Love is hell, or it can be. The only thing worse than love is the dark and abysmal void that festers inside your chest when you are away from that special someone. That may sound dramatic, but it’s the honest truth, missing someone special hurts.

Long distance relationships are horribly painful, but sometimes they are necessary. Life throws things at you, and forces you to make difficult decisions, like moving away to better your career or life in general.

Technology has made long distance an easier hurdle to jump. Today, we can video chat with our loved ones, chat through instant message services, send photos and videos to one another or just play games. Facebook and Twitter help keep folks connected when they are separated too. It helps to browse photos of that special someone when you’re feeling lonely.

There are mobile apps in plentiful supply that make connecting easier, like Skype, Facebook, Path, Oovoo, Voxer and just pure ole’ text messaging. In fact, there are so many apps for connecting with others, it’s a wonder nothing has been developed specifically for long distance relationship.

That being said, there actually is an app for couples, two to be exact. What are they, you ask?

Two Apps for Couples that Will Help Quell Those Love Pains

App Number 1: Pair

Pair is essentially a social platform for you and one other person, presumably your significant other. After you sign up for an account, you must match up with your partner (links provided) before you can use the app.

Pair creates a private timeline, where you can communicate through an IM based window or share media and other content. The standard features include options to share photos, videos or drawings through the in-app mechanics. You can also tell your partner that you are thinking of them by tapping the simple, but cute, “thinking of you” button.

Want to make your boyfriend or girlfriend a to-do list for reference while they’re out? You can do that with Pair by creating a personalized honey-do list that can be edited and maintained by both people.

You can save the three most significant dates, hopefully custom dates will be added in a future update, including your birthday, your partners and your anniversary.

Two unique features include live drawing with your partner, and a charming thumb-kiss function. You can draw with your partner in a livestream, or play games like tic-tac-toe. The thumb-kiss feature allows you to both press your thumb against the screen simultaneously, and the phone vibrates when the kiss actually happens. The thumb kiss function makes it seem like you are actually tapping your partners thumb even though they are miles away.

All events within Pair are recorded in the “moments” area so that you can see them at any time later. Moments occur when you upload media, drawings or have private events within the app.

Pair is free to download and is available for both iOS and Android devices. The best part about Pair is that you can still connect cross-platform if you have an Android and your partner has an iPhone.

App Number 2: Between

Between is a lot like Pair, except it is definitely more polished. Unfortunately, as of this time performance in Between is sub-par which means you may have some issues running it on a low-end device.

Between creates a private space for two, also primarily for romantic partners. The focus of Between is slightly different from Pair. Sure, Between has an IM window for conversing with your partner where you can share photos or send voice messages (Pair does not let you send voice messages), but it also has a unique Memory Box.

When you upload photos and events to Between they are displayed elegantly in their own separate window. You can favorite a memo or image at any time, and it will show up in the Memory Box on the front page of the app. The Memory Box is meant to contain all of your favorite moments so that you can see them when you’re missing that special someone most!

You can also comment on photos and moments just you would on Facebook. So, when your partner is absent you can comment on your favorite photos, and they will see the comments when they log in to the app next.

Instead of a to-do list like in Pair, Between allows you to create personalized memos for one another. The memos work best as away notes when you’re partner has the app closed, and even let you fawn over each other with sweet musings.

Just like Pair, you can save pertinent dates, but unlike the other app, you can save as many as you want and present the most important, or most recent, on the front page.

The front page also houses a cover photo of you and your significant other which you will be greeted with every time you log in.

Between is available to download for free and can be installed on iPhone and Android devices. Between also offers cross-platform access so you can still interact even if one of you has an iPhone and the other has an Android.

Both Apps are Fantastic but Offer Different Experiences

Each app offers a specific set of features, and it is worth noting that Between is more of a resource hog than Pair. That being said, which app is best for you and your partner will depend on your personal tastes as a couple.

Between is certainly more stylish and offers more of a digital scrapbook, while Pair offers up a steady timeline. Considering both apps are free, you can try them each one of them out and decide which you like best.

You can certainly fight off those nasty love pains with these apps, or at least fill in some of those holes that the long distance creates. Even if, you see your significant other every day, the apps still have their uses.