Facebook testing new video speed dating app 'Sparked' for 'kind people'

Facebook is testing a new video speed-dating app called Sparked, which is being developed by its new product experimentation or “NPE Team, from Facebook”. The social media giant describes the app as “video dating with kind people” which has no features previously launched by other dating apps such as public profiles, swipes, and DMs. According to the Facebook app’s description, accessed by The Verge, Sparked will allow the users to interact via the speed video dates that can last as long as 4 minutes. If the match has had a sociable and quality time, Facebook would arrange another video date for at least 10-minutes, and people can exchange contact, or switch to Instagram or email for further communication. “Kindness is a key theme for the app,” The Verge explained, citing Sparked app’s theme. 

[Image Credit: Facebook/Sparkedapp.com]

[Image Credit: Facebook/Sparkedapp.com]

After one sets up a profile, Facebook would put the user on a waitlist and would ask them to explain what makes a “kind dater”. The app also prompts options and preference of dating such as straight, nonbinary, trans, women or men, etc that a user can choose from. The app, which is not yet live on App Store or Google Play, seemingly also helps sign up for an event nearby from the landing page although it remains unclear how. A spokesperson for Facebook told the verge that the app was still in the experimental process, and was in a “small beta test” at the moment. Facebook’s dating app Sparked is based elaborately on the video feature offered by other apps such as Hinge, Tinder, and Bumble that introduced the feature in 2019 for people to be able to interact and exchange ideas better. 

[Image Credit: Facebook/Sparkedapp.com]

[Image Credit: Facebook/Sparkedapp.com]

Second after ‘Facebook Dating’ 

Facebook’s dating service known as ‘Facebook Dating’ is an additional feature launched in the US in 2019 by the social media giant within the Facebook website. It also introduced the video chat feature to combat isolation and home confinement boredom for its users amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The feature matched Facebook users based on their interests, hobbies, and the similar events and groups that they follow. Facebook said that it was expanding the dating application to “help more people find meaningful relationships through things they have in common.” The feature was made available in over 20 countries, although it is yet to be introduced across Asia, It already has matched over 1.5 billion partners. Facebook’s Sparked will be introduced for both iOS and Android.