Is Facebook trying to get you to date your friends?

Jacob Dubé at Motherboard noticed something strange on his Facebook app this week. He reports that a notification popped up saying, "[Name redacted] and 15 others may want to meet up with you this week." He was then shown photos of his friends and asked if he wanted to meet up with them. His response would apparently be kept private unless both he and the other person said yes.

The UI is reminiscent of a dating app, particularly Tinder, which requires both people to say they're interested in order to start messaging. Facebook knows you know each other, so it's just nudging you to hang out. The Verge couldn't independently confirm this news, and Dubé says only he and a few of his friends in Canada saw the pop-up. Facebook said in a comment to The Verge: “People often use Facebook to make plans with their friends. So, we're running a very small test in the Facebook app to make that easier. We look forward to hearing people's feedback.” The test appears to be running in New Zealand and Toronto.Dubé says Facebook also showed him people other than potential romantic interests — some suggestions were just friends. I don't necessarily think this is Facebook launching its own dating app, but it also wouldn't seem like a stretch. I haven't updated my relationship status since I was 21, but presumably someone out there is keeping their page current.