If the pandemic taught us one thing about dating and sexuality, it was the value of human connection. Many were forced to find ways to spend time together from afar, but there was still a missing component—intimacy. It forced couples to get creative during those first few months to maintain the spark without physical touch. One of the easiest ways to do this was by incorporating long-distance sex toys into the mix.
Many sex toy companies used the pandemic to leverage technology to help couples better connect, even from miles away, by improving the selection of remote sex toys for long-distance partners. While many of today’s best long-distance sex toys continue to help lovers across the country and beyond, others have found they can offer a heightened intimacy experience even from the next room over.
Men’s Journal spoke with Gigi Engle, a sex and relationships psychotherapist and the resident intimacy expert at 3Fun, for further insight on long-distance sex toys. “When we're long-distance, we still want to feel intimately connected with our partners—and long-distance sex toys allow us to bridge that gap," Engle says.
Sex tech has made so many advances since the pandemic, not just for basic toys but for long-distance ones that require more engineering. “Since some of these toys can be controlled by our partners—or sync with our partner's corresponding toy—they create a dynamic where we're experiencing sex in a new way together,” Engle says. Getting creative can certainly heighten the tension and make the release that much sweeter.
Adding Long-Distance Sex Toys to Your Relationship
While in-person intimacy offers a unique and mostly irreplaceable type of bond, it’s not always possible. Many couples will experience spending lengths of time apart, be it for work, family, school, or otherwise. While sexual needs must be met in some way, incorporating long-distance, remote, or WiFi sex toys may help open up new avenues for you and your partner when you can’t be together.
“Using toys long-distance can allow us to get experimental with different kinds of stimulation, for instance: Mastubrator sleeves, clit sucking toys, or anal plugs—all of these can open us up to trying new things,” Engle explains.
App-controlled toys like these can serve as a way to open up and explore new forms of intimacy and spark new dialogue with your partner, whether you’re multiple states apart or just on different floors of the building.
Can Long-Distance Sex Toys Improve Relationships?
At face value, using long-distance sex toys with your partner offers an alternative to masturbation. But they may also provide the key to deepening the understanding of how to meet one another’s sexual needs.
“You're much more likely to get what you want and have your partner be open to a conversation if you frame using toys as a way to explore and build a new sexual connection as a team,” Engle says.
Exploring new kinks together through these toys deepens a bond even if you aren’t there together at that moment. If both parties are supportive and open, each could be on the road to a very fulfilling sexual experience, making it that much stronger when you’re face-to-face.
Long-Distance Sex Toys and Communication
Communication is still paramount to ensuring your partner’s needs, boundaries, and feelings are respected, especially when using long-distance sex toys.
“They are great tools for improved collaboration and communication because we have no choice but to communicate when we're using them,” Engle points out. “It gives us a chance to tell our partners what we like about the toys, how they make us feel, and teach them how we like to be touched.” Being more comfortable pushing the boundaries with each other allows the relationship to grow and become more playful.
Engle left MJ with a poignant statement: “Any toy can be a long-distance sex toy; set up a video call and masturbate together, and whatever toy you're using is now a long-distance toy.”
While the best long-distance sex toys offer a great user experience, typically with an app, Engle makes a great point—if you maintain selfless communication with your partner, the rewards know no limit.
The Best Long-Distance Sex Toys of 2024
Lovense Max 2, $140
Courtesy of Love Honey
Gentleman—start your engines, even if you’ve got to fly solo. But with the Lovense Max 2, your sweetie can still be there for you. This 6-inch waterproof stoker is made from soft plastic and is one of the best on the market for long-distance canoodling. Give your partner the ability to control multiple speeds and vibrations after downloading the user-friendly Lovense Remote app. Once you get synced, get ready for up to 3.5 hours (hopefully not all at once) of pleasure.
Lelo Ida Wave, From $189
Courtesy of Love Honey
Lelo is one of the most recognizable companies in the spicy toy space with a reputation for making high-quality products, one of which is the Ida Wave long-distance vibrator. This waterproof clitoral and G-spot massager has dual motors that your partner can gain full control of from nearly 40 feet away once connected to the Lelo app, with options for customizable pleasure literally at their fingertips. The Ida Wave has 10 settings to play with and should be perfectly comfortable thanks to its soft silicone design.
We-Vibe va 2, $149
Courtesy of Love Honey
We-Vibe’s va 2 is a rechargeable waterproof rabbit-style vibrator that targets the clitoris and G-spot simultaneously. Your partner can enjoy taking charge from afar thanks to the very user-friendly We-Vibe app through which they can control vibration and intensity. The power this long-distance toy packs is unmatched. It’s made with flexible, latex-free silicone and is known for being extremely comfortable and as quiet as a whisper.
Lovense Hush 2, From $130
Courtesy of Love Honey
Lovense knew what it was doing when designing the Hush 2. Made from latex-free silicone, this long-distance sex toy is available in multiple sizes for ultimate comfort and prolonged wear (if you choose to do so), and is possibly the best luxury butt plug vibrator in this category. The Hush 2 is accessible by partners with help from the Lovense remote app, allowing them to take total control from anywhere and design their own vibration patterns or sync up to music.
Satisfyer Sexy Secret, $69
Courtesy of Satisfyer
Satisfyer makes some of the best sex toys for long-distance partners thanks to its amazing app. The Sexy Secret is a practical magnet vibrator that fastens to underwear. Its perfectly designed ergonomic shape was made for clitoral stimulation for use with your partner or alone. It can operate as a normal vibrator or link to the Satifyer Connect app, allowing it to be completely controlled by you or your partner from anywhere on any Android or iOS device, including an Apple Watch. It also has an IPX7 waterproof rating, so it’s perfectly safe for use in the shower or bathtub.
Lelo Tiani 3, $135 (was $169)
Courtesy of Lelo
The Lelo Tiani 3 is a two-piece remote-controlled couple’s vibrator and a spectacular upgrade to a Lelo favorite. Targeting the G-spot and clitoris, the Tiani’s eight different vibration settings hit another level. It features Lelo’s SenseMotion technology, which allows you to gradually elevate the intensity in a comfortable but very fun manner thanks to the easy-to-use remote. This toy isn’t global-ready, but with up to a 39-foot wireless range, it’s the perfect toy to use with the boy or girl next door—while they’re next door.
Satisfyer Hot Passion Connect, $69
Courtesy of Satisfyer
The Satisfyer Hot Passion is an anal vibrator that’s been specifically designed to stimulate the prostate. It offers intense and continuous vibration settings and a warming function that heats up to feverish temperatures. The Hot Passion syncs up with the Satisfyer app to seamlessly control the combination of warmth and vibration from anywhere in the world for a mesmerizingly scintillating experience. Though it was designed for men, ladies can get a thrill from it, too.
Lovense Gush, From $120
Courtesy of Love Honey
Lovense’s Gush is a hands-free wrap-style male masturbator. It's latex-free, submersible, and boasts a 115-minute battery life. Flexible, this male sex toy perfectly adjusts to your shape and size for a customized fit with multiple intensity settings to choose from and an optional matching silicone band to double down on the grip. Strap this soft silicone wonder on and give your hands a rest while you let your partner control speed and vibration rhythm from the Lovense app.
Kiiroo Titan Stroker, From $155
Courtesy of Lovers
Kiiroo makes some of the best remote male strokers available, and the Titan is among the top. This long-distance male masturbator features a real-feel inner sleeve with nine bullet vibrators on the front lines. What sets this apart is the product’s ingenuity. t only can you connect this stroker with your partner’s device anywhere on Earth, but you can also connect to over 4,000 interactive videos. As if that wasn’t technologically savvy enough, you can even sync it with a VR headset.
Frequently Asked Questions About Long-Distance Sex Toys
How do long-distance sex toys work?
Sex toys for long-distance partners are typically Bluetooth-enabled and connect to an app or a handheld remote that will allow partners to control the device from a distance. If a sex toy has an accompanying app, most of the time, it can be accessed by a partner from anywhere in the world after consent is given by the user. In some cases, remote sex toys may even sync with each other.
How can you tell whether a sex toy is suited for long-distance use?
If a product is advertised as being compatible with a remote or an app, then it should be usable from a distance. However, it's best to check the remote range in the toy's specs section. Remote-only toys won't allow your partner to access them from great distances the way app-controlled toys can. Sex toys that are only controlled with a remote tend to have a range of 40 feet but can be just as fun with some imagination.
What types of long-distance sex toys are there?
According to sex and relationships psychotherapist Gigi Engle, the most common types of long-distance sex toys include remote vibrators, mastubrator sleeves, clit sucking toys, and anal plugs. New technologies are continuing to become available, including VR options.
