Facebook's relatively recent entry into the digital dating market uses the platform's extensive reach to match you with potential partners from your local area. Facebook Dating is available from within the Facebook mobile app and accessible from the main menu or via the Dating tab.

Of course, if you are happily married, in a monogamous relationship, or simply not interested in hooking up with local hotties, you may not want the Dating icon shortcut tab taking up real estate on your smartphone's screen. 

In that case, here's how to delete the Dating shortcut from your daily FB view. 

Removing the dating icon shortcut tab from Facebook 

Whether or not you have activated Facebook Dating and set up an account, removing the Facebook Dating icon tab from your phone's home screen is very simple. Just tap on the "Dating" tab in the shortcuts menu along the bottom of your screen and then tap "Not Now."

This will generate the option to "Remove" or "Keep" the dating icon. Click on "Remove" to get rid of it. 

Removing the Facebook Dating icon shortcut will delete it from your Facebook screen. If you want to access Dating in the future, you can do so from the main Facebook menu that you access by tapping on the three lines at the bottom right of your screen.

Deleting the Dating shortcut and your Facebook Dating profile 

Deleting the shortcut tab does not delete the Facebook Dating profile that you've set up from within the app. If you want to remove the Facebook Dating icon shortcut tab because you no longer want to use the service, you also need to deactivate or delete your Facebook Dating profile, otherwise you will still be visible to other users of the service. 

Here’s how to do it: Open your Facebook app on your iOS or Android device. Tap the three-lines menu icon at the bottom right of your screen. This will bring up Facebook's main menu.

From the main menu, tap on "Dating." This will bring up your Facebook Dating settings. 

From here you can choose to "Take a Break" from Facebook Dating. This means your Facebook Dating profile will not be deleted, and any matches and chats will be saved, but you will no longer be visible on the platform. You can turn this option off and go back to being visible at any time. 

If you want to delete your profile completely, select the "Delete profile" option and then go through the next two screens, which ask "Are you sure?" and give you the choice to instead take a break. If you do decide to delete, Facebook will ask, "Tell us why?" Once you've answered those final questions, your Facebook Dating profile will be completely deleted and no longer visible.