Apple's "Clean Up" is the iOS 18 version of Google's Magic Eraser
When Google introduced the Magic Eraser in October 2021, people went nuts. Sure, there were apps available that could eliminate distractions from photos such as unwanted people, pets, buildings, and other items, but some of those apps contained malware. Like Samsung's Object Eraser, released early in 2021, buying the Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Pro allowed users to have such a feature right on their handset. While the Magic Eraser and now the even more impressive Magic Editor are available on certain iPhone models (limited to 10 saved images a month unless you have a 2TB Google One subscription), iOS 18 will have a Magic Eraser-like feature of its own called "Clean Up."
In iOS 18, users will go to the iOS Photos app, select a photo, and circle an object or living thing that they want removed from the image. Apple's generative AI will remove the distracting image from the photograph right away. This is exactly the way that the Magic Eraser works. And Clean Up will also work with Apple's tablets on iPadOS 18. On the Mac, Clean Up will replace Retouch found in macOS Sonoma.
Clean Up, like other Apple Intelligence tools, requires an Apple device with at least 8GB of DRAM limiting its appearance to the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, which are powered by the A17 Pro application processor (AP), and iPad and Macs equipped with the M1 and later chips. Clean Up will also appear on all four iPhone 16 series handsets which should be available to the public this coming September.
Apple's Clean Up feature removes distractions from photos in the Photos app
Besides getting Clean Up on the iOS 18 Photos app, Siri will be able to use some of her new Apple Intelligence magic to find certain photos after being asked via natural language to show photographs containing specific people, pests, or objects. A new feature called Collections will place images sent to the Photos app in certain categories such as "People and Pets, Recent Days, and Trips."
Apple Intelligence will also allow users to create AI-based images using the Image Playground tool. Images and Genmoji can be created for the standalone Image Playground app and other apps such as Messages, Freeform, and Keynote. Genmoji uses Apple Intelligence to create emoji that you ask for on the fly. You can ask for a "Squirrel DJ" and an emoji meeting that description will quickly be available.
The iOS 18 developer beta is available now although it is unstable. The public iOS 18 beta will be released next month with the final stable version of iOS 18 expected to be released in September.
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