Google’s Magic Editor Reportedly Available on Samsung Phones; Magic Eraser, More Become Free-to-Use

Google’s AI-powered photo-editing feature – Magic Editor – is now arriving on Samsung smartphones and older Pixel devices. The feature was first introduced with the company’s Pixel 8 lineup of smartphones and remained exclusive to them for a while. However, Google in April announced that many of the photo-editing features powered by artificial intelligence (AI) would be making their way to other Android smartphones too and would be available via the Google Photos app.

AI-Powered editing features on Android smartphones

Although Google previously announced that the Magic Editor would be available on Android smartphones starting May 15, it is now reportedly being rolled out to a wider range of handsets. First spotted by 9to5Mac, the changes are reflected following the Google Photos app update that brings it to version 9.85.

One of the features that is reported to be arriving on Android devices is the Magic Editor, which was first rolled out with the Google Pixel 8 series. Leveraging generative AI, Magic Editor can reimagine photos by giving users the freedom to tweak images. Using the tool in Google Photos, they can reposition the subject or change the background or the sky.

Gadgets 360 staff members were unable to verify the rollout of the Magic Editor feature on Samsung smartphones, even on Google Photos app version 9.86.

Magic Editor is free to use on older Pixel smartphones, but there is a limit for Samsung and other Android handsets, as per the report. Users will be able to make 10 Magic Editor library saves per month, following which a Google One subscription would be required, the report states.

As per the report, other features such as Photo Unblur, Magic Eraser, Portrait Blur, Sky Suggestions, cinematic photos, portrait light, and more, have been made free for Android users, which were previously under a paid plan. That means when editing photos, users won’t encounter Google One restrictions anymore. This change was visible to Gadgets 360 members on multiple devices from other OEMs too.

Notably, the Google One subscription starts at Rs. 130 per month for the Basic plan which gives users access to 100GB of storage for Photos, Gmail, and Drive. However, only the Premium plan offers access to the Magic Editor and other AI-powered photo editing features, which is priced at Rs. 650 per month.