Facebook has long been the place where everyone from college students to divorcées scope out their romantic interests. Now Facebook users in the United States can officially use the social network as a dating service—complete with specialized profiles, a matchmaking algorithm, and more. Facebook Dating, which began rolling out in other countries last year and launches in the US today, gives users ages 18 and up access to a suite of features designed to help them find a meaningful relationship. Plenty of them will be familiar to anyone with experience on other dating apps, but a few options take unique advantage of Facebook's biggest asset—its extensive cache of data on you and all your friends.

Facebook Dating lives within the existing Facebook app, but to use it you need to set up a separate profile. The only information carried over is your name and age. The service will present you with potential matches based on your location, indicated preferences, and other factors. You can also choose to match with people who attend the same Facebook events or are part of the same Facebook groups. One thing it won't show you are your existing Facebook friends—that option is turned off by default.

Facebook is also using Dating’s US debut to launch several new privacy and security features within the service. And, of course, it’s integrating Instagram into Dating. Which is not surprising since the company has been bringing its platforms closer together in various ways all year.

On most dating apps, “people are forced to make a decision off this one profile that never changes and is extremely curated,” says Charmaine Hung, a Dating product manager at Facebook. The social network wants to create a more dynamic and authentic experience. Starting today, users will have the opportunity to feature their permanent Instagram posts in their Dating profiles. By the end of the year, Facebook says it will also allow you to share Instagram or Facebook Stories. They won’t be Dating-specific Stories, but the same ones you already upload for your friends or followers; they will also still erase after 24 hours. The social network isn’t the first to have the idea: Tinder announced it would begin integrating Snapchat Stories in April.

Instagram will also become part of Secret Crush, an existing Facebook Dating feature that lets users select up to nine Facebook friends they want to express an interest in—as long as that person indicates they have a crush back. Now your Instagram followers can be Secret Crushes, too—no choosing celebrities or influencers unless they follow you, sorry! If someone adds you to their Secret Crush list, you’ll receive a notification. If you then pick the same person for your list, Facebook will match you together and reveal your names. If the feelings are one-sided, nothing happens.

Unique Safety Features

Dating apps like Hinge have historically marketed themselves on their ability to match you with friends of friends—people with whom you already have existing social ties. Facebook Dating also allows you to do the opposite: You can preemptively turn off matching with friends of friends, which may be a welcome option for anyone who wants to date outside their network. The feature may also help LGTBQ+ people who are not out to their communities. You can also block people from seeing your Facebook Dating profile, even if you want them to still have access to your Facebook or Instagram accounts.