It's only been three years since Google first rolled out Magic Eraser on the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, but as someone who uses an iPhone daily, it has felt like an eternity. I've long thought the iPhone has an excellent camera delivering delightful shots. My iPhone 15 Pro Max has captured countless photos of Bruce Springsteen, family shots including dogs, travels worldwide, and even selfies.
Even so, these shots are never perfect, and I've often fretted that I can't remove an odd person in the background or some object that's floated its way into the shot. So when Apple announced its "Clean Up" feature for Photos, which arrives with Apple Intelligence, I eagerly waited to get my hands on it.
That happened this week with the third developer beta of iOS 18.1, which is available to download now. As the name suggests, it's a beta, and bugs, speedbumps, and other issues are to be expected. Still, I downloaded it and am happy to report that the iPhone is no longer a peg-down from the Pixel or the Galaxy regarding cleaning up photos.
Apple's notion of "it just works" is in full force here, and unlike "Writing Tools," "Reduce Interruptions," or even the ability to create your own photo memory, this feels like the first Apple Intelligence feature - available in developer beta - that's being shown off.
When you open up a photo in Photos and tap edit, aka the three lines at the bottom, you'll see a new "Clean Up" icon with an eraser at the end of the row next to Crop. From there, on the first try, it will say downloading clean up and then preparing clean up. Then, you're off to the races.
If the AI in use here recognizes items, like a person in the background or some object, it'll glow with a rainbow hue, allowing you to simply tap it, wait a few seconds, and see it removed. It's as simple as that, but if there is something else you're hoping to remove, you can draw a circle around it.
Apple's deployment of object removal is quite intuitive and works similarly to competing features on Google Pixels or Samsung Galaxy phones; it even reminds me of the tool in Adobe Photoshop.
It also works well after a few hours of use, and that's a good thing considering how long it took for this feature to arrive and that it has some tough competition. I especially like Apple's chosen color scheme here. The rainbow effect not only has me wishing for the future custom emojis and image playground functionality, but it also fits with the theme of Apple Intelligence. Also, it hints that your iPhone, iPad, or Mac is working some magic.
I fully expect "Clean Up" to be showcased at Apple's "It's Glowtime." special event on September 9, 2024. Considering it's working on the iPhone 15 Pro Max with iOS 18.1, it should be ready when this software version arrives for the next-generation iPhones - likely the 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro, and 16 Pro Max. Of course, it'll also arrive on iPads with an M1 chip or newer running iPadOS 18.1 and M1 or newer Macs with macOS Sequoia 15.1.
In my testing thus far with Clean Up on my iPhone, using photos shot today and older ones in my library, it works well, and I'd say it's on par with the experience other smartphones have set. It generally removes people or a subject it identifies quite well, marching the background smoothly, and even works wonders when you circle something more specific or more significant.
As my sister-in-law put it, she's shocked it took this long and is still surprised, but it works here. I have a feeling most people will be happy to find it in Photos on iOS 18.1, but I'm not entirely sure this alone will cause a massive upgrade cycle ... maybe if you've been waiting for it like me, you might just do it.
Of course, if you want to try it now, you can access Clean Up on iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max, as well as M1 Macs and iPads as part of the latest iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia Developer Betas.
