Endless Summer App: AI for Creating Fake Vacations

With the return of intense work culture in startups, and tech founders adopting the "996" model – which involves working from 9 AM to 9 PM, six days a week – the use of an AI app to create fake vacation photos might seem unexpected. However, this reality is now available.

The Concept of 'Endless Summer' and its Core Function

Product designer Laurent Del Rey, who recently joined Meta's super-intelligence lab, has launched a side project called "Endless Summer". This innovative iPhone camera app allows you to generate fake vacation photos using AI, appearing in various global destinations. You can appear exploring a coastal city, enjoying a panoramic view of a European city from your balcony, or even while shopping, dining with friends, or at a social event.

Inspiration Behind the Idea and User Experience

Interestingly, no one in these photos appears to be discussing AI, entrepreneurship challenges, or lack of sleep. As Del Rey explained when launching the app, "Endless Summer" was specifically designed for those moments when "you're overwhelmed by burnout and need to visualize the serene life you deserve." (If you can't live the life you want, there's no harm in simulating its images, right?)

The product designer told TechCrunch that the inspiration for creating the app came from his love for the summer season and how life feels during that time of year. He stated: "As the season ended, I wanted to create something that reflected that feeling. From that emotion, I reverse-engineered the product experience. I started by creating an Xcode project and immediately began the iteration process, forming the code experience, so to speak."

His efforts resulted in a simple user interface that includes a small camera preview button at the bottom of the screen. With a single tap of this button, you can generate an AI-generated "summer" photo. After tapping, the photos appear on your screen in a gallery-like view, with each image showing an AI-generated version of you exploring the world and looking extremely happy.

The Underlying Technology and Privacy Measures of the App

At its core, the app relies on the Gemini Image Model (Nano-Banana) to perform generation tasks, with the app guiding this model to create a variety of summer photos. Del Rey confirms that the app does not save your personal photos, unless you activate the optional automatic generation mode. Furthermore, users can easily delete their accounts with just two taps at any time, ensuring all their data is erased.

Pricing Model and Available Features

Although the Nano-Banana model is considered relatively cost-effective, operating it incurs expenses. For this reason, the "Endless Summer" app does not offer unlimited photo creation for free. Instead, you will encounter payment limits after the first six generated photos, with paid subscription options appearing early. The prices are reasonable if you wish to try personalized AI photos out of curiosity, or as compensation for your missed summer vacation this year.

Pricing options include $3.99 for 30 photos, $17.99 for 150 photos, and $34.99 for 300 photos. The app allows you to activate or deactivate "Room Service" mode, which provides two automatic photos every morning, showcasing your alleged summer adventures and global travels. You can also specify your gender within the app or select "Automatic mode" for the app to guess, in addition to turning on or off the auto-save option for AI photos to your iPhone's camera roll.

New Halloween Addition and a Touch of Nostalgia

A new option has recently been added to the app that allows you to create Halloween photos instead of summer photos, where you appear in diverse costumes. The photos feature visual aesthetics that mimic old films, giving them a realistic look like ordinary lifestyle photos. This adds a sense of nostalgia to the app's experience, evoking the atmosphere of the mid-2000s. It's remarkable how AI is now delivering this unique experience.