Despite my fearless reputation among friends, I was nervous as hell. Red-lipped and wearing heels, I went to Ballroom Romance, a private event, hosted by the dating club Social Concierge. Sounds amazing. I mean, I went to college. But I was ready to disconnect from the dating apps and try something new.

Video dating surged during lockdowns, but how much will the trend stick and podcaster in New York City who began video dating a woman in her a surge in interest in livestreaming dating games, with The Meet Group.

Now Facebook users in the United States can officially use the social network as a dating service—complete with specialized profiles, a matchmaking algorithm, and more. Facebook Dating , which began rolling out in other countries last year and launches in the US today, gives users ages 18 and up access to a suite of features designed to help them find a meaningful relationship. Plenty of them will be familiar to anyone with experience on other dating apps , but a few options take unique advantage of Facebook’s biggest asset—its extensive cache of data on you and all your friends.

Facebook Dating lives within the existing Facebook app, but to use it you need to set up a separate profile. The only information carried over is your name and age. The service will present you with potential matches based on your location, indicated preferences, and other factors. You can also choose to match with people who attend the same Facebook events or are part of the same Facebook groups.

One thing it won’t show you are your existing Facebook friends—that option is turned off by default.