5 Apps to Spice Up Your (Real or Imaginary) Sex Life
We’ve shared our favorite smartphone tools to help you have a great time between the sheets while preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Next on the agenda, 5 apps to spice up your (real or imaginary) sex life.
1. BootyLog
This app totally rocks—though we might be a little biased. You can create an anonymous user profile and upload your sauciest and silliest sex stories (like this hilarious one) for others to read. Or you can just browse other users’ stories—from a 48 hour sex marathon to engaging in a little BDSM to “sexy fun” on a lazy Sunday (we made postcards of a few of our favorites). The app also has a BootyMap so you can see what other users in your area are doing in the sack (or in the street or hallway). And of course BootyLog reminds users to prevent unplanned pregnancies by choosing the birth control that’s right for them.
We say: Log it!
Ever admired a Facebook friend (or two, or three) from afar but weren’t sure how to propose a hookup? Bang with Friends aims to solve this frustrating problem. Users indicate which of their Facebook friends they would like to fool around with and if two people say they’re DTF with each other, the app will notify them both. It was designed by a German group, which makes the Google translation of their welcome email quite funny (let’s hope that “Let it rip!” means something else in German…).
One downside of Bang with Friends is that your dream Facebook-friend-with-benefits also has to use the app—and we’re guessing it’s still pretty unlikely that he or she will be a user given the novelty of the app. Another downside based on our experimentation: it seems like the technical kinks haven’t been worked out yet, so sometimes mutual propositions between friends don’t make it to your inbox. How’s that for a cock block?
For more information on how the app works—and for a great reminder to use condoms—check out their how-to page.
We say: Meh.
A twist on the classic truth or dare, this app is designed to be played in a group—and while I’m pretty sure that I have a very open-minded group of friends, I doubt that they would be down to play this game without dangerous levels of alcohol in their systems. With dares like, “Strip down to your underwear and get in the shower with the person next to you,” it is understandable that some people would be uncomfortable. It also comes with rather unsexy dares such as, “Wear only a toilet paper diaper for the next 10 minutes” and “Make out with your neighbor’s butt like you are in love.”
But while we’re not totally buying it, the Truth or Dare app could be a fun way to see just how crazy your friends are. Just remember to keep it super-safe (condoms, birth control, and the most important ingredient of all, good communication) if a striptease turns into something more…
We say: Um, save it for a snow day?
4. Kindu
Imagine you want to cover yourself in chocolate and have your partner tie you to the bedpost but you don’t know how to bring it up in conversation. “Honey, could you please pass the salt and then lick chocolate syrup off my inner thigh tonight?” might not work, even if you’re really close with your significant other. Kindu hopes to solve this communication problem by giving both parties a list of different, less-than-conventional sexual activities for both to answer ‘yes,’ ‘no,’ or ‘maybe’ to. If a couple disagrees (let’s say she wants to go to an S&M club and he doesn’t), then Kindu hides these answers to avoid embarrassment for either party. If they both answer ‘maybe,’ then Kindu lets them know that they should discuss it later together. And if they answer ‘yes,’ well then there is one more happy couple in the world.
The downside: it costs 99 cents and both partners have to purchase the app. Still a worthy investment in our book.
We say: Anniversary treat?
Much like the Truth or Dare app, this one can be played in groups or as a couple. Group play may easily become awkward (“Three way kiss time” and “Get completely butt naked” are possibilities), while couple play may be a little boring. But hey—it could still be better than the typical kegger.
We say: For when Quarters gets old.
Of course, we think the sexiest way to spice things up is by finding the perfect birth control that works for you and your partner. And if you’re still looking for more ways to heat up your relationship, we’ve got some suggestions in the Frisky Friday archives.
Bedsider: 5 Ways Your Smartphone Can Make Sex Safer
To kick off STD Awareness Month, we chose a few of our favorite smartphone tools for helping you protect yourself—and your partner—from sexually transmitted infections (STI). We think we found a few gems, but don’t take our word for it. Download and weigh in with your comments.
We know…
Great info, Bedsider! TeenSource interns also reviewed a few smartphone apps. You can read our reviews in these two blogs!
Thanks for sharing! XO
5 Ways Your Smartphone Can Make Sex Safer
To kick off STD Awareness Month, we chose a few of our favorite smartphone tools for helping you protect yourself—and your partner—from sexually transmitted infections (STI). We think we found a few gems, but don’t take our word for it. Download and weigh in with your comments.
We know our smartphones can be lifesavers in some terrifying situations—and some not-so-terrifying ones—but can they help you have safer sex? Okay, we know the answer to that one too (yes!), but to further prove our point, allow us to tell you about five safer-sex smartphone tools we love:
1. Qpid.me
You can’t tell if someone has an STI just by looking at them, and when it comes to one night stands, most of us aren’t going to insist on going to the nearest clinic together to get tested first (although wouldn’t mobile testing units outside bars be kind of awesome?). Qpid.me is a service explicitly dedicated to making it easier to share STI test results right when you need them. Users get tested for STIs and/or HIV with certified health care providers and have their results sent to the Qpid.me service. To show potential partners their results, users can request to have their records sent via text message or email—so while it’s not an app, cell phones are essential for Qpid.me to work.
Here’s a sample text of what your results will look like on Qpid.me:
We’ve been believers in this service for a long time and look forward to seeing it become more mainstream. Qpid.me is easy to sign up for, the directions are easy to understand, and the FAQs cover all the basics. And of course, we love that their website makes the point that using a form of birth control is still über-important to prevent pregnancy. But don’t take our word for it—check out the reviews from Qpid.me users.
We say: Do it! (Sign up, that is.)
2. MedXCom (a.k.a. STI Bump)
Late last year, MedXCom—an app for various health issues ranging from diabetes to high blood pressure—released a new ”MedXSafe” feature to allow users to download their STI/HIV test results onto their phones, then bump phones with potential partners to share their results.
We love the idea, though the execution is a bit convoluted. Health care providers have to download and register themselves with the app first and then upload the test results—which we’d guess could be a barrier for some. On the other hand, maybe it’ll encourage more frequent visits to providers—and better communication!
We say: Promising.
It’s also important to remember that some STIs can take a while to show up on medical tests, so it’s a good idea to use a condom even if you think your partner has tested negative. What, did someone say condoms?
3. iCondom
You need a condom, stat! What do you do if a convenience store isn’t near you? In the old days, people would sneakily steal one out of their roommates’ nightstands, go digging beneath mountains of clothes in their closets while sweating bullets of desperation, or simply wait for another time to have sex. With iCondom, those days may be coming to a close. Using your phone’s location services, the app tells you which stores or community centers near you sell or give away condoms.
All information about these locations is uploaded by users, so it should be a reliable way to find condoms. To test this hypothesis, we’re going to go on the Great iCondom Scavenger Hunt of 2013 in the very near future…
We say: Stay tuned!
4. SOS Condoms
The tragedy is that this app is currently only available in Dubai. Users in, ahem, desperate situations can send an SOS to their friends at Durex when things are hot, heavy, and about to require a condom. Durex then discreetly delivers the goods to their eternally grateful customers, who can then enjoy their night knowing they’ve taken a crucial step to protect themselves and their partner from STIs and unplanned pregnancy. And despite what the commercial indicates, women can order them too. You can vote on their Facebook page for the next lucky city to get this service—why not make it yours?
We say: Waaaannnnttttt…
5. Condom Pro
Think you’re a pro at putting on a condom? Test your prowess with Condom Pro (full disclosure: we made it…and at the moment it’s only available on iPhone), an app that let’s you practice to your heart’s content. Players put condoms on lollipops, fish, popcorn, gear shifts, and much more while racing against the clock. With useful tidbits dropped in between levels, this app is fun and educational. Could you get even better at putting on condoms than the Condom Master?
We say: Practice makes perfect (and we’re only a little bit biased).
Here’s to nourishment and beauty, in sex and in life.
(And if you want to keep track of the sex part, check out BootyLog.)
The only thing sexier than 19 kinds of kisses? Remembering those kisses a little longer with BootyLog.
(via queenisalesbian)
BootyLog: The Overshare App :: Bedsider
“Think of BootyLog as your little black book. Log anything and everything related to sex, flirting, breakups, booty calls, crushes, hook ups, hot dates, who’s melting your popsicle, and times when you go solo.
Like to watch? You can also see what others are up to. (Anonymously, of course.) Post anything you want. We’ll protect your privacy. Get it today in the App Store and Google Play.”
Hurrah! (Thanks yaleself for helping get the word out!) And for those who want a sneak peek before downloading, we posted a mini-walk-through of the app on our tumblr last week.
Ever have the urge to practice your condom skills on random objects? There’s an app for that—or you can do it the old-fashioned way.
Do you know how to open a condom? Are you sure? ‘Cause there’s totally an app for that. (Trust us, if this guy can do it, so can you.)
The Artful Condom
Art can be anywhere you desire, even in your contraceptive of choice. Take the condom, for instance. Putting one on takes a bit of skill—at least that’s what I heard—but practice makes perfect (and fortunately there’s an app for that). While I highly discourage you from creating your own condom, feel free to create pretty things with them! Check out the images below. Apparently, love gloves make for great art tools. Blow them up, paint them, sprinkle them with glitter or add splashes of paint—you’ve got yourself an arts and crafts project that’s probably better than your younger sister’s.
Action figures are so last year. These figurines are fun and inflatable! They’re from Condomerie, the self-proclaimed “world’s first condom specialty shop.” If you happen to be in Amsterdam one day, be sure to visit their display window—it attracts the frisky folks from all over the world.
The animal kingdom gets a little kinkier with these condom giraffes.
Can’t make the Olympic games this summer? This meme shows that condoms can be fun in the bed and in sports, too! Elasun, a Chinese condom company, wants users to get in the game and just do it…literally.
Always go for the gold…in sports and in bed.
*****
Khalea Underwood is an intern for the digital media team of The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. When she’s not writing, shopping, or listening to music, the Howard University print journalism student moonlights as an older sister, a contributor for MTVIggy.com, and a copy editor for The Hilltop newspaper.
Six Birth Control Apps Worth Checking Out
I’m sure you heard about the #teamiPhone vs. #teamAndroid Instagram beef last week. Can’t we all just get along, guys? Thank goodness for the wonderful world of birth control—it offers something for everyone! Hopefully you’ve already checked out and taken advantage of Bedsider’s custom cheeky text message reminders for birth control and medical appointments. They boast nifty features like a snooze function and a “discreet” option for the faint of, umm…frisky.
If you’re craving even more birth-control-related technology, these swipe-able, tap-able, colorful apps are good resources, too. Need a helpful text, an ovulation reminder, or a condom tracker? There’s an app for that. Since prevention is literally at your fingertips, there are no excuses—no matter what kind of phone you have. (Except for the BlackBerrys. Jk!)
The datebooks and calendars of yesteryear can be nixed. My True Cycle tracks the peak of a female user’s ovulation. “You’ll enter three pieces of information on the website or your phone each morning: your temperature, your fertility symptoms, and whether it’s the first day of your period,” reads the website.
MeFertil’s iPhone app is designed for those who “are trying to get pregnant or looking for a natural, hormone-free contraceptive method.” Its convenience lies in the fact that paper charting isn’t necessary…you can keep temperature information and track any fertility medication with one swipe.
Oh, New York. The concrete jungle where plenty of dreams are made…and sometimes babies, too. To prevent an even more populous city, the local health department launched their NYC Condom Finder app on Valentine’s Day. It’s simple: type in your address or use your iPhone or Android GPS and the tracker will direct you to the nearest venue with free condoms. The app is a free download as well.
Have you heard of MTV’s Staying Alive Campaign? It’s their global initiative to fight HIV/AIDS. Ther iCondom app is very similar to the NYC Condom Finder, but this digital download is a national effort. The directions instruct users to “simply upload the location of your nearest condom dispenser or retailer via GPS” to create a user-generated map of condom dispensers and retailers.
The Android app iPill is definitely going for the gold in versatility. For $2.99, you get “specific reminders for over 90 pill, patch, ring and IUD prescriptions.” There are also reality-inducing alarms that you can use, like a baby’s cry. Um, yikes.
Seems myPill was launched with visual types in mind. This iPhone app has an interactive graphic that looks just like a four week pack. As each day passes, a pill disappears (see helpful screen capture). How cool is that?
*****
Khalea Underwood is an intern for the digital media team of The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. When she’s not writing, shopping, or listening to music, the Howard University print journalism student moonlights as an older sister, a contributor for MTVIggy.com, and a copy editor for The Hilltop newspaper.
