News > Social Media Meta to Shut Down Video Speed-Dating App, Sparked The romance ends on January 20 By Lawrence Bonk Lawrence Bonk News Reporter Florida State University Lawrence Bonk is a tech news reporter for Lifewire, specializing in gaming, AI, VR, and consumer tech, including iOS, macOS, wearables, and more. lifewire's editorial guidelines Published on January 14, 2022 03:18PM EST Fact checked by Jerri Ledford Fact checked by Jerri Ledford Western Kentucky University Gulf Coast Community College Jerri L. Ledford has been writing, editing, and fact-checking tech stories since 1994. Her work has appeared in Computerworld, PC Magazine, Information Today, and many others. lifewire's fact checking process Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Social Media Mobile Phones Internet & Security Computers & Tablets Smart Life Home Theater & Entertainment Software & Apps Social Media Streaming Gaming If you're tired of swiping right or left and long for a novel way to get your Internet date on, your options are about to become more limited. Meta, formerly known as Facebook, just revealed it's shuttering its experimental video speed-dating service, called Sparked, according to a company email acquired by TechCrunch. Malte Mueller / Getty Images Sparked was developed by Meta's in-house NPE team, who often dabble in experimental concepts. The service was unique in that it eschewed traditional dating app design principles in favor of group video chats that were then broken down into four-minute and 10-minute one-on-one chats between willing participants. Sparked was also known for emphasizing kindness as part of its marketing. A signup page declared it was for "video dating with kind people" and profile pages filled with kindness-related questions. Sparked also regularly held specified group chats for different age ranges, LGBTQ+ users, and other demographics. The app launched back in April and will be shuttered on January 20, with the company writing, "like many good ideas, some take off and others, like Sparked, must come to an end." After January 20, all user accounts will be deleted, but Meta is offering up a way for current users to download profile information before that deadline. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Email Address Sign up There was an error. Please try again. You're in! Thanks for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. Thank you for signing up! Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit