Facebook Will Let You Secretly Tell Your Crush You Like Them

You can now tell a friend you are crushing on them via Facebook Dating - but your crush will only know if they feel the same way. Secret Crush is a new tool announced today at Facebook annual company conference. 

The new feature allows you to choose a group of nine friends that you have feelings for that go beyond just friends. From that group you can send a secret crush notification to a person you like - they will get a notification someone out there is feeling the love and if they secret crush you back you’ll be notified in Messenger.

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The new tool puts the emphasis back on people that you already know rather than just people Facebook insist you have something in common with from shared facebook groups and events. Is Facebook the new Tinder?

Facebook Dating makes staggered debut

Facebook dating was launched at Facebook conference last year. They announced this year the dating service will be extended to a further 14 countries, bringing the total to 19. It will be rolled out in the US before the end of the year.

Facebook Dating is currently available in Colombia, Thailand, Canada, Argentina, and Mexico with The Philippines, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Laos, Brazil, Peru, Chile, Bolivia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay, Guyana, and Suriname being added this year. Facebook Dating is an opt-in service not a standalone app that allows users to browse Events and Groups they’re part of for potential matches.

Emphasis on making real connections

You can then send a text message (no photos allowed!) which is deposited in a special dating inbox. “We want Facebook to be somewhere where you can start meaningful relationships,” Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg said when the service was launched last year. “We’ve designed this with privacy and safety in mind from the beginning.”

It’s unclear if Facebook Dating is really going to be a thing - mainly because no one is even sure Facebook will even be a thing. After two years of horrific press related to troublesome use of other people's data and privacy breaches - do you really want Facebook to know who you want to take on a date?

Can Facebook stand out from the crowd?

Facebook made privacy a priority at this latest conference, the company says the future should be secure and hassle-free. Which sounds like two good attributes of a dating app. Facebook Dating hasn’t received a whole lot of press yet, but initial reviews don’t seem that promising.

Popular dating apps like Tinder and Bumble require the user to swipe left (nope) or right (like!). Facebook instead asks you to tap interested or not interested in profiles presented to you.

Another way it sets itself out from the crowd is that once you tap interested Facebook forces you to send a message to your potential match. But a simple 'hey’ doesn’t cut it for Facebook.

Instead, you must comment on your potentials lovers profile pictures or respond to one of the answers from their profile. Dating apps seem to be part and parcel of modern life but 'meeting on Facebook' still has a slightly creepy ring to it.