Facebook's dating feature launches in the U.S.

Facebook’s matchmaking function is launching in the United States on Thursday, the social media giant announced.

In a blog post, the company said “Facebook Dating” will be giving people the ability to “start meaningful relationships” through things in common, like interests, events and groups.

Shares of Match, which runs several popular dating services like Match.com, dipped more than 5 percent following Facebook’s announcement. Facebook’s shares were up 1.7 percent Thursday morning.

“It takes the work out of creating a dating profile and gives you a more authentic look at who someone is,” Facebook’s blog post says.

Users of Instagram will also be able to integrate their posts directly into their “Facebook Dating” profile and give people the ability to add Instagram followers to “Secret Crush” lists. Eventually, the site will offer the ability for users to add Facebook and Instagram Stories to a dating profile.

Facebook’s blog post said the dating feature was designed to be “safe, inclusive and opt-in.” Users are able to report and block other users, and users are not allowed to send photos, links, payments or videos in messages. Users can also share details of an upcoming date or a live location with someone they trust on Facebook Messenger if they wish.

Facebook users can opt into the dating feature and create a dating profile separate from their main profile if they’re 18 years or older and have the most recent version of the app downloaded. Then, they’ll receive suggestions for other users who have also opted in, whether they’re friends of friends, people not in their friend circle or both. The service won’t match users with their friends, unless they are using the “Secret Crush” function and both users are on one another’s list.

Here’s how it will work: If a user is interested in someone who opted in the dating feature, they can comment on their profile or hit a “like” button to let them know. If it isn’t a mutual match, a user can pass on the other person.

The company announced the dating service in May 2018 at its F8 developer conference.