Long-distance toys that work as a pair

Long-distance control usually means one direction: a partner opens an app and changes what your device is doing. It works, but it leaves one person as the operator and the other as the audience. Paired devices change that. When both partners have a compatible device, what one does can drive the other, in both directions, over any distance.

One-way and two-way control

Lovense, the brand that has built the most around this idea, distinguishes two modes. In one-way control, one partner's device drives the other's: movement on one side becomes vibration on the other. In two-way control, each device drives the other at the same time, so both partners are influencing and responding at once.

What makes this possible is a small group of devices Lovense calls controller toys: the Max 2, the Nora, the Solace Pro, the Solace and the Mission 2. Their motion, contraction or depth is measured and sent to the partner's device. Any other Lovense device can be on the receiving end.

The combinations worth knowing

• Nora and Max 2, two-way: the Max 2's contraction and vibration drive the Nora's rotation and vibration, and the Nora's movement drives the Max 2's contraction. This is the best-known pairing, and the reason we added both devices.
• Max 2 and Lush 4, one-way: the Max 2 drives the Lush 4's vibration. The Lush 4 is wearable, so the receiving partner does not have to hold anything.
• Max 2 and Edge 2, one-way: the Max 2 drives the Edge 2's vibration, a pairing for couples where both partners have penises or one partner enjoys prostate play.
• Solace Pro with another Lovense device: the hands-free Solace Pro can follow a partner's controller toy, which suits sessions where one partner wants to hand over control completely.

Two devices from the same brand are the point here. Pairing works inside one manufacturer's app; a Lovense device will not answer to a We-Vibe or an OhMiBod one.

How a session is set up

Both partners install the Lovense Remote app, create an account, connect their own device over Bluetooth and add each other. From the Long Distance tab, one partner starts a session and chooses one-way or two-way control. The devices talk to their own phones; the phones talk to each other through Lovense's servers. That is what makes the distance irrelevant, and it is also what makes the privacy questions below matter.

What to check before buying a pair

1. Whether you want one-way or two-way. Two-way needs a controller toy on both sides, such as the Nora and the Max 2. One-way needs only one.
2. Whether the receiving partner wants to hold a device. The Nora is handheld; the Lush 4 and Lush Mini are wearable.
3. Charging on both sides. A session ends when the first battery does. The Lush Mini and Lush 4 charge fastest, in 40 and 45 minutes; the Max 2 takes 100 minutes for a full charge.
4. Water resistance and cleaning. The Nora and the Lush range are IPX7. The Max 2 is IPX6 and the Solace Pro IPX4, so their sleeves come out for cleaning.
5. That both of you are comfortable with an account and with control routing through the manufacturer's servers.