Technology has had a bad rap when it comes to relationships. People have been caught cheating through dating apps, and no one can forget the Ashley Madison scandal.
But your phone is not automatically the enemy. Technology can improve relationships, depending on the couple as well as the work they are willing to put into keeping their relationship fresh.
Here are seven relationship apps for iPhone worth looking at. Some are made specifically for couples.
Others help solve the everyday problems that steal your time and patience.
Quick Tip: Before you link calendars, financial accounts, private messages, or personal details, look at the privacy settings together. Romantic? Maybe not. Smart? Absolutely. Decide together what you’re comfortable sharing—and what stays private.
App features, prices, and availability can change, so check the current listing before downloading. Check which features require a subscription before you both sign up.
In this article, I will cover the following:
We all know that life gets busy. But finding time as a couple to spend together is what keeps any love relationship alive.
Raft is an iPhone calendar app made for couples, families, and close friends. You can share selected plans, see when someone is free, and keep other events private. From engagement celebrations to date nights for married couples, shared plans give you something to look forward to.
It also lets you add photos and GIFs to plans. So yes, dinner on Friday can come with a dramatic reaction GIF.
If you need to make room for your partner, Aunt Mildred, and your buddy Jamie, this app can help keep everyone from accidentally getting booked at the same time.
Sometimes you know you should send something sweet, and your brain gives you absolutely nothing.
This iPhone and iPad app includes thousands of love quotes and photos, an anniversary countdown, backgrounds, and sharing tools. It can give you a starting point when you want a message to feel more thoughtful than, “What do you want for dinner?”
Just add some of your own words. Your partner probably wants to hear from you, not only from a quote app with good lighting.
Every couple has conversations they avoid. Money, communication, parenting, chores, intimacy—the fun stuff.
Lasting offers guided, self-paced sessions on relationship and family topics. You do not have to be married to use it with your partner.
The exercises can help start conversations and give you something specific to work through together. However, Lasting’s self-guided services are educational and are not a replacement for counseling or therapy from a licensed professional.
Money can put pressure on a relationship, especially when a couple has different spending habits or financial goals. For an unmarried couple, cohabitation means figuring out who pays for what.
Honeydue is a free mobile app for couples. It can help you track balances, spending, budgets, and bills while choosing how much financial information to share with each other.
You do not have to combine everything. A shared view can simply make it easier to notice upcoming bills and work toward the same goals.
That goal could be a couple’s vacation, an emergency fund, or even matching tattoos. (Whatever floats your boat.)
Life gets busy, but it’s important never to get too busy that your love relationship goes down the drain.
Along with Raft, this app can help relieve stress and provide a way for couples to spend time with one another.
Care.com helps families connect with babysitters, nannies, housekeepers, pet caregivers, senior caregivers, and other types of care.
Individual caregivers who can be hired through the platform must first pass a Care.com Background Check. However, background checks have limits, and profile information is supplied by users.
Care.com generally does not employ caregivers, except for certain backup-care providers employed through its subsidiaries. Families should still interview candidates, check references, and complete any additional screening they feel is necessary.
This service will not create date night for you, but it may help you find time for one.
Between is built around a private space just for two. Couples can chat, share photos, save memories, track special dates, and coordinate schedules.
I think it is especially helpful for new couples, but long-term couples may also like having old photos, anniversaries, and plans in one place.
The app is available for iPhone and Android, with desktop versions for Windows and Mac.
Sometimes life has its moments. Whether you’re single or in a relationship, you deserve support.
7 Cups offers free, anonymous chat with trained volunteer listeners for emotional support. It also provides paid access to licensed therapy options.
Volunteer listeners are not therapists, and emotional-support chat is not a replacement for professional care when you need it.
If someone is in immediate danger, call 911. For mental health or emotional crisis support in the United States, call or text 988 or use the 988 Lifeline online chat.
Taking care of your own mental health can make it easier to show up in a relationship, but an app cannot do the work for both people.
Conclusion
Your phone can become a source of tension in a relationship, but it can also be a useful tool. The trick is choosing an app that solves an actual problem instead of downloading all seven and declaring your relationship optimized by bedtime.
Technology will not create closeness on its own. That’s one of the reasons people use our verification tool, to search what they find on their partner’s phone.
However, used intentionally and honestly, your phone can make planning, communicating, remembering important dates, and asking for help a little easier.