Facebook will now notify users if blood donations are needed in their area

Facebook will now notify users if blood donations are needed in their area after feature was successfully tested in India

The social media giant announced on Wednesday that it's bringing a blood donation feature to the US after successful tests in India, Bangladesh and other countries. 

Now, usersr in Chicago, New York City, Baltimore, San Francisco and Washington, DC can be notified if blood donations are needed in their area. 

The social media giant announced on Wednesday that it's bringing a blood donation feature to the US after successful tests in India, Bangladesh and other countries

HOW CAN YOU USE FACEBOOK'S BLOOD DONATION TOOL? 

Visit the About section of your Facebook profile. 

There, users can opt in to receive alerts. 

When blood banks need donations, they can send out alerts to people in the area. 

A notification will appear on a user's device, saying which organizations need blood and what blood types they're looking for. 

It's now live in several US cities, including New York City, Baltimore, San Francisco and others.  

The feature will ultimately roll out nationwide in the 'coming months,' according to Facebook. 

Users won't receive the notifications automatically; instead, they'll have to opt in.

To sign up for alerts, users should visit Facebook's blood donation page and click 'Sign up.' 

Users can also change their settings by opening the 'About' section of their Facebook profile. 

Once they complete the sign up process, users will get notifications telling them when a nearby blood donation center is in need of donors.   

By launching the tool, Facebook said it also hopes to raise awareness about the dire need for blood donations in the US.