Social Networking for Singles: Deciphering New Facebook Features

Facebook Dating is one of several apps around that can help you find romance. It’s conveniently connected to a huge social network, but Dating tends to lag behind its competitors.

The new features rolling out could change that, as well as your user experience.

What Changes Is Facebook Dating Introducing?

In August 2021, Facebook announced that it was adding Audio Chat, Lucky Pick, and Match Anywhere to its Dating app. Some users are already seeing the features on their phones, mostly in the US, but at the time of writing, there’s no official launch date for when everyone will be able to access them.

Audio Chat, Lucky Pick, and Match Anywhere will change Facebook Dating in different ways, so read up on what they do and how they make your matches better—or worse.

When you try the features out yourself, you’ll know what to expect.

1. You Can Communicate Better and Faster With Audio Chat

After the success of Virtual Dates, the video chat feature introduced in 2020, Facebook decided to add an audio version. You just invite a match to a voice call and wait for them to accept or reject it.

f they accept, you can then talk to each other on the phone.

The feature will hopefully make Facebook Dating more useful. At the end of the day, you’ll have another way to communicate with a match and get to know them.

Not only that, but neither of you will need to stress over your appearance while using it.

On the other hand, it does put pressure on your vocal confidence, so you may want to work on how you sound. Think about conversation starters and phone manners too—such as not interrupting when your match is talking.

Apart from being more comfortable than video chats, audio conversations are faster and use less battery. One of the reasons why modern phones have a short battery life is because of all their features and software that drain energy.

So, Audio Chat can be a data-saving and battery-friendly solution.

2. Lucky Pick Makes Suggestions Outside of Your Comfort Zone

The next addition to Facebook Dating is meant to spice things up. While you’ll still be able to specify qualities you’re looking for, the app will also suggest people beyond your settings.

The aim is to broaden your scope of matches and make the user experience more exciting.

Lucky Pick is directed at people with flexible preferences, but reports aren’t promising so far. For example, Reddit’s Facebook Dating community found problems like the feature ignoring all settings and bombarding them with unrealistic suggestions.

The feature may not be for everyone, but Facebook is going ahead with the launch, which still includes Lucky Pick.

If its developers take feedback into account and change a few elements, like adding an on/off button and making Lucky Pick optional, it might get a better response from users, especially when they take a chance and land an unexpected match.

3. Match Anywhere Accommodates Your Traveling

When you get the Match Anywhere feature, you’ll be able to choose up to three dating locations. The app will then look for matches in all of them, so you can talk to people before even visiting.

It’s a nice change from the normal format of only scanning your current location for profiles matching your criteria. Basically, Match Anywhere broadens the range of your Facebook Dating matches, while letting you plan future dates too.

Of the three features, this is the most interesting and likely to impress. If you travel a lot for work or fun, Facebook Dating could be invaluable in finding romance or just friends along the way.

Find Facebook Tools for Your Dating Style

Facebook is pushing the boundaries of its matchmaking capabilities. The Dating app’s new features will come in handy, encouraging you to socialize while traveling, take chances, and just talk to your matches.

Audio Chat, Match Anywhere, and Lucky Pick complement older tools, also worth revisiting in case they can boost your matching experience even more. Don’t overlook Facebook’s other options either, like Sparked, the new video-based speed dating app.

Each innovation can make a difference to your dating life.