a "crush" on won't know you like her unless she joins the Facebook Dating app. If they are on the dating app, they are notified someone has a crush on them, but won't know it's you unless they choose you as a crush.

You can have up to nine crushes at a time. After you've started your secret crush list, you can add one each day; and remove crushes from you list any time.

Where is the Facebook Dating inbox and your "likes" located?

You can see which women like you and your inbox as the top of the Facebook Dating app. Click on either option, and you're taken to the women who like you or your inbox.

How to send messages to women on the Facebook app.

Sending messages on the Facebook dating app is simple; click on a photo or Facebook question on the woman's profile, and you can send a message. The woman will receive a "like" from you and the message you send.

Mutual likes are not required to send messages on Facebook. If you see someone you're interested in; you can either "like" them by clicking the heart icon on their profile or send a message directly by tapping on their profile.

There's no swiping right or left on the app. Clicking on the "X" on a woman's profile removes her as a potential match while clicking the heart sends her a like.

Second Look feature allows you to rematch with women.

Facebook has a feature called "Second Look" in the settings which allows you to rematch with women you passed on previously. Maybe you accidentally removed a match; this feature allows you to reverse that mistake and connect with a woman.

Final Thoughts:

What's good about the app.

There's a lot to like about this app if you're active on Facebook. First, there are a ton of women on this app, so you have tons of potential options.

Second, the app is fast and has a familiar feel to it. It's easy to navigate and very responsive. The learning curve for using this app is minimal if you've used other dating apps.

I love that the Facebook Dating app is free! All dating apps charge you for something. For example, Hinge and Tinder limit your daily swipes. There's no expiration timer on the Facebook app like Bumble or Coffee Meets Bagel either.

In the end, if you're always on Facebook; post a lot, a member of a lot of groups, and are continuously interested in events, this is the dating app for you. I recommend you give it a go if you're active on Facebook.

What's bad about the app.

The Facebook Dating app feels very similar to Hinge and Bumble. Once you use it, you'll think, "been there, done that." My biggest problem is there's nothing new here, but that doesn't mean this isn't a good dating app.

Facebook Dating is not ideal for people seeking long-term relationships. The app gives you very few preferences. Want to date someone who wants kids? There's no setting for this. Want to search for specific traits in a partner? Again, no setting for this. These key questions and features are easily found on Match, Eharmony, and OkCupid, but not here.

You are dependent on women writing about themselves in their bio, which is hit or miss on this app. A lot of women write little to nothing about themselves. It's hard to determine if a woman wants the same things in life based on her answer to "The 4 emojis that best describe my personality are..."

Another problem is you must be very active on Facebook to unlock its full matching potential. Facebook presents you matches based on the Facebook Groups you belong to as well as whatever Events you attend or show interest. You won't see a lot of potential matches if you don't belong to groups or events.

It's tedious joining a bunch of groups and events to find potential matches. If you're not active on Facebook, this will require work on your part.

If you want a long-term relationship, I'd recommend more traditional dating sites (Match, OkCupid, Eharmony, etc.) over the Facebook Dating app. They have better features and offer more in terms of finding a long-term partner.

I prefer Hinge and Bumble over this app solely because I'm not active Facebook user. I had to join several groups and events to get women in my radar. I would, however, recommend this over apps like Tinder, Coffee Meets Bagel, Meet Me, and Badoo for dating.

Facebook Dating App Final Rating - 7.5 out of 10