Can you make a connection in 4 minutes?
It looks like Facebook is hoping to be in the business of love as the company is in the middle of developing a speed dating app called ‘Sparked’.
Standing out from the premise of Tinder and Bumble — you don’t have to set up a profile and there’s no need to swipe right until you get a match. If users are able to successfully sign up for a speed dating event, the app will cycle people through video calls that last four minutes.
As the app is still in its beta testing stage, their in-house New Product Experimentation (NPE) Team has limited the number of ‘Sparked’ users in select US cities.
It appears that Facebook is aiming for ‘Sparked’ to be a kindness-driven app with their careful selection process.
Users have to explain what makes them a “kind dater” when signing up for the app. You’ll be put on a waitlist until you can actually RSVP to an event as the responses will be “reviewed by a human at Sparked.” So before you pencil in your speed date over the weekend, make sure you’re even on the list first.
‘Sparked’ also provides inclusive options for your dating preference. You can choose whether you want to date men, women, or nonbinary people, and if you’re open to dating trans people.
If users feel like they connected with someone within their 4-minute window, they may follow up with a 10-minute date. As ‘Sparked’ shows no profiles and lacks a DM feature, daters are encouraged to exchange their contact details over their call if they wish to stay in touch.
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