SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Facebook is launching a new set of features focused on dating, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Tuesday.
- Facebook to launch dating service
- Users will be able to opt-in
- Feature will match them with users outside friend group
“Did you know that 1 in 3 marriages in the United States start online?” Zuckerberg said at the company’s developer conference.
Zuckerberg noted that 200 million Facebook users are listed as single and that the new features are a way to help them build meaningful relationships.
“This is going to be for building real, long-term relationships -- not just hookups,” Zuckerberg said.
Users will be given the choice of whether to opt-in.
If they do, the feature will match them with people outside their friend group. From there, users can build a dating profile, which won’t be visible to their friends.
The new dating feature will link to events and groups on the platform. Users will also be able to send text-only messages to people they are interested in.
Match Group’s stock tumbled Tuesday following the news of Facebook’s new venture.
It’s unclear when the new feature will launch.