I built an AI photo editor where you just chat with the app – would love your feedback!
Hey Indie Hackers,
I recently launched PHOAI, an AI-powered photo editing app for iOS. What makes it different? You don’t use filters, sliders, or manual edits — you just talk to it.
You can say:
🗣️ “Make me smile in this photo”
🗣️ “Remove the background”
🗣️ “Turn me into a cartoon”
🗣️ “Give it Pixar-style lighting”
It’s powered by Flux Kontext for understanding prompts and generating smart edits.
Built with React Native, Firebase, and RevenueCat for monetization.
My goal was to make pro-level editing feel fun and accessible — no learning curve, no design experience required.
📱 App Store: PHOAI – AI Photo Editor
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/phoai-ai-photo-maker-editor/id6747897909
I’d love your thoughts:
Do you find this “chat-to-edit” idea useful or gimmicky?
Any thoughts on growth ideas for niche audiences?
Any feedback on the UI or prompt experience?
Happy to answer any questions too!
Hi, I downloaded the app. Overall, I like the user interface, although when I open the chat, it's hard to see the menu bar again.
I tried the free version with the hair prompt, but it doesn't look very realistic; maybe it's because of the prompt.
I also recommend giving more credits because maybe testing a little more will encourage someone to pay.
Also, since it's such a competitive sector, try positioning it in the App Store with organic traffic or Google Display to attract early users.
I hope you continue to fine-tune it and have success!
Thanks so much for checking out PHOAI and for the thoughtful feedback!
You're absolutely right about the free credits — we'd love to offer more room for users to explore, especially since playing around with different prompts can really show the app's potential. The main challenge is the backend cost: each edit uses AI models (like Flux Kontext + image generators), and unfortunately, they aren’t free to run 😅
That said, we're exploring ways to optimize model usage and may experiment with things like:
Lower-cost “preview” edits for testing ideas
Also appreciate the note on the chat UI — we’ll work on improving the visibility of the menu bar. And yes, better prompt guidance is something we’re iterating on too — sometimes even small wording changes can improve results drastically.
Organic App Store positioning + niche growth via communities is exactly what we’re aiming for now. If you have any specific audiences or channels in mind, I’d love to hear them!
Thanks again for taking the time — feedback like this is gold 🙏
Hi! I think the "preview" thing is a good idea. You can try out ab testing with different prompts to see which one brings the best results and share those in the app.
Everything is done in stages, and I'm happy to contribute. Good luck in that business!