How to activate and use Facebook Dating, the app's dating feature

• Facebook Dating is a free dating service that's part of the Facebook app for iPhone and Android.
• You can get started by tapping the Dating button in the shortcuts section of the three-line menu on Facebook. 
• Facebook Dating can help you find matches using your interests, Facebook events, and Facebook Groups. 

While single people are more or less inundated with dating apps, everything from Tinder to Hinge to Bumble and many others as well, Facebook offers its own dating service, baked into the Facebook mobile app.

While it has a relatively modest user base, it is an attractive alternative because it leverages the existing Facebook audience and promises to more easily connect you with people who share your interests and activities. In addition, unlike almost any other dating app, Facebook Dating is completely free – there are no premium features behind a paywall. 

How to activate Facebook Dating

Facebook Dating is only available in the mobile app (Android, iOS), so you can't access it in a web browser or on your computer. But getting to the dating app is simple:

1. Start the Facebook app on your mobile device.

2. Tap Menu, located at the bottom right of hte screen on iOS and the top right on Android.

3. In the All Shortcuts section, look for Dating. If you don't see it, scroll down and tap See More. 

4. Tap Dating. 

5. Tap Get Started.

How to set up a Facebook Dating profile

1. After following the instructions above, you'll be given options to set up your dating profile. Facebook imports a lot of details from your Facebook profile, but you can specify which items become a part of the new profile. To change an item, tap the Pencil, and to remove it from your profile entirely, tap the X.  

2. Continue to progress through the profile setup. You can specify details like your height, whether you have kids, and if you want to use location services so Facebook Dating can match you with other local people. 

3. When you're done, tap Confirm to publish your profile.  

How to use Facebook Dating

If you have any experience with other dating apps, you should be right at home in Facebook Dating. After you complete your profile, you can always get back to it from your shortcuts in the three-line menu in the same way as when you set up your profile. Here is how to use the Dating app:

At the top of the page, you'll see four buttons: Profile, Liked you, Friendship, and Matches. There's also a Gear icon at the top right.

The central part of the page is the photo of your possible match. You can tap the Heart button to like the profile or the X to dislike, but if you want more information before making a decision, tap the photo. Now you'll see all the details along with other photos. You can tap the buttons to like or dislike, or swipe right to like and swipe left to dislike, just like other dating apps.

Here are more details about each menu option at the top of the page:

• Profile: Tap Profile to customize your dating profile. You can add or remove photos, add introductory text, tweak your stats, and add hobbies and interests.
• Liked you: Tap this button to see any other users who have "liked" your profile, and you can like or dismiss them from here as well. If you both choose Like, that person ends up in the Matches section. 
• Matches: If both parties like each other, the other user will appear at the top of this page. Tap a photo to start a conversation with that person, and active conversations appear in the lower half of the page.
• Friendship: This section shows you more profiles, but the heart option for matching is replaced with a smiley-face icon that means you want to match as friends.
• Gear: Customize whom you consider to be your ideal match. You can specify living distance, age, gender, height, language, and more. 

In the More to Explore section, there are a number of other options:

• Second look: Tap this button to see profiles you previously disliked. Unlike most other dating apps, this gives you another opportunity to review and like a profile you passed on.
• Make new friends: Facebook Dating provides another opportunity here to check out the friendship section of the service, where you can browse and match with people as friends.
• Secret Crush: Is there someone on Facebook you're interested in romantically? Tap this button to have the opportunity to select a Facebook friend or Instagram follower — you can add up to nine at any one time. If you do, that person will be notified that they have a secret crush. If that person also marks you as a crush, your identity will be revealed. 

Can anyone see I'm on Facebook Dating?

Your current Facebook friends and anyone you've blocked are automatically excluded from seeing your Facebook Dating profile. By default, friends of friends will be able to see your profile, but you can exclude the group from your potential match pool. 

To prevent friends of friends from seeing your profile, tap the Gear icon in the main screen, then General, then Privacy Settings. Untick the box that says "Suggest friends of friends." Note that if  you use the Secret Crush feature with any of your current Facebook friends, they will be able to see your Dating profile.