Facebook wears Tinder hat, adds ‘Secret Crush’ feature

Social media giant Facebook is all set to add a new “secret crushes” feature which will enable users to find out if any of their friends on Facebook are romantically interested in them. The services can only be availed by people aged 18 years and above and will be completely free of advertisements and other paid features.

This new feature is a part of the Facebook Dating service that has been launched in 19 countries so far. The feature will allow users to express their romantic interest in up to nine friends. If any of the short-listed friends also use Facebook Dating and like the user back, both will be notified about the mutual crush on each other.

Any person who is a part of your Facebook friend list can be added as your secret crush even if they are not using the service; they will also be notified about someone having a secret crush on them, regardless of whether the person uses the service or not.

The umbrella service -- Facebook Dating -- will also recommend “potential partners” if both of you share similar interests, reported The Sun UK.

The social media application believes this will bolster their user base as people would be keen to learn who their secret admirers are.

There are talks of the Facebook Dating service being very similar to and providing the same kind of service as dating apps Hinge and Tinder.

Notably, this feature will be integrated with Facebook groups and events, which will help users meet potential partners offline too.

Facebook Dating services are available on the Facebook smartphone application at present in the following countries: Paraguay, Colombia, Canada, Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, Ecuador, Vietnam, Guyana, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Uruguay, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Singapore, and Suriname.

It is not yet available in the United Kingdom or the United States but might be available by the end of this year.