Facebook is testing a video dating app called Sparked, as reported by The Verge. The app, which requires a Facebook account, is developed by the company’s NPE team.
Last week, we reported about a new app Facebook was developing called Hotline, a Clubhouse competitor that combines Instagram Live features.
Sparked is described as “video dating with kind people.” According to The Verge, the app “promises no public profiles, no swiping, no DMs, and that it’s free to use. The app will seemingly cycle people through speed video dates that last four minutes.”
If it launches, Sparked could be Facebook’s second dating app, after Dating launched in the US in 2019. The NPE team has been testing a lot of apps recently but none of them have taken off yet. In the report, The Verge talks more about Sparked:
With the pandemic, video dating had become a more popular idea. Hinge, Tinder, and Bumble, for example, have video chat functions as well, so it’s not surprising to see Facebook wanting to enter this market.
“The Verge viewed a landing page for a dating event in Chicago that says 47 people have signed up to attend. What’s unclear is how daters connect to the event, like whether they have to log into Sparked through the web, or if they’ll eventually be prompted to download an app. No app is live in the App Store or Google Play. (We went through this sign-up process just from a browser.)”
It’s still unclear when or if Facebook will launch the app. As for now, it’s still being developed and tested.
