Google's Magic Eraser Camera Feature Is Coming To Non-Pixel Androids And Even iPhone

Abra cadabra, alakazam, and presto! These words evoke the idea of magic and childlike wonderment in all of us. That magic, at least in tech, has been dominated by artificial intelligence or AI lately, and image processing is no exception. So, Google revealed in an announcement last week that its AI-Powered "Magic Eraser" feature for photos and other photo improvement tools should come to more phones.

With the release of the Google Pixel 6, Google Photos allowed Pixel users to eliminate photobombers or unwanted blemishes through AI-powered trickery. In a recent blog post, the company announced that the feature would be available to all up-to-date Pixel phones, not just Pixel 6 and up and all Google One subscribers on Android or iOS. The utility allows users to either choose what to erase or allow the AI to make that decision for them. Included is also the Camouflage tool, this can change the color of objects in a photo to improve the blend with the rest of the photo.


Additionally, Google has improved the video HDR effects available to the app, letting users modify brightness and contrast on video. There is also an update to the collage editor, a function in Google Photos that allows people to mix and match some photos to make a cool spread. This update includes the ability to apply styles to single photos, in case you just like the look, and more design styles are being made available in the collage options as well for Pixel owners and Google One subscribers.

As of March 2nd, people on non-Pixel phones and iPhones report seeing their version of the Google Photos app updated to include these new features. The update appears to be a server-side change as no APK update can be grabbed for non-Pixel Android devices to force the update. If you wish to see if you have the update, head to Photos, open one up, choose to Edit, and select the Tools tab. Most users who are on non-Pixel phones will also see a Google One logo on the interface for these options.


The announcement blog post covered an additional update that provides free shipping to print orders for Google One subscribers. It is limited to the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and European Union, though.

If you don't own a Pixel phone and want these features, Google One is available for a trial period, but after that, the lowest tier starts at $1.99 per month or $19.99 per year. Also, if you keep an eye out for some sales, sometimes there are deals on Pixel phones that include a trial period of Google One, usually through the Google Store.