What To Know About Facebook Dating's "Secret Crush" Feature

At this point, you may have already taken Facebook Dating out for a spin. But you still might be asking yourself, “How does Secret Crush on Facebook Dating work, anyway?” It's a cool little feature, and yet it's one you might be overlooking, if you aren't sure where to start.

The good news is, while Facebook Dating itself isn't the most streamlined app out there, Secret Crush is relatively simple to use. To start, of course, you'll have to opt in and create a Facebook Dating profile, which will use information and photos from your existing profile. (Though it won't share any of your dating activity between the two profiles, so if that idea makes you break into a cold sweat, don't panic.)

Once you sign up for Facebook Dating and get your profile going, you'll be able to match with people based on your interests and events you’ve gone to. The trouble is, even though you can choose for your matches to include friends of your Facebook friends, Dating doesn't match you with people you actually know. Basically, what happens in Facebook Dating stays in Facebook Dating — unless you choose for it not to.

And that’s where Secret Crush comes in. In some ways, Secret Crush is a more jazzed-up version of the system on which Tinder made its name. There’s no swiping left or right in Secret Crush, but it works off the same “if you both like each other, we’ll let you know so you can take it from there” principle.

Secret Crush lets you select people you’re friends with on Facebook — or if you’ve connected your Instagram profile with your Facebook Dating profile, people who follow you on Instagram — to a special “Secret Crush” list. The exact makeup of this list stays private to you, although whenever you put someone who also uses Facebook Dating on the list, that person will get a notification that someone “has a crush” on them — kind of like letting them know they’ve got a good old-fashioned secret admirer.

If you both add each other to your Secret Crush lists, then the app reveals you to each other and grants you the ability to message each other within Dating. However, if you add someone to your Secret Crush list who isn’t on Facebook Dating, who doesn’t have a Secret Crush list on Facebook Dating, or who doesn’t add you to their Secret Crush list, then the only person who will ever know you’ve added that person to your own Secret Crush list is you. You also only get to add up to nine people, so choose who you add wisely.

Of course, the fact it links to your Instagram will certainly make things easier — and more fun. With more young adults leaving Facebook every day, it makes sense to include Instagram followers into the mix. And, of course, doing so also lowers your chances of unrequited love.

If you’re interested in trying giving Secret Crush a try, all you need to do is make sure you have the latest version of the Facebook app installed, and tap “Get Started” when the card featuring Facebook Dating pops up on your screen. Have fun!