How to change location on Facebook Dating

Learning how to change location on Facebook Dating is useful if you’ve moved recently or want to check out the local dating scene while traveling. For the most part, switching locations is just a matter of tweaking your profile settings.

However, if you want to see matches near the city you’ll be visiting, you’ll need a VPN or GPS spoofing app to mask your whereabouts. Otherwise, the app will only show cities near your main profile region.

Then there’s the issue of returning home after a trip and finding your Primary Dating location stuck in the city you visited. Even after updating their profile, toggling Location Services on and off, or trying multiple devices, users report that Facebook won’t register the change.

We’ll cover all of these cases in the guide below, starting with how Facebook Dating sees your location and how you can change it manually. Then, we’ll go over the VPN and GPS spoofing methods before covering some fixes for a stubborn location that won’t update.

How does Facebook Dating determine location?

Here’s what data Facebook Dating may use to determine your physical location:

• GPS data from your device when Location Services are enabled.
• Wi-Fi network details, which location databases can use to estimate your region even without GPS.
• Your IP address, which reveals your approximate area to most online services unless you mask it with a VPN.
• Your Facebook activity, such as check-ins, events, and tagged locations.

How to change location on Facebook Dating manually

You can easily edit your Facebook Dating location by following these steps:

1. Open the Facebook app.
2. Tap on the Menu button on the bottom right.
3. Select Dating to proceed.
4. Tap on your profile on the top right.
5. Go to Dating preferences.
6. Select Dating location.
7. If you want to update your current area, simply tap the refresh button (↺) on the right.
8. Otherwise, tap Add locations and add a city of your choice.
9. Once you return to the main Dating feed, swipe down to refresh, and you’ll start getting results from your chosen location.

One thing to note is that you can’t choose cities from outside your country. Well, at least not by default. Some users living close to the border report seeing international profiles, but that’s about it.

If you’re looking to date outside your region, you’ll need to change your location with a Facebook VPN or a GPS spoofing tool.

How to change location on Facebook Dating with a VPN

Changing your location on Facebook Dating with a VPN lets you explore the dating scene in other countries before traveling or moving. VPNs basically change your IP to make online services think you’re in a different region entirely. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Choose a VPN that works with Facebook Dating. Our top pick is NordVPN thanks to its fast speeds and excellent worldwide coverage, but Surfshark has built-in GPS spoofing on Android if you’re having trouble.
2. Install the VPN on your smartphone.
3. Open the app and log in with your account details.
4. Connect to a server in a country that supports Facebook Dating, such as Canada or the UK. To avoid issues, the server should be in or close to the city you’ll be visiting (e.g., connect to London if that’s your destination).
5. Log in to Facebook and change your dating location as described above.

You may encounter some “Location mismatch” issues, or it could take a while for Facebook Dating to properly update your changes. Users have been pointing out how buggy the service can be, even without adding a VPN to the mix, so give it time.

Does Facebook ban you for using a VPN?

As we’ve previously covered, Facebook will not ban you for using a VPN, since using one isn’t against their terms of service.

That said, your account may be temporarily locked if they detect sudden IP changes, such as during a VPN login. This is for security purposes, as Facebook can’t exactly tell if it’s you or a hacker trying to break into your account.

Change location on Facebook Dating with GPS spoofing

When Location Services are on, GPS spoofing apps show Facebook a fake device location. By setting your phone to the city you want, the app registers that spot for Dating, though your IP may still show your actual region.

If that happens, your best bet is to pair the GPS spoofing app with a VPN. Alternatively, try using Surfshark, which includes the feature in its Android VPN app. This makes both GPS and network signals match your intended location, so your Facebook Dating profile shows matches in the city you choose.

We should mention that Facebook may detect free GPS spoofing apps, so expect to pay a fee if you go this route. Some popular choices include Fake GPS on Android, while iOS users need a computer with iTools or similar software installed. Keep in mind that iTools only supports iOS 17 and earlier due to Apple’s tighter restrictions in newer versions.

How to turn Facebook Location Services on or off

You can disable or re-enable Location Services after setting up your Facebook Dating profile, whether it’s for privacy reasons or to fix potential location mismatch errors. Just follow these steps on Android and iOS:

Android

1. Go to Settings, then select Apps.
2. Find and tap on Facebook.
3. Press Permissions, then Location.
4. Choose one of these options depending on your needs: Allow only while using app, Ask every time or Don’t allow.

iPhone and iPad

1. Open your device Settings.
2. Tap on Privacy & Security.
3. Go to Location Services.
4. Scroll down and tap on the Facebook app.
5. Select one of three options: While Using the App, Ask Next Time, or Never.

What is a Location mismatch on Facebook Dating?

If your GPS, IP address, time zone settings, or Wi-Fi network signals don’t line up with the city in your profile, you may get this error:

“Location mismatch: Dating uses Location Services to suggest matches near you. Your Primary Location doesn’t seem to match your Dating Location. If you’re on VPN, disconnect it and try again.”

As you may have guessed, your VPN or GPS spoofing app can also interfere, along with system settings like Wi-Fi/Bluetooth scanning, battery saving, and more. Keep reading for a full list of fixes.

Facebook Dating Location mismatch fix

Here are some potential fixes for a location mismatch on Facebook Dating:

• Update the Facebook app and Android/iOS: Make sure you’re on the latest version, as older builds may have bugs that trigger the mismatch error.
• Turn Location Services off, then back on: This forces Facebook to refresh its location data. If it’s off, try enabling the “Precise Location” setting while you’re at it.
• Sync your time zone settings: If the phone’s time zone or region doesn’t match the actual location, Facebook sometimes refuses to refresh the Dating location. This usually happens when you use a VPN or GPS masking app.
• Disable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth scanning: These settings let apps detect nearby networks or Bluetooth devices for location, even when Wi-Fi or Bluetooth is off. Disable them temporarily if they interfere with your VPN or GPS spoofing.
• Adjust the “Distance from you” setting: Open Facebook Dating, tap your profile, go to Dating preferences > Distance from you, then move the slider and restart the app. This may force it to recalculate your location instead of relying on cached data.
• Turn off battery optimization for Facebook: Strict power saving settings can stop background location refreshes.
• Clear the Facebook app cache: Android only; you can do this by going to Settings > Apps > Facebook > Storage & cache and tapping Clear cache.
• Reboot your smartphone: This may clear temporary system glitches, causing Facebook to not detect your location properly.
• Uninstall, then reinstall the Facebook app after 24 hours.

Why can’t I change my location on Facebook Dating?

While researching the topic, we’ve noticed reports from users being unable to update their Facebook Dating location, despite trying all the tips listed above.

This usually happens after traveling to a new location, especially when you’ve temporarily changed your profile city or used Facebook Dating abroad. In some cases, the system keeps the old location for weeks, even after returning home and updating your settings.

What to do if your Facebook Dating location won’t update

If you’ve gone through the usual recommendations and are still having trouble, here are some other suggested fixes:

• Log out of your Facebook profile for a while: Several users mentioned this worked after 24 hours, though it may take up to a few days for your location to update.
• Perform location-based activities on Facebook: Make sure Location Services are on. Try creating a Life Event that shows you’ve moved to your Primary Dating location, checking in with friends at local places, or posting photos taken with the Facebook Camera. Once again, it may take 24 hours or more to notice any changes.
• Use the Facebook Lite app: Some users have had luck with the Facebook Lite app, which might handle location data differently.
• Report the issue to Facebook: Navigate to Menu > Help & support > Report a problem > Continue to report a problem. Choose whether to include logs and other diagnostics data, select a category (like Profile), describe your issue, add a screenshot if you like, then hit Send (the paper plane icon).

Now, it’s unclear whether reporting it multiple times helped resolve the issue or if it corrected itself over time. Regardless, all of these steps are worth a shot, even though none of them are a guaranteed fix.

Frequently asked questions