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It seems it's possible to get Google's Magic Eraser on any Android phone
- The Google Magic Eraser tool is supposed to be a Pixel 6 series exclusive.
- However, it appears you can use the tool if you install a specific version of Google Photos.
- Your mileage may vary with this method, but it does suggest the tool could come to all phones in the future.
Google is shouting from the rooftops about the capabilities of the Tensor chipset inside the Google Pixel 6 series. Apparently, it allows a Pixel 6 phone to perform certain tricks other phones couldn’t pull off.
One of those tricks is the Google Magic Eraser tool. This allows you to take a photo and then, after the fact, erase objects, people, and even background elements from the photo. The tool uses AI smarts to magically fill in the blanks of what you’ve erased to make it look like it was never there.
See also: Google Pixel 6 buyer’s guide
Apparently, though, this tool doesn’t need Tensor to work. According to Mishaal Rahman on Twitter, multiple people in the GoogleNews Telegram group have successfully used the Magic Eraser tool on non-Pixel 6 phones. In fact, some even have it working on non-Pixel phones and even phones running Android 11.
The way it works is to use a new version of the Google Photos app and feed it Google Pixel 6 properties to trick it into thinking you own a Pixel 6. Once you do that, the Google Magic Eraser tool appears to work just fine without Tensor.
Of course, with any hacky workaround like this, your mileage may vary. For everyone that’s gotten it to work successfully, there are plenty of others who failed. Still, all it requires is a sideload of Google Photos with some customizations. Of course, install that at your own risk.
The good news here, though, is that Magic Eraser could come to non-Pixel phones in the future. We’ll just need to wait until the Pixel 6 exclusive winds down.