Made for distance
Posting a present abroad is slow, expensive and uncertain. This one is one small file, usually under 10 MB, so it goes wherever a message goes: to a partner in another country, a student in their first term away, grandparents on the other side of the world, a friend on a ship or a posting. It opens without the internet once saved, so it still works on a plane or a bad connection.
- What it is
- A night city made from your photos: they appear on the big lit screens along the streets. They drive through it, or press Automatic and watch it as a film, with your song playing.
- What it costs
- One payment of £14.99, €14.99 or US$14.99, depending on your country. No subscription, no account.
- How you make it
- Add up to 20 photos and one song if you like (an MP3, otherwise our soundtrack plays), then pay £14.99, €14.99 or US$14.99 securely by Stripe. Your world is usually ready about a minute later; a slow connection takes longer.
- What you get
- One small file, usually under 10 MB. We also e-mail you a receipt with the file attached when it is small enough for e-mail.
- How they open it
- In the web browser they already have, on a phone, tablet or computer. No app, no account, and it works offline. On iPhone they open ourspecialworld.com in Safari, tap “Open a saved world” and choose the file. Phones play it sideways, in landscape.
Photos that close the distance
- The times you were together. Airports, first days, last days. These carry the most feeling when you are apart.
- Each other’s places. Their street, your kitchen window, the café you both know. It makes the city feel like a map of both lives.
- Video-call screenshots — only a few. They are lower quality than camera photos, so use two or three for the memory, not ten.
- The next time. End on a photo of where you will meet next, or a ticket.
The biggest screen, on the main square, goes to the photo whose shape suits it best — a landscape (sideways) photo — and among equal fits, the earliest in your order. A sideways photo of the two of you at the top of your list is a safe choice.
A song for two time zones
The song you listen to on the phone together, or the one from the last time you were in the same room. Add it as one MP3 you own, up to ten minutes; otherwise our own soundtrack plays.
How to send it so it works first time
- Send the file by e-mail or a messaging app. It is one small file, so it sends like a photo.
- Send it as a file, not a preview. Some chat apps show an HTML file as text or will not open it inside the app. Tell them to save it, then open it in their browser.
- iPhone? One extra step. On iPhone they save the file to Files, open ourspecialworld.com in Safari, tap “Open a saved world” and choose it. On Android and computers the file opens directly.
- Watch it together. You keep a copy too. Start a video call, both press Automatic, and watch the film at the same time.
“I couldn’t post you a hug, so I built you a city. Call me when you open it.”
A look inside a finished world
Honest answers
Does it work in their country?
It is a file that opens in an ordinary web browser, so it does not depend on an app store or a region. It needs a reasonably up-to-date browser; the free sample world is the quickest way for them to check their device.
Does it need a good connection?
Only to receive the file, which is usually under 10 MB. After that it opens offline.
Can I pay in my currency?
The price is 14.99 in pounds in the UK, in euros in the EU, and in US dollars elsewhere, based on where you are when you pay. Payment is handled by Stripe.
Will they need an account or app?
No. No account, no app, no sign-in: the file is all they need.
Phone upright or sideways?
The world plays sideways on a phone, in landscape. Tablets and computers show it as it is.
What happens to our photos?
They are used once to build the world, then deleted from our server once your file is downloaded. If you do not buy, they are deleted when you leave, at the latest 15 minutes after you add them; while you are at the payment page they are kept until the payment finishes or is abandoned, about half an hour at most. We keep no copy.
Send them a city
Make it now and it can be with them in minutes.
Add your photos. Add a song. Pay once and it is yours.