Den gives couples a shared daily space: a question you both answer, a selfie to send, and a memory to add. Both partners complete all three to keep the streak alive. On top of the daily loop there are four real-time multiplayer games, home screen widgets, and a permanent question history. More on how it compares to other apps in our post on why most couples apps fall short.

Is Den designed for long distance relationships?

Den was built with long distance couples in mind. The daily rituals create consistent connection across any distance. The distance widget shows your real-time gap in miles. The games run live between phones with no screen sharing required. The question history builds a real archive of your relationship over time. More in our post on how to keep a long distance relationship strong.

Den has a free version that includes the core daily activities and games. Den Premium adds more question categories, expanded game modes, and extra customization for your bear mascot. Most couples start on free and upgrade once the daily habit is established. For ideas on how to use Den together, see our post on virtual date ideas for long distance couples.

What Is Den? A Couples App Built Around Your Relationship

Most apps in your life are built for you as an individual. Den is built for the two of you.

It is a space that belongs to your relationship: daily connection, games, shared memories, and a mascot that is genuinely yours. Here is what is inside and why it was built that way.

The Daily Loop

Every day, Den gives you and your partner three things to do together: answer a question, take a selfie, and add a memory. Both of you have to complete all three to keep your streak alive.

The why: connection that only happens when you feel like it tends to drift. The daily loop makes showing up a habit. Small enough that it never feels like a burden, consistent enough that it actually builds something over time. It is proof that you both kept showing up when you were apart.

Real-Time Games

Den has four games that run live between both phones: Connect Four, Hangman, Couples Trivia, and Photo Roulette. No screen sharing, no workarounds. Both partners are in the same game, seeing the same board, in real time.

The why: messaging keeps you informed. Play keeps you connected. There is a particular kind of energy that comes from competing, laughing, and reacting together, even when you are in different cities. Games create that energy in a way that a text thread simply cannot.

Home Screen Widgets

Den puts three native iOS widgets on your home screen: a Selfie Widget that shows your partner's latest daily photo, a Distance Widget that tracks your real-time distance in miles, and a Drawing Widget displaying the shared canvas you have built together.

The why: a relationship app you have to remember to open is not part of your life. Widgets make Den ambient. Your partner is visible right on your home screen, not tucked away behind a notification. For long distance couples especially, the distance widget turns a phone screen into a small, constant reminder that the gap is real, and shrinking.

Conversations

Den's question feature surfaces a new prompt every day across categories from playful to serious. Both partners answer before either can see the other's response. Question History saves every answer, permanently.

The why: most couple conversations default to logistics. "What do you want for dinner" is easy. "What is something you have never told me" takes a prompt. Den provides the prompts, and the blind-answer format keeps both responses honest, with no anchoring off what your partner said first.

Barnaby (Den Bear)

Every couple shares a customizable bear mascot. You choose its skin, outfit, and accessories using Honey, the in-app currency earned by completing daily activities.

The why: the bear is a small thing that makes the app feel like yours. It sits on the home screen, earns cosmetics as you engage, and develops alongside your relationship. It makes Den feel like a place you have built rather than a product you downloaded.

Den is for couples who want their relationship to have a home. If you are deciding between Den and other apps, read our take on what sets Den apart from the rest. And for how Den fits into a long distance routine, see how to keep a long distance relationship strong.