Whether it’s Tinder, Grindr, or some other app designed to help folks hook up, most of us can admit that online dating is an exercise fraught with awkwardness, frustration, and general disappointment.
But fear not—Facebook has come to save the day. The tech giant and stalwart of good intentions announced Monday that it would be adding dating features to its sweeping set of services.
The announcement was made by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg at the company’s annual two-day F8 conference in San Jose.
“People already use Facebook to meet new people, and we want to make that experience better,” the company said in a release. Testing for the new features will begin later this year.
Dating features won’t match users with friends
People will be able to create a dating profile that is separate from their Facebook profile. Potential matches will be recommended based on dating preferences, things in common, and mutual friends.
The features will be opt-in, and thankfully won’t match users with people they’re already friends with.
People will have the option to discover potential suitors with similar interests through their groups or events. Considering the fact that most of us absent-mindedly click ‘Interested’ on every event invite from the friends we haven’t talked to in months, we’re not sure how this plan could backfire.
Thankfully, Facebook will spare your dignity by keeping what you do within the dating features private from your friends and family.
No guarantees if they’ll keep your terrible pickup lines a secret from groups like Cambridge Analytica, though.
