Best long distance relationship apps (2026)

Long distance is hard because daily life is hard to share. A text can say "miss you", but it can't make you laugh at the same moment or let you beat your partner at minigolf. The right apps fill those gaps. This guide covers the 10 best long distance relationship apps as of October 2026, sorted by what they help you do: play together on a call, answer daily questions, chat in private, see each other on your home screen, watch shows together, and even feel a touch from far away.

You don't need all of them. Most long distance couples do best with a small stack: one app for your calls, one for daily check-ins, and one for movie nights. We will help you pick.

What are the best long distance relationship apps in 2026?

Here is the short list. Every app below was live on the App Store or Google Play when we checked in October 2026. Ratings are US App Store ratings unless we say otherwise.

How we picked: we compared features, prices, platforms and App Store reviews as of October 2026, and read the current top guides on this topic. We checked every app's store listing to make sure it's still live. We left out apps we could not verify. Cupie is our app, so we put it first only for the thing it does best (playing together live on a call) and we list its limits below.

Which app lets you play games together on a video call?

1. Cupie: play games together while you see each other

Cupie is a free video call app for couples. You call your partner inside the app, then pick a game, and it plays live on both phones while you still see each other's faces. Think "FaceTime, but you play games together."

There are 14 games: Minigolf, Four in a Row, Tic Tac Toe, Truth or Dare, Pool, Chess, Cup Pong, Match, Solo, Get Closer, plus question decks called Get Deeper, Get Romantic, Get Silly and Get Spicy. There are also 239 quizzes, including Would You Rather and Who's More Likely To. New games open up as your daily streak grows, which gives you a small reason to call every night.

Setup is simple. You both download the app, one of you shares a private PIN, the other enters it, and you are linked. There are no usernames, no feed and no friend requests. It's only for the two of you. Home screen widgets show your partner, the distance between you and their local time, which helps a lot across time zones.

• Price: free, with no in-app purchases or paywall right now.
• Platforms: iPhone (iOS 15 or later) and Android.
• Ratings: 4.8 stars on both the App Store and Google Play.
• Age rating: 18+ on the App Store because of the spicy deck.

"me and my partner are long distance with me being in the military and we downloaded this yesterday and it was brilliant." (App Store review, UK)

Honest limits: both of you need the app. It's built for video calls, so there is no text chat yet. It's newer and smaller than Paired, Agapé or Between. There's no Apple Watch, iPad-first or desktop app. If you mostly text, pair Cupie with a messenger.

Want more ideas for your calls? See our list of games to play on FaceTime and our long distance relationship games.

What's the best app for daily questions in a long distance relationship?

Daily question apps give you something real to talk about when "how was your day" runs dry. You both answer, and you only see your partner's answer after you post yours.

2. Paired: the biggest daily questions app

Paired is the best known couples app in this category. It sends daily questions, quizzes and short exercises built with relationship experts. The App Store listing says it has 8 million downloads, and it holds a 4.7 star rating from over 209,000 ratings as of October 2026. It also tracks important dates.

• Price: free to download. Paired Premium is $14.99 a month in the US App Store, with yearly plans listed from $39.99.
• Platforms: iPhone and Android.
• Pick it if: you want a structured, daily habit and don't mind paying for the full library.

Comparing it with other options? Read our Paired alternatives guide.

3. Agapé: one short question a day

Agapé sends one question a day, personalized to your relationship. You can opt into extra categories, including one for long distance. It can also be used with friends and family, and it only sends spicy questions when you are matched with your partner. It has a 4.8 star rating from over 26,000 ratings.

• Price: free, with optional Premium plans (the US App Store lists monthly plans from $9.99).
• Platforms: iPhone and Android.
• Pick it if: you want a light, one minute habit rather than a full program.

Prefer to ask questions out loud on a call? Our free lists of deep questions to ask your partner work great for that.

Is there a private messaging app just for couples?

4. Between: a messenger for two

Between has been around since 2012 and is built as a private space for two people. You get a chat with stickers, a shared photo and video album, a shared calendar and countdowns for anniversaries and special days. The listing also mentions a free call feature and a PC version. It has a 4.8 star rating from over 21,000 ratings.

• Price: free. Between Plus is $2.99 a month or $24.99 a year in the US App Store.
• Platforms: iPhone and Android.
• Pick it if: you want to keep your couple chat and photos out of your busy group chats.

Which widget apps help long distance couples feel close?

Widgets put your partner on your home screen, so you see them every time you pick up your phone. That small, all-day presence matters a lot when you're apart. For a deeper comparison, see our guide to couple widget apps.

5. Widgetable: the most popular widget app

Widgetable lets you share widgets with your partner or best friends. There's a Distance Widget that shows how far apart you are, virtual pets you raise together, a sleep widget, and mood widgets. It has a 4.9 star rating from over 386,000 ratings, the highest count on this list after Locket.

• Price: free, with optional Premium (the US App Store lists $19.99 a year) and small in-app items.
• Platforms: iPhone and Android.
• Pick it if: you like cute, playful widgets and don't mind an app that's also built for friends.

6. Locket: their photos on your home screen

Locket puts a live photo widget on your home screen. When your partner snaps a picture, it shows up on your screen right away. You can add up to 20 friends, so it isn't couples only, but many couples use it as a simple "here's my day" feed. It has a 4.8 star rating from over 580,000 ratings.

• Price: free, with an optional Locket Gold subscription.
• Platforms: iPhone and Android.
• Pick it if: you want the simplest way to share small moments without texting.

7. Couple Joy: widgets, distance and questions together

Couple Joy mixes couple widgets with mood sharing, a distance tracker, a "time together" counter, daily questions, games and a shared journal. It also has a daily streak. It holds a 4.9 star rating from over 39,000 ratings.

• Price: free, with optional Couple Joy Premium.
• Platforms: iPhone and Android.
• Pick it if: you want widgets and daily questions in one app instead of two.

How can long distance couples watch movies together?

A shared movie night is one of the easiest long distance date ideas. These apps keep playback in sync so you laugh at the same scene.

8. Teleparty: synced Netflix, Disney+, Hulu and more

Teleparty (formerly Netflix Party) syncs video and adds a chat on services like Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, Amazon, YouTube and HBO Max. On a computer it's a browser extension for Chrome, Edge, Safari and Opera. There are also iPhone and Android apps. Each person needs access to the streaming service you are watching.

• Price: the free version covers syncing and text chat. Teleparty Premium is $49.99 a year or $6.59 a month in the US App Store.
• Platforms: desktop browsers, iPhone, Android.
• Heads up: the iPhone app has a low 2.8 star rating from 832 ratings, so the desktop extension is the safer bet.

9. Rave: watch together from an Android phone

Rave lets you watch videos together with voice or text chat. It was removed from Apple's App Store in August 2025 and its maker is now suing Apple, so it's no longer a choice for iPhone users. The Android app is still live on Google Play and was updated in October 2026.

• Price: free, with optional in-app purchases.
• Platforms: Android.
• Pick it if: you both use Android. If one of you has an iPhone, use Teleparty.

Are long distance touch bracelets worth it?

10. Bond Touch: send a touch from your wrist

Bond Touch makes bracelets that connect through your phone. When you tap yours, your partner's bracelet vibrates and lights up. The free Bond Touch app manages the bracelets and adds a private space for texts and photos, touch history and optional location sharing. The app has a 4.7 star rating from over 17,000 ratings.

• Price: on bond-touch.com the Bond Touch Mini is $59 and the Bond Touch 4 is $89 per bracelet, and a Bond Touch Pair is $138. You need two. The app also has an optional subscription.
• Platforms: bracelet plus an iPhone or Android app.
• Pick it if: you want a physical reminder that someone is thinking of you, and the cost fits your budget.

It's a nice extra, not a replacement for talking. A tap says "thinking of you", but it can't carry a conversation.

Which long distance app should you pick?

Start with how you already connect, then add one app for each gap.

• You call every night but run out of things to do: Cupie. Games and question decks give the call a shape.
• You want to talk about deeper stuff: Paired or Agapé for daily questions.
• You text all day: Between for a private chat, plus Locket for photos.
• You want to feel them nearby: Widgetable or Couple Joy for widgets, Bond Touch if you want something on your wrist.
• Movie nights are your thing: Teleparty, or Rave if you both use Android.
• Different time zones: pick an app that shows their local time and distance on your home screen. Cupie, Widgetable and Couple Joy all show distance.

A simple stack that covers most couples: Cupie for nightly calls, one daily question app, and Teleparty for weekend movies. For planning visits, a shared calendar helps, and we cover those in our best apps for couples guide.

What do long distance couples say about playing games on calls?

"I absolutely love this app. The quizzes are great to get to learn your partner more and there's so much built it. I think it's perfect for long distance couples looking to build that connection." (MarieJordan00, App Store)

"cupie is such an interesting app for a long distance relationships, it work so well" (Google Play review)

Apps help, but habits matter more. A set call time, something to look forward to and a date for your next visit do most of the work. Our long distance relationship tips cover the rest.