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The average adult spends six hours and forty minutes in front of a screen every day — scrolling, texting, streaming, posting and liking. That is a huge chunk (2,433 hours a year!) of our lives.
There is an app for everything (Death Date Calculator, anyone?) and an app for nothing at all (can I introduce you to the Do Nothing app?). Many of these leave us feeling isolated and overstimulated.
Alas, Girlfriends, there are a few wise men and women among us who have created apps that actually bring us together through the one thing our screens can’t give us: love. The following apps are designed for couples who share the common goal of increasing intimacy and human connection at a time when we need it most.
Agape
The concept is simple yet effective: answer one, personalized, intimate question and fall in love with your partner all over again. Both partners simply download the app, create individual profiles and link to each other. Every day, you will each receive the same question from different categories (gratitude, sex, parenting, religion, managing finances, coping with illness and more) and respond. Questions range from romantic: “When did you first fall for your partner?” to risqué: “Did your partner ever turn you on in public? Give details” to fun: “What’s something your partner did this week to make you laugh?” You won’t be able to see your partner’s answer until you have submitted your own, which encourages full participation by both parties. Other features include games like Truth or Dare, a shared scrapbook for storing memories and a points reward system with monthly giveaways. The app offers both free and premium memberships, and with a seven-day premium trial membership, you might as well give it a try. Unlike most apps, this one will not auto-enroll you when the trial ends. That’s a win-win if you ask me!
Lovewick
“Why were there so many dating apps to help people find love, but none to help cultivate and nurture it?” This is the question founder Ali Maggioncalda asked herself when the pandemic hit. Shortly after, she knew it was time to create a digital space where couples could nurture love. Lovewick is chock-full of resources that encourage mindfulness, creativity and accountability in your relationship — for example, date night ideas personalized to your community. The app also makes emotional intimacy fun with a couples’ card game that will have you answering questions such as, “If you were writing an autobiography, what would you call the chapter when we first met?” One of the most unique features of the app is Distance Dates for those in long-distance relationships, and while it will cost you extra, it’s well worth it. These are creative dates built around online activities like improv, cooking and intimate art classes. You’ll have so much fun you’ll forget the miles between you. Lovewick is free, but you can upgrade to Lovewick Plus for unlimited questions each day and access to premium questions, too.
Love Nudge
Do you feel most loved when your husband gives you a kiss and a hug after a long day of work, but he cringes if you go to hug him when he walks through the door? If it ever feels like you are speaking different languages, then this is the app for you. Inspired by Gary Chapman’s The 5 Love Languages (physical touch, words of affirmation, gift-giving, acts of service and quality time) and marketed as “the personal assistant for your relationship,” it is designed to help partners identify and understand their respective love languages. Download the app and take a quiz to determine how you best give and receive love, then invite your partner to do the same. Next, you both set goals that will help you offer love in the ways your partner best receives it. And don’t worry, the app offers suggestions on how to best do that. You can also track your “love tank” — how loved you’re feeling at any given moment — and when your tank gets low, you can remind your partner to do something based on your specific love language. It’s a great way to challenge yourself to love more selflessly and discover new ways to show your affection and appreciation for your partner. This app is free to use, with options for in-app purchases that will educate you on the five love languages.
Spicer
If you want a fun and flirty app that focuses on physical intimacy, then Spicer is for you. Answer questions about your sexual fantasies and desires, and your partner will do the same. The app keeps a list of “matches,” and you, my friends, are left with a sexual to-do list. You get to choose how risqué (or “advanced,” as the app calls it) you want to get with the questions, so you won’t be thrown into the deep end of fantasy land if that’s not your thing. If you’re feeling extra brave, try the Sex Dares feature, where you can assign your partner a naughty dare from the app’s list or create your own. Other features include a private chat room, a sex tracker calendar and random sex challenges that you have 24 hours to complete. It’s a fun, no-pressure way to explore your sexual desires and boundaries and open the lines of sex-related communication. The app is free with the option to purchase additional question packs.
Relationships require work, Girlfriends, and it isn’t always easy, but these apps make it fun while holding you accountable. So go ahead and spend six hours and forty minutes a day in front of a screen — just choose connection over isolation.
Would you ever want to try one of the apps above? Let us know in the comments below.
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Follow Article Topics: Relationships
