10 Fun Apps for Summer Vibes in Winter
March 14, 2021
Like an awesome pair of sunglasses, a good summer app can help during the dark days of winter. So, let’s look at some chill apps, and some happy apps, that capture that feel-good sensation of summer.
Poolside FM for Retro Summer Fun
Self-proclaimed as the "sunniest place on the internet," this free music-streaming app has some great summer-inspired music, spread across channels including Indie Summer, Hangover Club, and Tokyo Disco. But beyond the feel-good music, what makes Poolside FM awesome is the retro aesthetics, drawing inspiration from the 80s with graphics and videos that take us back to easier, cheesier days. It even takes photos, with a PoolCam feature that adds a lo-fi filter.
Healthy Barbecue Recipes
Nothing says summer like a good barbecue. And even if you can’t fire up the outdoor grill right now, you can still enjoy some tangy barbecue at home. What will you make? Well, an app simply called Barbecue Recipes has a few ideas—with a focus on healthy eating at that! With a few taps of your mobile device, you can open yourself up to a wealth of recipes for preparing beef, skewers, kebabs, steaks, and even salads as if you were doing some summertime grilling.
Tropical Delights with Cocktail Party
Anyone up for a tropical cocktail? The dreary days of COVID have left most of us deserving of a fruity libation that transports us to a breezy isle in the South Seas. So, use the Cocktail Party app to mix up a traditional Bahama Mama, with coconut rum, pineapple juice, and freshly squeezed pomegranate juice among the mixers. Or maybe you’ll go with a classic Beachbum with a splash of spiced rum and apricot liqueur.
Settle in with a Beach Book
There’s just something wonderful about the beach and a book that’s perfect for summertime reading. “Beach books” are usually light page-turners that whisk you away to a world filled with adventure, drama, or romance. And you can get them for free! Connecting to library cards, the OverDrive app lets you borrow e-books from libraries across the country, in both audio and print formats. From best-sellers to classics, you can probably find that perfect beach book through OneDrive.
Beach Photo Background Changer
There’s a pretty good chance you’re not jetting off to any tropical beaches these days. And even if you are, you can still put yourself on lots more shores with the Beach Photo Background Changer. The photo-editing app has lots of amazing background frames of some of the world’s most beautiful beaches. With just a few simple steps you can erase the background of your favorite photo and transport yourself to idyllic sands.
Let's Explore Oceans
Missing the days when you could plunge into ocean waters? You still can! With a name like Let's Explore Oceans it’s not hard to figure out where this app takes you. Strap on some VR goggles (Google Cardboard is a great cheap choice), and you can go swimming with sharks and float alongside humpback whales. And what would a summer excursion be without photos of the trip? The app lets you take photos along the way and stores them in an album on your phone.
Put Yourself on Relaxing Beaches
Sure, maybe it won’t entirely recreate the feeling of your toes in the sand, but the Relaxing Beaches app still does a pretty good job of placing you on some of the most scenic beaches in the world. Listen to the waves crash on powder-white sands, with seagulls chirping in the sunny skies above—ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) sounds designed to induce serenity.
The Hunt for the Lost Treasure
For some fun summertime vibes, you can set off on an adventure on a tropical isle. Continuing the quest for pirate’s booty in the Lost Ship game, The Hunt for the Lost Treasure begins with a map in a pirate’s cove and takes you all across a mysterious island with ancient temples and exotic tree dwellings. Discover clues and solve puzzles as you track down the stolen treasure.
Give Yourself a Virtual Tan
While it may not recreate the sensation of the summer sun on your face, the Skin Tanner app is surely less harsh on your skin. And before you commit to a spray tan you can check out how you’ll look. Simply start with a picture of yourself and apply different levels of tan, fine-tuning with bronzing effects that approximate salon tanning. Compare the tanned version with the original photo as you search for that perfect summertime look.
Recreate Summer with Augmented Reality
Take any photo and add a dash of summer fun with the Summer app, which uses the Xperia AR effect to add summerific content to your images. Give yourself a straw hat, put yourself under a colorful beach umbrella, and add in a surfboard for some true beachy flair.
So why wait until summer finally rolls around to get in on some summertime vibes? Slip on your favorite pair of sunglasses, download a few summertime apps, and enjoy that feeling of sun and fun today.
Written by William McCleary for Knockaround.
