So you're going home for Christmas and your mother asks you for the fifteenth time if you've finally got yourself a partner, and if so, will they be coming with you.
Wouldn't it be nice to find a way of dealing with this, perhaps by paying for a fake partner that'll convince your mum that she or he is very real and very sadly can't make it for Christmas?
Well rather than actually just telling your mother the truth and reassuring her that when it happens it'll happen, this app aims to give you a 'Get out of jail free' card by creating your very own invisible girlfriend or boyfriend.
Invisible Boyfriend and Invisible Girlfriend are a service that, for $24.99, will get you 100 texts, 10 voicemails and one hand-written note from the partner that never was.
In case you're thinking that it's just a robotic service than think again. Those texts will be in direct reply to whatever you write so that it doesn't scream 'robot'.
While the creators say that they've managed this through a 'secret sauce', we'll be honest the 'secret sauce' sounds an awful lot like a real person on the other end of the phone.
Despite the subject matter, the founders are keen to point out that they can think of loads of real-world situations where having an invisible partner could be useful.
"We’re excited about the ways Invisible Girlfriend and Boyfriend are helping people navigate the dating scene. The service creates a safe space for you to practice texting with a real human if you’re out of practice. Sometimes it even inspires just enough jealousy to jolt that special person into committing."
While it's clear then that they're well-meaning, the outcome still sends the tiniest shiver down our spine.