Welcome to Appy week with AK, and this week, my husband, Gursimranpreet (GP), and I (Arshmeet Kaur) tested Between, The App Couples Love. But did this couple love the app? While our almost 5-year marriage is packed with romance and spark, can the app spice things a little bit more? To know this and more, GP & I made this the go-to app for messages & calls for an entire week. And this is our one-week review, in my words!
Between: Do you need this app between you?
Designed to strengthen the bond between couples, Between is a more refined and personalized messaging app. And quite like iMessage, Whatsapp, Telegram, or Signal, it boasts:
Private messaging Video calling Voice memos/audio notes Photo sharing File sharing
And more! So what makes it different or unique from other messengers? How does it make ‘relationship’ better? Let’s find out.
Just built for two
It is unique because it does not bring your whole contact list on board. Between offers a private space for you and your partner to freely & unhesitantly interact with each other. The bonding quotient is evident from the get-go.
The home screen effect:
Whether you like to show off your photos as wallpaper or keep them private, you’ll love this feature. You can add a special photo on the wall/main page and enhance it with effects, stickers/emoji, and text.
Special day calendar & countdown:
Tell Between the dates of your first meet, anniversary, etc., and it will keep track of them all. And as you can see from the screenshot, GP and I got hitched 1770 days ago, and we will complete our 5 years in just 57 days! Thankfully, you can also set reminders for said dates! So no more fights over forgotten anniversaries.
Schedule calendar:
In addition to the special days, Between also helps track your everyday activities. Both parties can add their schedules, events, and more. And you’ll know if your partner has a meeting, big submission, or if there is an upcoming party or movie date. However, since you can sync Apple or Google calendar or mail account to the app, it becomes a task to add your schedules manually.
Sharing assets:
A smart and thoughtful section quite similar to a shared folder. The uploaded photos, videos, and notes are accessible to both sides, anytime. Furthermore, the media is also available in a story mode! The app uses image’s metadata and arranges them accordingly. This trip down the memory induces nostalgia and overwhelms you every time you look at it. Notably, the freemium version carries a limit to how many photos/videos you can add at a time.
Secret keeping:
Among other icon options, Between also gives a sneaky, secretive choice to disguise the app as a calculator. And not merely for looks! The shazam continues a step further. When you tap the app icon, a calculator screen comes up, and you have to type in a password to enter the app. Quite sneaky indeed!
Makes connections more intimate
It is said that effective communication is the key to a successful marriage. And as a super-talkative wife to a somewhat talkative husband, I attest to the statement with all my heart. Interestingly, conversations don’t need to be face-to-face or verbal to be effective; sometimes, emotions can be expressed with just a GIF. Understanding the importance and nuances of conversations and unique gestures, Between incorporates some fun features.
GIF selfie:
A cute little feature to make your GIFs and share them with your partner. There are also pre-made frames available to up the ante; however, I found them terribly cheesy. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed sending funny selfies to my husband.
Love letter:
One of the Between’s ‘awww-est’ features. Why wait till a special occasion to create elaborate videos, express your feeling, or share lovely messages? With this feature, you can easily create videos with custom message & background music (Max 20 pages, 100 characters per page).
You can even schedule videos! Although you just get four music option, wish I could add ‘our song’ into the mix to make things even more special.
Stickers:
Easily the most used & loved feature by GP and me. Between our busy schedules, we often exchange emojis, GIFs, and stickers for staying connected. It could be anything, a heart to say I love you or an exhausted one to say that I am packed with work today.
With its wide range of animated stickers, Between has been pretty handy. In fact, we have more stickers than conversations in the chat, so you can imagine how much we enjoyed the feature.
Did Between made GP and AK Appy?
Yes and no! Well, this was indeed an exciting review. I love digging deep into the app, looking for both pros and cons with a fine-tooth comb, whereas GP is more lenient in his judgments. And as per him, Between is a great app; it delivers what it promises, and he loves how simple and intuitive it is. So, it is a yes from GP. However, AK isn’t bowled out. Only because I see so much potential in the idea and feel some much-needed details missing, for instance, you can’t sync your calendars; you can’t add even a single image or other music to the Love letter. The app claims to ‘make your relationship even better,’ but there is no supporting activity. While there are some events & games incorporated, nothing is substantial or bond strengthening per se. And I tested the app during Valentine’s week; it should have irritated me with requests, game, and date ideas. While I enjoyed the app and sharing stickers with GP, I did not ‘love love’ the app.
AK Meter (out of 5)
User interface: Features: Communication experience: Fun quotient: Love and romance quotient: Download Between
What is Appy Week with AK?
As stated earlier, I love exploring apps to see how they can make our day-to-day life better. Appy Week with AK aims to help my readers understand an app better and decide whether they should download or skip it. And since you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, I give the app a dedicated week test. Within that week, I try to explore every nook and corner and test every feature it offers. At the end of seven days, I pen down my honest experience, so you get the bigger picture without any bias. I invite you to join me on the journey. Feel free to share your views, comments, and queries in the comment section below. I will see you next week with another app; till then, enjoy these previous editions:
Wysa – Mental Health Support (Feb 26-Mar 4, 2021) Koo – A worthy Twitter alternative? (Feb12-18, 2021) Clubhouse – Drop-in audio chat: App of the Week(Jan 22-28, 2021) Pillow Automatic Sleep Tracker: App of the Week (Jan 15-21, 2021)
