Staying close to friends who live far away isn't always easy. You might live in different time zones, struggle to find time for a proper conversation or simply realise that months have passed since you last caught up.
Fortunately, there are some clever apps that can help.
But the best apps for long-distance friendships don't all do the same thing. Some remind you to reconnect, others make conversations more personal, and a few help you recreate the fun of spending time together.
We've picked ten apps that approach long-distance friendship in different ways, from friendship trackers and personal CRMs to video messages, photo-sharing widgets and virtual movie nights.
A quick note: This article is published by SoonCall, one of the apps featured below. We've included direct competitors and alternative tools because the best choice depends on what you need. This comparison is based on publicly available product information, not hands-on testing of every app.
| App | Best for | Platforms |
|---|---|---|
| SoonCall | Remembering to reconnect and tracking catch-ups | iOS |
| Howdy Mate! | Simple, free friendship reminders | iOS |
| Kinu | Remembering personal details about friends and family | iOS, Android |
| Dear | Gentle reminders to reach out | iOS, Android |
| Dex | Organising a larger network of relationships | iOS, Android, web |
| Marco Polo | Personal video messages across time zones | iOS, Android |
| Locket Widget | Sharing spontaneous photos | iOS, Android |
| noteit | Sending handwritten notes and drawings | iOS, Android |
| Rave | Watching movies and videos together | iOS, Android |
| Words With Friends 2 | Casual games and friendly competition | iOS, Android |
Platform availability, pricing and features may change. Check each app's official listing before downloading.
Sometimes the hardest part of a long-distance friendship is remembering to make time for a conversation.
These apps are designed to help you stay on top of your relationships, remember when you last spoke and make reconnecting a little easier.
Ever thought about a friend, realised you haven't spoken in months and wondered how so much time has passed?
That's exactly the problem SoonCall was created to help solve.
SoonCall is a friendship tracking app that helps you stay in regular contact with the people who matter. You can add friends and family, choose how frequently you'd like to catch up and keep track of your conversations.
The app uses your preferred catch-up frequency and previous interactions to suggest who might be ready for another call. You can also record notes about conversations, making it easier to pick up where you left off next time.
SoonCall Pro adds automatic reminders, unlimited relationships, friendship insights and a timezone helper.
What we like
SoonCall isn't trying to replace the apps you already use to communicate. It's designed to help you make more time to use them.
It's particularly useful if you have friends spread across different cities or countries and want to be more intentional about staying connected.
Things to consider
SoonCall doesn't offer messaging or video calls within the app. You'll still use your preferred communication tools for those.
The free version supports up to five relationships, and automatic reminders require Pro. It's currently available on iPhone, with Android not yet released.
Best for: People who genuinely want to stay in touch but often forget to reach out until weeks or months have passed.
Explore SoonCall for long-distance friendships
If you want a straightforward way to remember when to contact people, Howdy Mate! is worth a look.
The app lets you choose how frequently you'd like to keep in touch with individual friends, track your interactions and see who's due for a catch-up.
It also includes notes, birthday tracking and a home screen widget.
One of its biggest selling points is that it's free, with no subscription or limit on the number of friends you can add.
What we like
It's refreshingly simple. You don't need to build a complicated system or manage a detailed database of contacts.
It's also a particularly appealing option if you're looking for a free friendship reminder app.
Things to consider
Howdy Mate! is currently available on iPhone rather than Android, and it doesn't offer the same cross-device functionality as some more comprehensive personal CRM tools.
It's also a relatively new app, so its longer-term development history is still limited.
Best for: iPhone users who want a simple, free way to remember to keep in touch.
Sometimes staying close to someone isn't just about remembering to call. It's also about remembering what matters to them.
Kinu is a personal relationship app designed to help you keep track of the people in your life, remember important details and maintain more meaningful connections.
You can save notes about friends and family, record memories, track important dates and set intentions for how often you'd like to reconnect.
The app also offers gentle reminders and voice notes, making it easier to remember things you've talked about and pick up where you left off.
Kinu places particular emphasis on privacy, with a local-first approach to storing personal relationship information.
What we like
Kinu recognises that maintaining friendships involves more than simply keeping in contact.
Remembering that a friend has a big job interview coming up, that they're planning a move or that they've been having a difficult time can make your next conversation more thoughtful.
Its free version supports up to ten people, and the app is available on both iOS and Android.
Things to consider
Kinu has a broader focus on remembering personal details and managing relationships. If you're primarily interested in tracking calls and deciding who to reconnect with next, a simpler friendship tracking app might suit you better.
As with any app that stores personal information, it's worth reviewing its privacy settings and deciding what you're comfortable recording.
Best for: People who want to remember the important details in their friends' lives, as well as when to get back in touch.
Dear takes a softer approach to keeping in touch.
Rather than presenting your friendships as another list of tasks, the app is designed to gently encourage you to reconnect with people you care about.
You add your friends, choose how often you'd like to contact them and receive suggestions about who to reach out to.
It also offers a visual overview of your friendship circle and personalised reminder options.
What we like
The emphasis on gentle encouragement is appealing. Nobody wants their friendships to feel like another productivity target.
Dear is a good option if you want an occasional nudge rather than a detailed relationship management system.
Things to consider
The free version has a limit on the number of people you can add, with additional functionality available through its paid offering.
If you want to manage a much larger network of contacts, a personal CRM may be more suitable.
Best for: People who appreciate a friendly reminder to send a message or make a call.
Dex takes relationship management a little further.
It's a personal CRM designed to help you organise contacts, remember important details, track interactions and maintain relationships over time.
Unlike the simpler friendship reminder apps, Dex is also built for professional networking.
That means you can manage a wider circle of contacts, keep notes about conversations and set reminders to reconnect.
What we like
Dex is useful if you're trying to stay in touch with a large number of people across different parts of your life.
Its broader contact management features and integrations make it a more comprehensive option than a simple reminder app.
Things to consider
It's probably more than you need if you're just trying to remember to call a handful of close friends.
Dex is also a paid product after its trial period, so it's worth considering whether you'll use its additional functionality.
Best for: People managing a large network of personal and professional relationships.
Remembering to catch-up is one challenge. Finding enjoyable ways to communicate is another.
These apps offer alternatives to the usual text messages and scheduled video calls, helping you feel more involved in each other's everyday lives.
Finding a convenient time for a video call can be tricky when your friends live on the other side of the world.
Marco Polo solves that problem by letting you exchange video messages without needing to be online at the same time.
Record a message when it suits you, send it to your friend and let them watch and respond whenever they're free.
You get the personal connection of seeing someone's face and hearing their voice, without the pressure of arranging a live call.
What we like
It's a lovely middle ground between texting and video calling.
You can share little stories, updates and everyday moments that might not feel important enough to justify scheduling a proper catch-up.
Things to consider
Both friends need to use the app, and it doesn't help you track how frequently you're keeping in touch.
It's also worth remembering that video messages can take longer to record and watch than a quick text.
Best for: Friends living in different time zones who want more personal conversations without coordinating schedules.
Sometimes it's the little everyday moments you miss most when friends live far away.
Locket Widget helps you share those moments through photos that appear directly on your friends' phone home screens.
You take a picture, send it through the app and it appears in their widget. They can then send one back.
It might be your morning coffee, your dog doing something ridiculous or a view from your weekend walk.
Nothing particularly exciting. Just a little glimpse into each other's lives.
What we like
Locket makes staying connected feel effortless.
You don't have to think of something interesting to say or start a conversation. Sharing a photo is enough to let someone know you're thinking of them.
It's also designed around a smaller circle of close friends rather than building a large social media audience.
Things to consider
Locket is primarily about sharing photos. It won't replace proper conversations or help you remember when you last caught up.
Both people also need the app to exchange photos.
Best for: Close friends who want to feel more involved in each other's everyday lives.
If you like the idea of sending someone a little handwritten note, noteit offers a fun digital alternative.
The app lets you create drawings, handwritten messages and pictures that appear directly on another person's home screen through a widget.
It's a simple idea, but that's part of the appeal.
You might send a silly doodle, a quick message to say you're thinking of someone or a drawing that only the two of you would understand.
What we like
There's something more personal about receiving a handwritten note than another text message.
It's a playful way to keep a connection going without needing a long conversation, and it makes a nice change from conventional messaging apps.
Things to consider
noteit is designed around sharing small, personal messages rather than managing a wider group of friendships.
It's not a replacement for calls or longer conversations, and both people need to use the app.
Best for: Best friends who enjoy sharing little personal messages, drawings and inside jokes.
One of the things people miss most about long-distance friendships is being able to hang out.
Not every interaction needs to be a serious catch-up. Sometimes you just want to watch something together, play a game or share a laugh.
These apps help recreate some of those shared experiences.
Remember sitting on the sofa with friends, watching a terrible movie and chatting all the way through it?
Rave helps recreate that experience when you're miles apart.
The app lets you watch videos and streaming content together while communicating through chat.
It's a fun way to organise a virtual movie night or share something you've been wanting to watch with a friend.
What we like
Rave gives you something to do together, which can take the pressure off having to fill every catch-up with conversation.
Sometimes enjoying the same experience is enough to make you feel closer.
Things to consider
You'll need to be available at roughly the same time, and access to some streaming content depends on the services you subscribe to.
It also doesn't help with remembering to organise those movie nights in the first place.
Best for: Friends who miss hanging out together and enjoy watching movies or videos.
You don't always need a phone call to keep a friendship going.
Sometimes a bit of friendly competition can do the job.
Words With Friends 2 is a multiplayer word game where you take turns creating words and competing for points.
You can play at your own pace, which makes it particularly useful when you have busy schedules or live in different time zones.
A game can become an ongoing part of your friendship, giving you a reason to interact regularly without having to organise anything.
What we like
It's a low-pressure way to stay connected.
You can play for a few minutes whenever you have time, and the occasional bit of friendly rivalry can keep the interaction going for months.
Things to consider
Playing games together isn't necessarily a substitute for a proper conversation.
You'll also need to enjoy word games, and the free experience includes optional purchases and advertising.
Best for: Friends and family who enjoy casual games and want an easy reason to interact regularly.
With so many options, the easiest way to choose is to think about what's actually making it difficult to stay connected.
| If your biggest challenge is… | Try |
|---|---|
| Forgetting to reach out | SoonCall, Howdy Mate! or Dear |
| Remembering important details about friends | Kinu |
| Keeping track of lots of relationships | Dex |
| Finding time to talk across time zones | Marco Polo |
| Missing everyday moments | Locket Widget |
| Wanting a more personal way to say hello | noteit |
| Missing movie nights together | Rave |
| Wanting something fun to do together | Words With Friends 2 |
You might even find that a combination works best.
For example, you could use SoonCall to remember when it's time to reconnect, Marco Polo to exchange video updates between calls and Rave for the occasional movie night.
These apps can work together to solve different parts of the same challenge.
Not necessarily.
Sometimes a recurring reminder in your phone's calendar is enough. Or you might agree to call each other on the first Sunday of every month.
You could even start a tradition of sending a photo every Friday or having a virtual movie night once a month.
The important thing isn't which app you use. It's finding a way to stay connected that works for both of you.
An app becomes useful when there's a particular problem you keep running into.
If you never seem to find a convenient time to talk, asynchronous video messages might help.
If you miss sharing the little details of everyday life, a photo widget could make a difference.
And if you regularly realise it's been months since you last spoke, a friendship reminder app might be exactly what you need.
For more practical ideas, read our guide to maintaining long-distance friendships or explore some creative ways to keep in touch from afar.
Long-distance friendships don't need constant communication.
Sometimes a quick message is enough. Other times it's a proper phone call, a shared experience or simply letting someone know you're thinking about them.
But when life gets busy, remembering to make that connection can be half the battle.
That's where SoonCall can help.
Keep track of your catch-ups, remember who you've been meaning to call and make more time for the people who matter.
Discover SoonCall for free on iPhone
SoonCall is currently available on iOS. Android users can join the waiting list.
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