Removing Distractions from Your Photos — Google vs Apple

27 Aug

One of the most powerful tools in modern photo editing is the ability to remove unwanted distractions — like stray people in the background or telephone wires overhead. I demonstrated this in our club session on Wednesday using Google Photos’ Magic Eraser. You asked: “Can I do the same in Apple Photos?”

I thought the answer was yes but we could not find it on the 2 iPads we looked at.

🪄 Google Photos – “Magic Eraser”

Google’s Magic Eraser tool is simple and impressive:

Open a photo in the Google Photos app (iOS or Android)
Tap Edit > Tools > Magic Eraser
It automatically suggests distractions to remove
You can also manually circle or tap anything you want to erase

📌 But there’s a catch:

Magic Eraser is only available to Google One subscribers (currently around £1.59/month in the UK for the base plan). I recommend you have this for its extra storage space. It also only works in the mobile app — not in the web version of Google Photos.

See our previous blog post and tutorial for a step-by-step guide →

🍏 Apple Photos – Where’s the Equivalent?

We assumed Apple must offer something similar. After all, the iPhone’s camera is superb — surely it has an eraser tool?

✅ Sort of.

Apple has started to introduce tools that get close, but only in the latest versions of iOS and macOS:

1. Lift Subject from Background

Tap and hold on a subject in a photo (iOS 16+)
It pops out the person/object, which you can then copy or move
Useful for cutouts, but not for erasing distractions

2. “Clean Up” Tool (true Magic Eraser equivalent)

Allows you to tap or brush away objects
Only available in the Photos app on iOS 18
Not yet available to most users

🚫 So for many iPad or iPhone users today, Apple’s native tools still fall short of Google Photos’ Magic Eraser — unless you’re running cutting-edge software/hardware.

🔁 Alternatives for iPhone/iPad Users

If you want Magic Eraser-like features now, consider:

🔹 Snapseed (Free)

Google’s own editing app
Has a “Healing” tool in the Tools menu
Works well for small distractions like blemishes or stray leaves

🔹 Photomator (Subscription or Lifetime)

From the makers of Pixelmator (now bought by Apple)
Includes a powerful Repair brush
Very user-friendly and powerful for edits and retouching

🔹 TouchRetouch (Paid app)

Purpose-built for removing unwanted objects
Intuitive and highly effective

Vic Steadman