Despite having access to someone’s DMs and easily being able to tell someone you like them that way, Facebook is making things even easier for the spineless and heartsick.
The social platform announced Tuesday at its F8 conference that Facebook Dating, which launched last year, would now include a new feature called Secret Crush. The new feature allows users to “explore potential romantic relationships within their own extended circle of friends.”
Users of Facebook Dating who opt into Secret Crush can select up to nine of their Facebook friends who they’re romantically interested in. If one of those interests has also added you to their Secret Crush list, the app matches you up.
Now, it’s extremely easy to use Facebook Messenger to drop anyone on your friends list a note saying, “hey, ur cute,” but Facebook knows that such a power move isn’t for everyone. As such, the stakes for Secret Crush are wildly low.
If your crush isn’t on Facebook Dating, doesn’t create a Secret Crush list, or doesn’t put you on their list, your secret is safe. No one will know.
Currently, Facebook Dating allows people to discover matches in their friend circles in Colombia, Thailand, Canada, Argentina and Mexico — and as of Tuesday, they’re expanding to 14 new countries: the Philippines, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Laos, Brazil, Peru, Chile, Bolivia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay, Guyana and Suriname.
Unfortunately for singletons in the United States, Facebook will not expand this feature to the U.S. until the end of 2019. So, even though the platform originated in the States and was born out of a desire to connect with others ― both romantically and otherwise — we will have to suffer through a few more months sans Facebook’s intervention in our love lives.
Considering Facebook’s history with data breaches, misinformation and sharing private information, many potential users will be pleased to know that all activity that occurs in Facebook Dating will stay in Facebook Dating and will not be shared externally, according to Wired.
It’s not clear whether Facebook Dating and Secret Crush will rival the likes of Tinder, Hinge and Bumble, but as long as people are looking for love, there’s always going to be a new way to find it.