Apple unveils new AI tool ‘Clean Up’: iPhone users can now remove unwanted objects from photos

Apple has rolled out a new AI-driven tool, Clean Up, in its latest iOS update, aimed at simplifying the process of removing unwanted objects from photos. This tool mirrors Google’s Magic Eraser, which has been available for free on Google Photos for both Android and iOS devices. The introduction of Clean Up comes as part of Apple's latest developer betas for iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS 15.1.

Apple Clean Up tool: How It Works

The Clean Up tool allows users to eliminate objects from their images with minimal effort. By leveraging smart detection technology, users can select an object in a photo and remove it with a single tap. Additionally, users can draw a circle or brush over undesired elements to delete them effectively. This feature aims to streamline photo editing, making it more user-friendly.

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Currently, Clean Up is available exclusively to users with the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max who are testing the iOS 18.1 developer beta. The feature is not yet accessible on other iPhones running the iOS 18 developer beta 8, according to a report by Techcrunch. Nonetheless, this update includes other AI-based enhancements, such as generative AI summaries for various applications.

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Apple Clean Up tool: Functionality and Performance

The Clean Up feature is integrated within the Photos app. It utilises AI to detect and remove selected objects while maintaining the integrity of the photo. After an object is removed, the tool employs a technique akin to generative fill to seamlessly blend the edited area with the rest of the image. Apple claims that the tool is capable of understanding shadows and reflections, ensuring that these elements are also removed during the editing process.

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Earlier this year, Google introduced a comparable feature called Magic Eraser for Google Photos at no cost. Apple’s introduction of Clean Up marks its ongoing efforts to incorporate AI into its ecosystem, starting with features available in the iOS 18.1 developer betas. These features include writing tools, notification summaries for SMS and Mail, natural language search in Photos, transcription for calls and voice recordings in Notes, and smart replies in Mail. However, Apple Intelligence features are currently accessible only to English-speaking users in the U.S.

It remains uncertain whether the Clean Up feature will extend beyond the iPhone 15 Pro series to other models when iOS 18.1 officially releases.