Facebook Dating: What Are the Steps to Join?

Let’s start with that quiet ache, which is where most stories of longing begin. The type that you carry in silence. The person who questions whether someone—somewhere—is meant for them. Someone who can hear the breath between your words in addition to reading them.

What if love could be more subdued and deliberate in this era of cacophony, swipes, taps, and notifications? What if the goal was to tend to a slow-burning fire rather than find a spark?

Facebook Dating can help with that. Not as just another app, either. It’s a continuation of your current self, nestled in a well-known area where people congregate.

Stay with me if you’re unsure about where to begin. You won’t only be guided through the technical procedures in this tutorial. It will discuss the experience. The trip. The “why” of every click.

What Makes Facebook Dating Different?

We’ve all heard of dating apps that promise fireworks but deliver ghost towns. Where connections feel transactional and time becomes something you waste, not invest.

Facebook Dating is different because it was built around something you already know: community.

It draws from the connections you already care about—your interests, mutual friends, events you attend, and groups you love. It’s not about selling a fantasy. It’s about finding something familiar in someone new.

No gimmicks. No paid swipes. No endless upgrades. Just intention.

Step 1: Update or Install the Facebook App

First things first. You need the latest version of the Facebook app on your mobile device. Facebook Dating is a feature within the app, not a separate download.

Go to your phone’s App Store (iOS) or Google Play Store (Android) and search “Facebook.”

If it says Update, tap it. If not, and you don’t have the app yet, install it.

Why does this matter? Because features like Facebook Dating rely on the newest tools—security updates, profile enhancements, and seamless functionality. Don’t skip this step.

Step 2: Open the Facebook App and Tap the Menu Icon

Once updated, open the app.

You’ll see a Menu icon (three horizontal lines) in the lower-right corner (iOS) or upper-right corner (Android).

Tap it, and scroll until you see Dating. It might not jump out at first, but it’s there—waiting like a letter you forgot you’d written.

Note: If you don’t see it, make sure your age is set to 18+ and that you’re in a country where Facebook Dating is available.

Step 3: Create Your Dating Profile

Here’s where it gets personal.

Facebook Dating doesn’t use your main profile. It asks you to create something new, private, and separate—but still reflective of you.

You’ll add:

• Photos that show who you are (not just what you look like)
• Answers to personality prompts that help others feel your voice
• Information about your location, preferences, hobbies, and more

You don’t need to perform. Or pose. You just need to be honest.

Because when someone sees your words and feels seen themselves, that’s the beginning of something real.

Step 4: Adjust Your Settings and Preferences

Want to meet people nearby? Prefer a certain age range, gender, or lifestyle choice?

Facebook Dating gives you the tools to fine-tune:

• Distance range (usually up to 100 miles)
• Age and gender preferences
• Languages spoken
• Shared interests or groups

You can even choose whether or not to show yourself to friends of friends, or remain visible only to strangers.

It’s your journey. Set it up your way.

Step 5: Explore Matches and Start Conversations

Once your profile is live, Facebook Dating will suggest matches based on your preferences and shared factors.

Unlike other platforms, it doesn’t rely solely on appearance. It looks deeper: mutual events, shared groups, and your engagement across the app.

You can:

• Tap the heart to like someone
• Tap “X” to pass quietly
• Comment on a specific part of their profile to spark more thoughtful conversation

And here’s the beauty: you don’t need to wait for a mutual like to start a chat. You can reach out directly.

Because love doesn’t always wait for permission.

Step 6: Try Unique Features Like “Secret Crush”

This one’s for the romantics. The brave. The ones who’ve carried a quiet curiosity about someone they know.

With the Secret Crush feature, you can select up to nine people from your Facebook friends or Instagram followers you’re interested in.

If one of them selects you too, it’s a match. If not? No harm, no awkwardness.

It’s safe. And thrilling. Like writing a name in the margins of your journal.

Step 7: Engage Safely and Authentically

Facebook Dating builds trust not just through familiarity but through design.

You can:

• Block or report users instantly
• Share your real-time location with friends before meeting someone
• Keep your phone number and private info hidden

And with the most recent updates, you can also send voice messages and engage in video calls to bridge the gap between chatting and meeting.

These tools aren’t just features. They’re safeguards for your vulnerability.

Step 8: Keep Showing Up

You might not meet the right person on day one. Or week one.

But the beauty of Facebook Dating is in its rhythm. Its patience. Its invitation to keep showing up as yourself.

Because every message you send, every profile you read, every connection you make—brings you closer.

Closer to someone whose laugh you’ll memorize. Whose silence you’ll learn to understand. Someone who will stay when the scroll ends.