Facebook Dating Adds New Audio Chat Feature
Contributed by: kellyseal on Thursday, September 02 2021 @ 09:34 am
Last modified on Thursday, September 02 2021 @ 10:00 am
Facebook Dating has announced a new audio chat feature along with other offerings related to virtual dating, which has soared in popularity since the pandemic began.
According to The Verge[*1] , “Audio Dates” allows users start an audio-only conversation after they match. If one user reaches out, the other receives an invitation, and if they accept, they can start chatting.
In addition to Audio Dates, Facebook is launching a feature called Match Anywhere, where a user can add up to two additional locations where they want to look for matches besides where they live. This is similar to Tinder’s Passport which became hugely popular in the wake of the pandemic, especially as people began to move away from the cities where their jobs were located and work virtually. Dating someone who lives in another city, or even another country, no longer seems like a barrier as so many embraced the freedom that comes with remote working. It opened up a lot more opportunities that are still appealing to singles.
The last feature the company debuted is called “Lucky Pick” which offers users matches that are outside of their “compatible” match perimeters – meaning someone who has different interests from you could still be a good match. This is an interesting one, since most dating apps operate on algorithms which try to fine tune preferences and match people who seem the most compatible – but sometimes chemistry can get lost in the process.
Virtual dating has taken off since the pandemic lockdowns began, and many dating platforms have been rushing to add features like video and audio chats, so this is nothing new. Facebook Dating is not as popular as platforms like Tinder and Bumble, but the company is pushing forward thanks to the huge pool of Facebook users it can attract as it continues to add to its offerings.
Facebook launched another dating app earlier this year called Sparked, which is the virtual version of speed dating. Once you sign up, you can pick from events going on in different cities (regardless of your location) and join a round of speed dating where you can chat with other participants for four minutes before moving on to the next. There’s no swiping or profile browsing, just chatting with other participants.
Sparked has made it a point to emphasize its users practice good behavior when using the platform, and that when they sign up they are required to show up and “be kind.”
The new features are now available on Facebook Dating platforms worldwide.