11 Long Distance Relationship Apps for Friends & Couples

Moving away for college, a new job, or just life can be tough on your friendships. Suddenly your crew is scattered, and the group chat is the only thing holding you together. Keeping that closeness when you’re miles apart takes effort, but your phone can actually help.

We’ve rounded up the best apps for friends and couples in a long distance relationship. These tools go beyond basic texting to help you share moments, plan visits, and just feel more present in each other’s lives.

Full disclosure: we make Bobble, which is in this guide. We tell you who each app fits, including when it’s not us.

Best Long Distance Apps: Quick Comparison

1. TimeTree

TimeTree is a shared calendar app that lets you and your friends or partner see each other’s schedules in one place. You can create multiple calendars for different groups or purposes.

Best for: A group of friends trying to plan a trip or find a time for a video call across different time zones.

Everyone can add events, so it’s easy to see when people are busy or free. It stops the endless back-and-forth in the group chat about who is available when. It also has a memo section for each event to keep notes or links organized.

Watch out: It can feel a bit formal. For spontaneous hangouts or quick chats, it’s overkill.

• Platforms: iOS, Android, Web
• Price: Free with an optional premium subscription
• Minimum Age: 4+

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2. Snapchat

Snapchat is all about sharing quick photo and video moments from your day. Its core feature for long distance friends is Streaks, which count the consecutive days you’ve sent a Snap to each other.

Best for: Low-pressure, daily check-ins that keep you in each other’s orbit without needing a full conversation.

Snap Streaks create a simple, fun incentive to connect every single day. The Snap Map also lets you see where your friends are, but only if they choose to share their location with you. It can be a nice way to feel closer by seeing their pfp in a new city or at a local spot.

Watch out: The pressure to maintain a Snap Streak can feel like a chore for some people. If you miss a day, the streak is gone.

• Platforms: iOS, Android
• Price: Free with an optional Snapchat+ subscription
• Minimum Age: 13+

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3. Discord

Originally for gamers, Discord has become a go-to for any group of friends who want their own private online space. It combines group chat, forum, and voice call features in one server that you control.

Best for: A dedicated home for your crew to hang out, share memes, and jump into voice channels anytime.

Voice channels are the killer feature. You can just pop into one, and friends can join you when they’re free. It feels like an open-door dorm room, creating a sense of presence that text chats can’t match. You can also screen share to watch movies or game together.

Watch out: Setting up and organizing a server can be complicated if you’re not used to it. It can be overwhelming for smaller, less tech-savvy groups.

• Platforms: iOS, Android, Web, Windows, macOS, Linux
• Price: Free with an optional Nitro subscription for perks
• Minimum Age: 13+

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Where Bobble fits

Bobble is for close friends who want to feel connected without the pressure of a social feed or constant messaging. You and your crew become 3D bobbleheads made from a single selfie. These characters live at the top of your phone, showing what everyone is up to with a status like ‘at the gym’ or ‘asleep’.

It’s a passive way to know what’s going on in your friends’ lives. You can even create your 3D avatar without the app.

Best for: A close crew who wants to feel together without a feed.

Watch out: The full Bobble in the Dynamic Island experience needs an iPhone 14 Pro or newer. Your friends also need the app, which is currently in public beta and not on the App Store just yet.

Try it: make your Bobble →

4. Locket Widget

Locket puts a widget on your home screen that shows live pictures from your friends. When a friend sends you a photo, it instantly appears in the widget.

Best for: Sharing visual updates directly to your friends’ home screens.

Locket’s simplicity makes it great. There’s no feed to scroll, no likes, and no followers. It’s just for your close friends. Seeing a new photo on your home screen is a nice little surprise that makes you feel connected. If you like this idea, there are other apps like Locket that do similar things.

Watch out: The photos are very public on the home screen, so it’s best for people you really trust. It’s also focused only on photos, with no chat or other features.

• Platforms: iOS, Android
• Price: Free
• Minimum Age: 12+

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5. Marco Polo

Marco Polo works like a video walkie-talkie. You send video messages, and your friends can watch them live or later.

Best for: Catching up face-to-face when your schedules don’t align.

The beauty of Marco Polo is its asynchronous nature. You can leave a long, rambling video message whenever you have a free moment, and your friend can watch and respond when they have time. It feels more personal than a text message but is less demanding than a scheduled call.

Watch out: The free version has limitations, like storing your videos for only a certain period. The app often encourages you to upgrade to its paid plan.

• Platforms: iOS, Android
• Price: Free with a subscription for premium features
• Minimum Age: 13+

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6. Couple

Couple creates a private timeline for you and your partner to share messages, photos, and important dates.

Best for: Romantic partners who want a dedicated digital space away from other social media.

Couple has unique features like ThumbKiss, where you can touch the same spot on your screens to make your phones vibrate simultaneously. It also lets you create shared to-do lists and sketch together in real-time. It’s all about creating intimacy across a distance.

Watch out: This app is strictly for one-on-one relationships. It won’t work for friend groups at all.

• Platforms: iOS
• Price: Free with in-app purchases
• Minimum Age: 17+

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7. Rabbit (and its alternatives)

The original Rabbit app, which let you watch movies and shows together in a virtual room, was extremely popular but shut down in 2019. The name has been taken by an unrelated grocery delivery app.

Best for: People who want to recreate the experience of watching TV together on the couch.

The concept was brilliant: a shared browser that anyone in the room could control, letting you stream from Netflix, YouTube, or anywhere else. While Rabbit is gone, you can get the same experience today using other tools. Discord’s screen sharing feature is a great option, as is FaceTime’s SharePlay for Apple users.

Watch out: Don’t download the app currently named Rabbit thinking it’s for watching videos. You’ll be disappointed when you’re asked for your grocery list.

• Platforms: N/A (Defunct)
• Price: N/A
• Minimum Age: N/A

8. Words With Friends

Words With Friends is a mobile word game very similar to Scrabble that you can play with friends.

Best for: A casual, ongoing activity that doesn’t require a lot of energy or scheduling.

You can take your turn whenever you have a spare minute, whether it’s on the bus or waiting in line. The in-game chat lets you exchange quick messages about the game or your day. It’s a nice, slow-paced way to stay in touch without the pressure of an instant reply.

Watch out: The free version has a lot of ads, which can be disruptive. You’ll be prompted frequently to upgrade to the ad-free version.

• Platforms: iOS, Android
• Price: Free with ads and in-app purchases
• Minimum Age: 4+

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9. FaceTime

If you and your friends are all on Apple devices, FaceTime is often the easiest and highest-quality option for video and audio calls.

Best for: High-quality video calls with other Apple users.

FaceTime’s SharePlay feature is its biggest advantage for long distance friends. It lets you listen to music, watch a movie, or share your screen while on a call, with synced playback for everyone. It’s the closest you can get to sitting in the same room. Android users can now join calls from a web browser, too.

Watch out: While Android users can join via a link, an Apple user still has to start the call. The experience is not as smooth for friends outside the Apple ecosystem.

• Platforms: iOS, iPadOS, macOS (Web access for other platforms)
• Price: Free
• Minimum Age: 4+

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10. WhatsApp

WhatsApp offers reliable texting, group chats, and voice and video calls using your phone’s internet connection instead of SMS.

Best for: Friends or partners in different countries, as it avoids international texting fees.

Its biggest strength is that almost everyone has it. It works on nearly any smartphone and on desktop, making it a universal choice for a group chat. The end-to-end encryption is also a key feature for people who value privacy in their conversations.

Watch out: It’s owned by Meta (Facebook), which might be a deal-breaker for some. It’s more of a utility than a fun social app, lacking features like shared activities or games.

• Platforms: iOS, Android, Web, Windows, macOS
• Price: Free
• Minimum Age: 12+

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11. Postagram

Sometimes a digital message isn’t enough. Postagram lets you turn any photo on your phone into a real, physical postcard that gets mailed to your friend’s door.

Best for: Sending a physical memento that feels more special than a text.

Getting something in the mail that isn’t a bill is always a treat. A postcard with a great photo and a personal message is something your friend can stick on their fridge. It’s a tangible reminder of your connection that lasts longer than a notification.

Watch out: This isn’t free. While the app itself costs nothing, you have to pay for each postcard you send, including postage.

• Platforms: iOS, Android
• Price: App is free, postcards start around $2.
• Minimum Age: 4+

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