The Metropolis

This app will save your relationship

Mike Pollitt | Tuesday 7 June, 2011 16:18

One of the hardest parts about maintaining a relationship is communication. Not just over the big things (sex, holidays, affairs, food), but also the daily drip of back and forth that keeps things ticking over. How do you get through each day without ignoring each other, yet without descending into texts of utter inanity? E.g. “Wot u up to?” “Just at work” “R u ok?” “Yes. R u?”

It turns out that there’s a smartphone app for that. It’s called Words with Friends, and it looks a lot like Scrabble. In fact it is Scrabble, but changed just enough to prevent infringing the trademark.

The game’s genius is that it allows a couple to stay in touch implicitly. When it’s your move you get a push notification telling you that your lover is thinking of you. And that they’ve just shafted you by nailing a triple word score. Best of all, if you’re good, you can play some ribald words which nicely set up the evening’s activities. Win/win.

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