Now, Facebook to soon offer dating services

Social networking site Facebook will soon offer dating services to its users, chief executive Mark Zuckerberg revealed on Tuesday.

While addressing Facebook's annual F8 conference, he told software developers "There are 200 million people on Facebook that list themselves as single, so clearly there's something to do here".

Zuckerberg also added that the platform was trying to build up the service by securing the privacy of its users as the social media was recently jolted over the scandal of handling personal information of its users. 

A prototype of the new feature was revealed at the conference. The prototype, displayed on the screen, showed a heart shape at the top-right corner of the Facebook app. On clicking the icon the users would be directed to their dating profile if they have created one. 

Potential matches would be suggested on the basis of dating preferences, things in common and mutual friends. The feature will also have two buttons for "pass" and "interested".

Zuckerberg also clarified that the optional feature will be for finding long-term relationships and "not just hook-ups".

The feature will matchmake millions of users present on the Facebook.It will also push the users into spending more time on its platform.

There was a reduction in the time spent by Facebook users on its platform at the end of 2017. The social media had revealed that the at the end of 2017, time spent by its users had fallen by about 50 million hours a day. This was due to the changes designed to reduce passive video watching.

The social media had thought of devising the plan for over a decade now.

Though no specified time has been announced for the new feature, the officials said that it will be launched soon.

Facebook's shares rose 1.1 per cent to close at $173.86 after the CEO disclosed the plan.

The new feature on Facebook will be a big competition for the already existing dating apps such as Tinder and OkCupid. 



(With inputs from Reuters)