Facebook Testing Speed-Dating App ¡®Sparked¡¯ That Lets You Go On Virtual Dates

Black Mirror S04 E04 ¡®Hang the DJ¡¯. Remember? It¡¯s like Tinder meeting speed-dating in a perfectly heartbreaking portrayal of modern romance. The protagonists are given a set amount of time for their relationship to last after which they¡¯re assigned a different partner as the time runs out.

Now Facebook is testing a similar product called ¡®Sparked¡¯, except that it¡¯s for virtual dates--something you can do from the comfort of your sofa rather than meeting up in person--and there isn¡¯t any scary algorithm that forces relationships on people.

How Sparked dating app works

According to The Verge, which first spotted the app¡¯s webpage, the video app will seemingly cycle people through speed video dates that last four minutes. The number of video dates per event is still unclear, but the app will schedule for a 10-minute second date if ¡°you both have a great time¡±.

Verywell Heath

Now unlike other dating app giants such as Tinder, Sparked users don¡¯t have a public profile, nor do they swipe on people they like and privately message others. However, after the second successful date, users can exchange contact information and stay in touch via other social networks.

For those unaware, speed dating is an organized social activity in which people seeking romantic relationships have a series of short conversations with potential partners in order to determine whether there is mutual interest.

Facebook

Sparked currently in small beta test

The app, developed by Facebook¡¯s New Product Experimentation (NPE) Team, requires a Facebook profile to create an account. Sparked is free to use and requires participants to agree to being kind, treating the platform as a safe space and to show up for dates.

Facebook

Beyond that, the sign-up process requires users enter their age, gender, dating preferences, zip code, and some responses like how they show kindness. The app says these responses will be ¡°reviewed by a human at Sparked¡± before people can go on speed dates.

Sparked is currently undergoing a ¡°small, external beta test¡±, but the app hasn¡¯t gone live yet on App Store or Google Play Store--only the webpage is available.

Notably, Facebook already offers a dating product called Facebook Dating within the app in more than 40 countries--but not yet in India.

Facebook

The concept of video dating boomed during the pandemic and became mainstream as people locked themselves up in their homes and limited in-person interactions. Popular dating apps Tinder and Bumble, too, offer people video chats options with matches.