Now couples can get their own chat room

Let's face it - couples are, generally speaking, terrible. Outside the fictional universe - Sam and Diane, Ross and Rachel, Homer and Marge, Bill and Hillary - the real-world versions can be far more tedious.

Nowhere is this more true than on the internet.

Everyone can name at least one couple who seem to live out their lives online, posting messages to each other on any and all social networks, and making sure everyone knows how uniquely loving their relationship is.

They'll never post anything about their fights, their arguments, their mutual boredom or their creeping existential dread.

Of course, modern romance is no picnic - there are many more ways to court, a multitude of methods to make a move. During the course of a normal day, my girlfriend and I will use a variety of mediums to pass on important information (Parks and Recreation .gifs, Back to the Future tumblrs, reminders to pick up rice on the way home).

Most of this is done by email, but some is by text, and occasionally some messages are public, on Facebook or Twitter.

This can make it hard to keep up with everything, and means that unless you're constantly checking all these inboxes, you may miss things.

Shared calendars and shared lists are possible using some services, but I've yet to find an elegant solution. So I was interested when I saw a service seemingly able to address both the issue of public coupling and the problem of keeping track of your other half.

Avocado does this by creating the smallest possible social network - a social network of two.

The app offers a chat facility, shared lists, a shared calendar and the ability to send each other media like photos and videos.

All you have to do is have one half of the relationship sign up to the service on its site, or by downloading its apps.

It's well made, with an iOS app, an Android app and a web interface accessed at avocado.io. So no matter which device you're using, there's no getting away from your partner's clutches.

Once you have logged in and have chosen a profile picture, the main screen defaults to the messaging platform, with tabs along the bottom to flick over to other sections like shared calendars and lists.

The first thing you can do is update each other's information, adding an anniversary date - if you can remember it - and choosing nicknames. You can also send each other virtual "kisses", which are every bit as ridiculous as every other virtual gesture since Facebook's "poke".

While the app is easy to use, there were some performance issues that caused the iOS apps to crash on occasions. Otherwise, the chat facility comes up instantly, and the shared calendars and lists are instantly accessible for both partners.

If things turn sour and your relationship turns to guacamole, you can take the rather bleak option of "de-coupling" from your partner, and finding a new Avocado mate.

This will still allow your (now former) partner to access the shared information you've created together, if they wish.

I'm sure anyone who has scrubbed their Facebook Timeline clean of a former partner will appreciate having control of all that information in a private space.

As far as I can tell, it's possible to de-couple from one partner, and then straight away couple with someone else, an interesting prospect.

From the look of the app, it seems the designers decided that if they are going to make this kind of app, they may as well go full-on cute. The logo is an Avocado with a heart-shaped stone, and the app goes from there, really.

It's always difficult to work out what to call your boyfriend or girlfriend.

"Partner" makes it sound as if you work together at a law firm. "Significant other" makes it sound as if you're being deliberately vague. "Better half" - insincere flattery. "Ball and chain" - stuck in the 1950s. "Flamin' mongrel" - Alf Stewart.

Avocado has gone for "your boo", a pretty decent choice considering the alternatives, but one that adds to the all-pervading cute factor. But despite my best efforts at cynicism, I found myself enjoying this app. It's functional, bright and genuinely useful.

If you're after a private space to communicate with your boo, or a private space for someone else to communicate with their boo, Avocado may be the answer.

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