When you hear the words " dating app , " you in all probability visualise Boomerang - style snippets of endless visibility reels and swiping right ( ehhh , left ) until you score a date or bend your phone off in licking . That ’s because dating apps have only ever been known to alleviate confluence with stranger – and because 15 % of American grownup today online date –numbers that have nearly treble since 2013 .

I ’m among you – I met my boyfriend Jeremy on Match a year and three months ago ( definitely not counting ) , " correspond " thanks to our share phylogenetic relation for country music , running , and badly - humored telly . And while I underwent cringe - suitable date with other dudes prior , I do conceive on-line apps have a knack for at leaststartingrelationships between compatible people .

Except now there ’s a new app calledHappy Couple , which is actually designed to beef up exist bonds between people in ground relationships . And though I was skeptical , it could n’t spite to try . So I put on my most convincing face and promised Jeremy Happy Couple would probably be just likePokémon Go . And with that , we both hit download ( it ’s free ! ) , and put the app to the test for two workweek .

dating app couple

Oren Aks/Thrillist

Phone sex, suburbs, and beyond

First we had to enter canonic information about our relationship , like whether we ’re long distance ( no ) , live together ( also no ) , have kids , ( no ) , and so on . Adding photo was optional , but I ’m contingent - oriented and upload a motion picture that showcased a undecomposed hairandbutt daylight … for me .

Happy Couple presented us each Clarence Day with five multiple - selection doubt exploring six family : communicating , emotion , sex activity , responsibility , recreation , and entropy . It ’s like a quiz you ’d take inCosmo , but practical and geared toward men , too – and only takes about three minutes to dispatch . As we answered the same queries – ranging from minor and specific ( what ’s his / her culinary art of alternative ? ) to big and broad ( where does he / she see him / herself populate in 10 years ? ) to fun and aphrodisiacal ( what ’s his / her attitude toward speech sound sex ? ) – we ’d learn if our answers were a " complete match " or a " mismatch . "

A " perfect match " awarded us both point , even on lilliputian victory like knowing what kind of chocolate the other prefers ( grim for me , none for him ) . distributor point are upright – they increased our score and helped us move up levels as a squad , just like in every other plot ever cook up except forWhose Line Is It Anyway?.And hey , if nothing else , matching was a mutual ego encouragement ; prove that he and I really DO pay attention to each other ’s lack , needs , and idiosyncrasies .

to boot , each match reveal new relationship steer and challenges to engage in together or storm each other with . One day , the app " challenged " Jeremy to impart me flowers , which he ( very wisely ) accepted and clip up my 4th - story walk - up . If you think flower are cliché , that ’s ok ( butreally , though ? ) – there are plenty other trials for your lover to unlock .

" Each match reveals new relationship peak and challenges to pursue in together or storm each other with . "

oblige to happen eventually , a " mismatch " start the tabular array up for interesting word . And Happy Couple really provides you with a messaging platform on which to jaw about such discrepancy , but Jeremy and I preferred to do so in person or over the telephone : " Good to know you ’re all about cipher - lining on vacation ! " or " I beat the religious belief question wrong – what ’s the main differenceyousee between ' somewhat religious ' and ' ghostly ' ? " or " What the hellisyour rakehell type ? "

I’ve got a blank space, baby

There was one struggle , however : we took unlike plan of attack when none of the resolution to a specific interrogation reflect world – he ’d take the closest alternative , while I ’d write therealanswer in the clean space . ( Again , detail - oriented . )

For example , this inquiry : " The alarm goes off – Jeremy yawns and heads to the kitchen . What does he reach for ? "

The choices were : coffee , Camellia sinensis , Milk River , or OJ . But not only does he not keepanyof those in his flat , I knewexactlywhat he ’d attain for : water out of a recycled Powerade nursing bottle flavored with five drops of Orange Passion Fruit MiO. But Jeremy senselessly tick off OJ and have this explanation : " I do n’t know – I would never drink in milk , deep brown , or tea and I did n’t feel like writing something in . "

… And none for Gretchen Wieners . ( stop , that is . )

Come on, get “happy”

After the two - week scrape hit , Jeremy and I really make up one’s mind to keep on playing Happy Couple – we ’ve now answer more than 100 question . And no , I did n’t have to bribe him with sweet public lecture or homemade Buffalo crybaby or phone sexual practice . " The app definitely actuate some interesting conversations , " he told me . " You recall you know your partner , but there is always more to learn – it expose picayune thing that would n’t normally make out up , which has only proved to be a unspoilt affair . "

So if you ’re a couple looking to shape on your communication – whether you met online or IRL ; are six months in or six years married – the app definitely acts as a point of departure for starting family relationship - establish dialogue about intuitive feeling , values , and breathing in . It touches on some bold , albeit relevant topics , like " city versus suburb ? " and " do you want kids ? " – so if you ’ve been anxious about bring them up , Happy Couple is the mediator at your fingertips doing it for you and taking some insistence off .

" The app definitely acts as a springboard for starting kinship - building dialog about impression , economic value , and aspirations . "

If you ’re a duo like Jeremy and me who considers good communication " your thing , " judge it out anyway . Playful trivia facts and challenges ( we plan to take on more of those travel forwards ) make for friendly competition and good word . Plus , let ’s be real : there ’s always room for improvement when it come up to communicate with bae .

And in case you ’re wondering : Jeremy ’s " how well do you be intimate her ? " mark is currently 11 points higher than mine . I blame those filling - in - the - white spaces .

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