I and my significant other have been using Couple app for a long time to deal with the long-distance saga. Until recently, the app started giving a hard time for notifications and it seems missing from the Play Store as well. I believe it’s time to bid adieu and search for a better alternative. A quick Google search revel, popular alternatives like Avocado, Couplete missing from the Play Store as well.Â
Now you can always use popular chatting apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, but then you’ll miss out on features like feed, calendar sharing, lock screen, secret chats and much more. So skipping those, here is my best long-distance relationship apps.
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Apps for Long Distance Relationship
1. Between
The most popular alternative for Couple is Between. The moment you open the app, you are greeted with a welcome screen followed by your private feed to post pictures. The app has a built-in calendar to sync your daily schedule which is helpful as I mostly forget her to inform about my meetings. The chat button is quite handy and you get a bunch of stickers with it. The most highlighted feature is secret love letters which come with a paid subscription of $13 annually or a one-time fee of $26.
What’s good?
- Personal timeline & conversation
- Inbuilt free calling to your partner
- Inbuilt Calendar and Important event reminders.
- Send Love letters (premium feature)
What’s missing?
- Secret chats or disappearing stories
- Live location
Download Between (Android | iOS)
2. WithU
The places where Between lacks is where WithU steps in and excels. Just like the couple app, you have the option to view the live location of your partner. You can also add notes which works kind of like the To-Do list. The best thing is the disappearing message like the Snapchat’s Snaps. They get deleted after a specified time once your partner has viewed it. Compared to Between, you don’t have the option to make free calls or curate a personal timeline. The timeline is public and gives me the vibe of FB feed. However, you can still share and sync photos, videos but it’s totally a different section than the timeline.
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What’s good?
- Personal timeline & conversation
- Inbuilt free calling to your partner
- Inbuilt Calendar and Important event reminders.
- Send Love letters (premium feature)
What’s missing?
- Secret chats or disappearing stories
- Live location
Download WithU (Android)
3. Wickr Me
Unlike other apps in this list, Wickr Me is not a dedicated couple app but it provides the most required feature for a couple app – Privacy. Every message and media send via Wickr Me is end-to-end encrypted. You don’t require an email or phone number to register on the app and neither Wickr Me saves your contacts. With all the privacy policies laid out, it’s safe to conclude that Wickr Me is safe for NSFW activities for couples.
Wickr Me also has a Play Store sibling called Wickr Pro but that is more of an enterprise edition directed towards small companies and startups.
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What’s good?
- Privacy of data and end-to-end encryption
- Self-destructing messages with customizable time
- Inbuilt calling support
What’s missing?
- Not a dedicated app for couples.
Download Wickr Me (Android | iOS)
4. LokLok
LokLok is slightly different from the usual private conversational couple apps. It lets you draw on the lock screen of your partner. You can also get creative and post drawings or graffitis. It doesn’t contain any messaging or photo sync but nonetheless is a nice way to get a smile on the face of your loved ones. LokLok also lets you create a family group but the lock screen can be synced only with one person at a time.
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What’s good?
- Lock-screen sync
- Draw pictures, emojis, stickers, graffiti
Download LokLok (Android)
5. Cozi
In case you are too bewildered by all these choices, you should try Cozi. Cozi is a dedicated app to sync your calendar and to-do lists. While you can also sync groceries but it would be funny to do that with someone in the other city. Another interesting option is to sync recipes. I often use it to share my weekend cooking plan although it never turns out as described in the recipe.
What’s good?
- Calendar, event, recipes, to-do list synchronization
- Special date reminders
What’s missing?
- Dedicated chat application
6. Happy Couple
Happy Couple is a good app to keep things interesting. It’s different from all the apps mentioned above and provides interesting quizzes and tips to keep your relationship intriguing. The questions are common as well as random and the answers from your partner can be seen on the feed. You can also take up random challenges provided in the app. I really liked that these challenges are curated for long-distance relationships so they involve virtual tasks.
I did miss the chat and calendar sync in the app but Happy Couple is not aimed at that purpose. You can use it besides the Between or WithU app or continue with the WhatsApp messenger.
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What’s good?
- Daily common and random quiz questions
- Interesting virtual challenges and tips
What’s not?
- Dedicated conversation tab
Download Happy Couple (Android | iOS)
7. 1Password Family
1Password Family isn’t your usual long-distance app for couples but I would definitely recommend getting one. It is a paid app and the family plan is gonna set you back $5 when billed annually. We often share our credit card details, Netflix and Prime video password. It’s a good way for both of us to have the passwords shared through a secured medium rather than texting over in plain text on WhatsApp. 1Password has apps for pretty much every operating system and works seamlessly across accounts.
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What’s good?
- Inexpensive compared to other password managers.
- Secure way to share passwords, credit cards, and notes.
Visit 1Password
8. HouseParty
HouseParty isn’t a specific couple app but does something that no other app in the list or in the market does. It lets you play games while on a video call. It provides a bunch of games that can be played while you are in the group video chat. My favorite one is the “Heads Up” which is sort of Dum Charades but on a video call. You also have other games such as Trivia, drawing games, Chip & Guac, etc.
Houseparty is the currently #1 trending app with millions of downloads. The app mimics the house party environment with multiple chatrooms. You can hop on into a HouseParty and make it private so no one else crashes your party.
What’s good?
- Mimics the theme of a real house party with different chatrooms
- Inbuilt games to play while group video calling
- Send audio and video notes to friends
- Meet friends of friends in public chatrooms
What’s not?
- Occasional call drops even on WiFi
Download Houseparty (Android | iOS)
Wrapping Up
Between is the ideal replacement for Couple for Android and iOS. This is the app we have been using after the Couple app got discontinued. As extra utilities, you should really try Happy Couple or LokLok. Let me know what interesting apps you use to keep your long-distance lively.
For any issues or queries, let me know in the comments below and I will get back to you.
Also Read: 5 Best Budget Apps for Couples
