Facebook wants to play cupid with its new ‘Secret Crush’ feature

If Facebook Dating wasn't weird enough, the company has now introduced a new feature called 'Secret Crush'. This feature lets users pick their secret crushes on Facebook and let them know about it too.

The keyword here being 'secret', the chosen person will be notified that someone has a crush on them without revealing their identity. Facebook also lets users pick any of their contacts, even those who are not on the dating platform. You are only be in luck if your secret crush also picks you as theirs, then both of you will be a match and start chatting on Messenger.

On Facebook Dating, users can choose up to nine people for their Secret Crush list. There are some limitations though, as users can only remove one person per day from their list. Facebook Dating doesn't involve swiping to get a match like Tinder or Bumble. This new feature however brings it close to swiping because the ultimate purpose is to get a match on the dating platform.

Facebook instead draws inspiration from dating app, Hinge. Here, users create a dating profile by answering up to 20 personality questions, add personal details and update their location. While users can add filters to look for matches, Facebook also suggests recommended matches. Facebook Dating was launched at last year's F8 with availability in only five countries.

At F8 2019, the company announced it is expanding the dating service to 14 more countries including the Philippines, Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia. Facebook Dating is however, still not available in the US, the company's test bed for new features and services.