Small ideas, shared time
A Long Distance Date Without Screen Sharing, Matching Games or Another Movie
For a long distance date without screen sharing, keep your usual call open and choose an activity that works independently in both homes. Try a five clue photo mystery, a paper drawing reveal or a small object museum. Agree on one activity before the call. If you both use Lovla on compatible devices, shared photo coloring is another option that does not depend on synchronizing a movie.
Lovla turns a personal photo into a coloring page you can color together and keep in your shared journal.
When the date keeps getting lost in the setup
You have finally found an overlap. One person opens a streaming service, the other cannot find the same title, and the next ten minutes disappear into troubleshooting. It is a familiar kind of problem: the evening needs an activity, but the activity has become another task.
A recent Reddit discussion asks what to try after video games and shared viewing have run into limitations. The poster describes different available devices. That is a useful starting question, not proof that every couple has the same problem or that one new app will fix it.
Choose the smallest setup you both have
Start with the call that already works for you. Video is useful for showing a drawing, but audio is enough for several of these activities. A second device is optional.
Before starting, check whether using another app interrupts your call or makes it awkward to switch back. If it does, choose the paper or spoken version. You do not need identical phones or a console in each home for the plan below.
| What you both have | Try this | Prepare before the call |
|---|---|---|
| A phone and a few photos | Five clue photo mystery | Each choose one kind memory |
| A phone, paper and a pen | Drawing reveal | Agree on one simple subject |
| A call and ordinary household objects | Tiny object museum | Choose one object with a story |
| Compatible devices and Lovla | Shared photo coloring | Choose the picture and check access |
Plan one: the five clue photo mystery
Each choose a picture from a day you both remember. Keep it out of view and describe the moment in up to five clues. Start with the season or location, then move toward a funny detail or something that happened just before the photo.
Your partner can guess after each clue. Reveal the picture through your usual messaging method when they guess or when you reach the end. Then swap roles. The fun is the story behind the picture, not whether anyone earns a perfect score.
Use a photo you both feel comfortable revisiting. A memory that one person finds embarrassing is not a useful surprise.
Plan two: the paper drawing reveal
Choose a subject you can both attempt: the snack you wish you were sharing, a pet as a café owner or the view from an imaginary holiday window. Give yourselves a short window, then show the results together.
If you only have an audio call, describe the picture before sending a photo of it. Let your partner invent its title. Do not spend the evening correcting anatomy unless they asked for help.
Keep the first prompt simple enough that the person with less drawing confidence can begin. If you want another round, swap one detail from each drawing into a new shared idea.
Plan three: a tiny museum of an ordinary day
Each bring one object to the call and explain why it belongs in today’s museum. A train ticket, a mug or a half finished notebook can work. Tell the story in a few sentences, then let your partner ask one question.
Choose something you are happy to share. Keep private work documents, addresses and other people’s information out of view. Finish by giving your two object exhibition a ridiculous name.
This is a small way to bring your ordinary surroundings into the call without needing to walk around filming the whole home.
If you want to make something from one photo
Choose a clear picture you have permission to upload. In Lovla, turn it into a coloring page, connect with your partner and color together. Keep the finished artwork in your shared journal.
Pick one palette or one small area to start with. Lovla supplies the creative activity; your usual calling method can carry the conversation if that works on your devices. You can also color without keeping a video call running.
End while there is still room for the rest of your evening. If tonight’s activity works, save it as a fallback rather than requiring every future call to become a planned event.
Make a little more time for us.
Lovla turns a personal photo into a coloring page you can color together and keep in your shared journal.
Written by The Lovla Team. Find current product and access details on Lovla’s App Store page.