How to make long-distance video calls less boring: 25 ideas (2026)

Long-distance video calls get boring when every call is the same "so, how was your day?". The fix is simple: give each call one shared thing to do. Below are 25 ideas, sorted by how much time you have: 5 minute ideas for tired nights, 20 minute ideas for normal nights and bigger date night ideas for the weekend. Updated October 2026.

Cupie is a free video calling app for couples on iPhone and Android where you play games together live inside the call. We make it, so we use it as an example below, but most ideas on this page work on FaceTime, WhatsApp or any other video call.

Quick picks: which idea fits tonight?

Why do our long-distance video calls feel boring?

Usually it is not you, and it is not the relationship. It is the format. When you live in the same city, most of your time together is spent doing things side by side: eating, walking, watching something. On a call, you only have talking. After a few weeks of daily calls, you have already told each other the news of the day, and the call turns into a staring contest.

Three things help almost every couple:

• Do something together. A game, a question card or a show gives you something new to react to, so the conversation starts by itself.
• Match the idea to your energy. At 11 pm after work, a 5 minute game beats a planned deep talk you are too tired for.
• Keep one real date a week. Short daily calls plus one planned date is a rhythm many long-distance couples use. Our guide to long-distance relationship rules like 7-7-7 and 2-2-2 shows other rhythms.

In our own data report on couples' video calls (July 22 to October 19, 2026), 70.5% of Cupie calls included at least one game, and the median call with a game lasted 23.3 minutes against 6.6 minutes without one. That is a correlation, not proof: couples who already have time to talk may also be the ones who start a game.

5 minute ideas (for tired nights)

These work when one of you is about to fall asleep or about to start work. The goal is one small shared moment, not a long talk.

1. One question card each. Take turns asking one question you have never asked before. In Cupie, Get Closer is open from day one and deals the cards for you on both screens. On FaceTime, pick from our questions to ask your partner.
2. A best of three in Tic Tac Toe. Takes two minutes, and the loser has to tell an embarrassing story.
3. Rose, bud, thorn. Each of you shares one good thing from today (rose), one thing you look forward to (bud) and one bad thing (thorn).
4. Match. In Cupie's Match game you flip a card, think, then both say your answer out loud at the same time. Laugh when you match, argue when you don't.
5. Rapid this or that. Ten quick picks in one minute: beach or mountains, cats or dogs, early or late. Our this or that questions for couples has 100 more.
6. Show me one thing. Each of you shows one object in your room and tells the story behind it.
7. Same time tomorrow? End the call by picking the exact time of the next one. It gives you both something to look forward to. Cupie asks this at the end of a call and lets you set the next one.

Inside the Cupie app

Five minute questions from Cupie's Get Closer deck

Word for word from the Get Closer deck in Cupie (Perception). The deck has 130 cards.

• PerceptionHow would you describe my relationship with work in one word? Explain.
• PerceptionWhat's my coffee order? Get specific.
• PerceptionWhat about me most intrigued you before we started dating?
• PerceptionWhat do you think my biggest goal for this year is?
• PerceptionDo you think I have any unconventional views on love?
• PerceptionWhat do I love that most people dislike?

20 minute ideas (for normal nights)

This is the sweet spot for most weeknight calls: long enough to feel like time together, short enough to fit around work and sleep.

8. A round of Minigolf. Take turns putting on an 18-hole course while you see each other. In Cupie, both phones show the same shot at the same time, so the trash talk is live.
9. Pool or Cup Pong. Faster games for couples who like to compete. Both unlock in Cupie as your call streak grows.
10. A slow game of Chess. Good for couples who like quiet calls. Talk between moves.
11. Take a couples quiz. Both answer the same questions, then compare. Try our free couples quiz, or the daily quiz in Cupie that shows your % Match.
12. Truth or Dare on video. Dares work surprisingly well on a call ("show me your worst dance move"). Our list of truth or dare questions for couples has clean and flirty versions.
13. 21 Questions. No app needed, just rules. See the 21 questions game.
14. Get Deep. Questions about yourself that go from icebreakers to the deep stuff. In Cupie this deck unlocks with your call streak.
15. Draw each other. Five minutes, no erasing, then hold the drawings up to the camera at the same time.
16. Walk and talk. Both go outside for a walk and show each other what you see.

Inside the Cupie app

Questions from Cupie's Get Deep deck

Word for word from the Get Deep deck in Cupie (Deep). The deck has 131 cards.

• DeepWhat is your most prized possession? Why?
• DeepWhat's one of your simple pleasures?
• DeepIf you could be any animal, which would you choose? Why?
• DeepIf you were offered the chance to live on a new planet, would you take it? Why?
• DeepIf you won the lottery, what would you do with the money?
• DeepWhat are the three most important traits you look for in a partner?

Date night ideas (for the weekend)

Once a week, plan a call that feels like a real date. Dress up a little, put your phone on do not disturb, and pick one of these. For 55 more, see our full list of long distance date ideas.

17. Dinner and a game. Cook the same recipe, eat together on video, then play a best of three.
18. Movie night in sync. If you both have Apple devices, SharePlay in FaceTime lets you watch together; Apple notes each person needs their own access to the content. Teleparty works in the browser. Or press play on "3, 2, 1".
19. Tournament night. Pick three games, keep score, and the loser plans the next date. Our date night games guide has a full plan.
20. The 36 questions. A famous set of questions from a 1997 psychology study. Try our 36 questions to fall in love.
21. Love language night. Both take our love language quiz, then talk about what you each need while apart.
22. Plan your next visit. Open a map, pick the dates and build a day you will actually do together.
23. Childhood photo tour. Show each other old photos and tell the story behind each one.
24. Slow dance. Prop up the phone, play your song and dance. It is silly. Do it anyway.
25. Get Romantic. Questions about the two of you, from how it started to where you are now. It unlocks in Cupie as your streak grows.

What to do when you run out of things to talk about

Running out of things to say is one of the most common worries in long-distance relationships. It is normal. People in the same room don't talk non-stop either; they share silence while they do something. On a call, that "something" is missing, so the silence feels loud.

• Swap talking for doing. Start a game. Reacting to a missed shot is easier than inventing a new topic.
• Let a deck pick the topic. Question cards remove the pressure of thinking of something to say.
• Allow quiet calls. Study, cook or read with the call open. Being together is enough some nights.
• Keep a list. Write down small things during the day you want to tell your partner.

For more on keeping the relationship healthy, read our long distance relationship tips.

How to make FaceTime fun (and when to use another app)

FaceTime is great for talking, and with SharePlay you can watch and listen together if you both use Apple devices. What it doesn't have is built-in games for two that run on both screens during the call. Talking games like 21 Questions, Would You Rather and Truth or Dare work well on FaceTime. Board-style games need a separate app. Our guide to games to play on FaceTime covers both.

If one of you has an Android phone, FaceTime is harder: Android users can only join from a link in the browser. Cupie works the same on iPhone and Android, and you can see how each game works in our guide to every Cupie game.

Honest limits of Cupie

• Both of you need the app installed and linked.
• It is phone only: there is no web, desktop or iPad-first version.
• Some games and decks unlock as your daily call streak grows, so not everything is open on day one.
• It is free to download with no ads, and it is newer and smaller than apps like Paired or Between.