30 things to do on FaceTime with your long-distance partner

Talking every night is lovely until you run out of things to say. The calls that feel closest usually have a job: something to watch, play, make or plan together. Here are thirty, from lazy weeknights to proper dates.

Watch something together

• 1. A film night. Our 21 movie night ideas turn it into a ritual, and there's a list of 25 films to start with.
• 2. Start a series from episode one. One episode a night gives the week a shape.
• 3. Rewatch your favourite childhood film and narrate why it mattered.
• 4. Trailer roulette. Watch five trailers, pick this weekend's film.
• 5. A YouTube rabbit hole. Take turns choosing the next video.

One catch: screen sharing Netflix, Prime or Disney+ on FaceTime or Discord usually shows a black screen because of DRM (why). Each of you playing it yourselves works; see how to watch movies together long distance. We make Herae, which does exactly that: press play once and the film plays on both laptops, with your video call right beside it.

Play something

• 6. skribbl.io or Gartic Phone. Drawing-and-guessing games in the browser; free and chaotic.
• 7. GeoGuessr. Guess where in the world you've been dropped. Surprisingly competitive.
• 8. Online chess or Codenames. Slow enough to talk through.
• 9. 20 questions or "would you rather". No setup, works on any call.
• 10. A pub quiz for two. Each writes ten questions about the other.
• 11. A co-op video game on whatever you both own.

Make something

• 12. Cook the same recipe at the same time and compare results on camera.
• 13. Bake-off. Same cake, secret decorating.
• 14. Paint or draw along with the same tutorial.
• 15. Make each other a playlist and play it back song by song.
• 16. Write each other a letter on the call, then post it.

Talk, but differently

• 17. The 36 questions. From psychologist Arthur Aron's study on closeness; they get deeper as you go.
• 18. "Best and worst of the week" every Sunday.
• 19. Tell each other a story from before you met that the other hasn't heard.
• 20. Read the same book and talk a chapter at a time.

Plan the future

• 21. Plan your next visit day by day, with a map open.
• 22. A shared bucket list of places you'll go together.
• 23. Design your dream home, room by room, and argue about the sofa.
• 24. Budget for closing the distance. Less romantic, very bonding.

For busy weeks (low effort, still together)

• 25. Work or study on the call. Say nothing for an hour; it still counts.
• 26. Fall asleep on the call. A classic for a reason.
• 27. Take them on your walk or grocery run.
• 28. Get ready together before a night out.
• 29. Tidy your rooms together with a playlist on.
• 30. Stargaze with a free sky app, each from your own window.

Questions people ask

What can we do on FaceTime besides talking?

Give the call a job: a film in sync, a browser game, the same recipe, a plan for your next visit. Doing something side by side often feels closer than talking the whole time.

How do we watch a movie together on FaceTime?

Don't share your screen for Netflix, Prime or Disney+; it goes black. Each play it on your own account and press play together, or use a sync extension.

How do we stop calls getting boring?

Mix low-effort calls where you each do your own thing with one proper themed date a week. The ritual matters more than the activity.

Buying for a couple who lives apart? Give them a year of movie nights.