It was just over a year since Google introduced Magic Eraser, a feature that came from the first Google Pixel smartphones equipped with the Google Tensor SoC, from the Google Pixel 6 and Google Pixel 6 Pro onwards. As we told you before, the name chosen for the integration was not a trivial matter, as it has its origins in Tensor Flow, an open source machine learning library from the search engine company. So when announcing the Pixel 6, the company focused on the AI ​​capabilities of its smartphone and its chip. Here’s what we told you about the integration when Sundar Pichai announced it, months before the Pixel 6 launched:

«The new chip promises to boost computing power and boost photo and video processing capabilities in Google phones with a focus on artificial intelligence and deep learning.»

When these smartphones were introduced in October 2021, one of the most interesting features announced by Google was Magic Eraser, a photo editing tool that allows us to select elements of a photo to remove them from it, and the software to regenerate that part of the image based on the rest of its content. For those of you working with Photoshop, we’re talking about a feature similar to Content-Aware Fill, only more automated, Ergo easier and offers truly amazing results.

This function has been used by Google as since then something unique to your device, which at first glance seems quite logical. However, with the advent of AI-based solutions reaching users a thousand and one tech companies seem to have thought better of it and decided to start expanding the reach of their own solutions, albeit in a limited way as in this one.

Therefore, and as we can read on the company’s official blog, Google is starting to offer Magic Eraser to all Google One subscribers today, which brings this feature to the Google Photos app for Android and iOS. Let us remind you that Google One is a type of subscription to Google services that offers a larger storage capacity (from two terabytes) and other functions in all its services. This is just the beginning, because according to what we can read in the mentioned publication, the Google Photos application will receive new editing and retouching features, such as HDR video effects and some collage styles, which will also be exclusive to Google One users. ..

Personally, I understand Google’s decision to limit access to Magic Eraser to subscribers only, but we are at a time when the company needs to “make noise” when it comes to its AI services, an area it has specialized in for a long time, but the public does not shine. Maybe he should have sacrificed exclusivity and offered it to all users? The answer to this question is blatantly in the realm of subjective opinion, but as a Google One user for quite some time, I think yes, that would be the most logical thing to do in the current situation. Which is not to say that I want to try it on my iPhone, because Magic Eraser seemed like a genius from the company from the first moment.