Tag: Magic Eraser

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Mobile Syrup

Google One unlocks Pixel’s Magic Eraser for Android and iPhone users

Google is expanding its Photos and Pixel features like Magic Eraser to more people through its Google One membership program.

Google says that starting today, One subscribers on both iOS and Android will be able to access Magic Eraser in Google Photos. The previously Pixel-exclusive feature will have much wider availability going forward, assuming you’re willing to pony up for Google One (though you don’t need a One membership to use it on a Pixel).

Magic Eraser, for those unfamiliar with the feature, debuted on the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro. It allows users to erase people and objects from pictures captured with their phone. For example, if your selfie has someone in the background, or if there’s a chair messing up your favourite shot, Magic Eraser makes it easy to rid photos of those blemishes. Despite being exclusive to newer Pixel phones, there were workarounds to get Magic Eraser on older Pixels too.

Moreover, Google announced that a new HDR video effect and new collage styles will be available to One subscribers, and members will get free shipping on print orders.

The new HDR effect is just an extension of the existing effect for images, but now you can apply it to videos. Google says the HDR effect can enhance the brightness and contrast of videos.

Google Photos will get new collage editor designs too. Google says all Photos users can now apply Styles to a single photo in the collage editor, and it’s adding a “range of new Styles” for Google One members and Pixel users.

Finally, the free shipping benefit will be available to Google One members in Canada as well as the U.S., E.U. and the U.K. As before, people can use Photos to create custom photo books, as well as canvas and photo prints — now shipping is free for One members.

In Canada, Google One costs $2.79/mo or $27.99/year for 100GB, $3.99/mo or $39.99/year for 200GB, $13.99/mo or $139.99/year for 2TB, and $35.99/mo or $359.99/year for 5TB. Along with storage for Photos and other Google services, One offers other benefits like VPN access, store credit back in purchases on the Google Store and more. You can learn more here.

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Mobile Syrup

Google Photos update causes crash when using Pixel 6 Magic Eraser tool

Headline Pixel 6/6 Pro feature ‘Magic Eraser’ is the cause behind crashes following a recent update to the Google Photos app.

A new bug reported by Android Police and spotted by users on Reddit and Twitter causes the Google Photos app to crash when launching the Magic Eraser tool. Specifically, the bug appears to impact Google Photos ‘version 5.76.0.425427310’ on Pixel 6 devices.

I tried recreating the bug on my Pixel 6, which is running Photos version 5.75.0.424739917, but opening Magic Eraser didn’t cause a crash. At the time of writing, the 5.76 version update wasn’t available to my device.

Android Police notes that the typical quick fixes aren’t working. For example, rebooting the phone, clearing the app’s cache, and restoring the Photos app to factory settings all don’t fix the problem. As it stands, it seems like once you’ve updated the Photo app, you’re stuck with the problem. If you’re still on an older version of Google Photos, you may want to hold off on any updates until there’s a fix.

This isn’t the first time Google has had problems with the Pixel 6 and Magic Eraser. Back in November, a Google Photo update removed Magic Eraser from Pixel 6 devices, but the search giant quickly fixed the error. Hopefully, there’s a similar quick fix with this problem.

Frustratingly for some, this is yet another bug in a rapidly-growing list of problems with Google’s latest flagship devices. Despite the numerous problems some have experienced with the phones, the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro also apparently helped set a quarterly sales record for Google.

Source: Twitter, Reddit Via: Android Police

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Mobile Syrup

There’s a fix coming for missing Magic Eraser on Pixel 6

Some Pixel 6 users have lost access to ‘Magic Eraser,’ Google Photos’ coolest new feature, after downloading a recent update.

The tool, which lets you remove people from the background of photos, started disappearing on some Pixel 6 users’ devices shortly after the smartphone series’ release. Thankfully, Google is working on a fix, according to Android Central. While the feature vanishing is caused by an early rollout of the Magic Eraser, it’s strange that the update only affected some users.

If you’re Magic Eraser is gone, you can head over to the Google Photos app properties and uninstall updates to make it appear again. Then, head to the Google Photos app on the Play Store and download the correct update.

In other Pixel 6 news, Google also recently released a fix for the Pixel 6 related to Google Assistant randomly calling people in your contacts list.

Source: Android Central

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Mobile Syrup

Here’s a sneaky way to set up Pixel 6’s Magic Eraser on your last-gen Pixel

Those holding onto their older Pixels this year instead of upgrading to the fancy new Pixel 6 and 6 Pro might be feeling some FOMO over new camera features. But, it seems like there might be a way to get at least one new feature — Magic Eraser — on previous Pixel phones.

As usual, Google’s newest Pixel phone arrived with several fancy camera tricks, but many of them appear to be software-based. However, Google has indicated some of the new software features rely on capabilities built into the new Tensor chip, which suggests the company won’t port the features back to older models.

Despite that limitation, Android Police has found a way to get the new Magic Eraser feature onto other Pixel phones. In short, it involves installing a Google Photos APK file from a Pixel 6 device — APK files, for those not familiar with them, are the application files for Android apps.

How to get Magic Eraser on an older Pixel

We’ve included the instructions below on how to install the APK file and gain access to Magic Eraser, but before you rush into it, I’d advise that anyone not comfortable with installing APK files from third-party sources (or anyone not comfortable troubleshooting problems if something goes wrong) should not do this. Also, you’ll need to be running Android 12 for this to work.

With that said, let’s get into it:

  1. First, you’ll need the ‘Split APKs Installer’ (SAI) app from the Play Store — this app helps install multiple pieces of an APK file, which will be necessary for getting Magic Eraser working on an older Pixel. You’ll also need to download a zipped file with the necessary files from the Android Police website to your smartphone (other Google Photos APK files might not work).
  2. With everything downloaded, open SAI and tap ‘Install APKs.’
  3. Select ‘System file picker’ and grant permission for SAI to access files on your device.
  4. Select the ‘.zip’ file you downloaded from Android Police.
  5. You should see a list of APK pieces, including the base APK and configuration resources — tap ‘Install’ at the bottom.
  6. Next, you’ll see a pop-up asking you to grant SAI permission to install unknown apps. Tap ‘Settings’ and enable permission.
  7. Finally, you’ll see a pop-up asking if you want to update Photos. Tap ‘Update.’

Magic Eraser should work fine on most Pixel phones

Once that’s done, you can open Google Photos and start messing around with Magic Eraser. You’ll be able to find it by selecting an image > Edt > Tools > Magic Eraser. Android Police reported it works fine on the Pixel 5, 5a, 4 XL and 4a. I gave it a try on my Pixel 3 and it also worked fine, although the app crashed the first time I tried to use it (after that, I had no issues).

One final caveat worth considering is that while Magic Eraser is fairly easy to get now, that could change in the future. Android Police warns that a future Photos update could break or remove the functionality. But for now, if you want you can download it and try it out.

Source: Android Police

Categories
Mobile Syrup

More Pixel 6 leaks show off renders, Google ad with ‘Magic Eraser’ and more

Source: https://twitter.com/evleaks/status/1449129727051042816?s=20

Pixel 6 and 6 Pro leaks have been relatively scarce compared to previous Google phones, but as the search giant’s October 19th event approaches, the leaks have increased substantially.

First, leaker Evan Blass (@evleaks) posted a lengthy thread of high-res images and renders of both phones on Twitter. The images include renders of the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro in all three colours, renders of some cases for the phones and lifestyle shots with people holding the phones. We haven’t seen some of the pictures before, but if you’ve been following the Pixel 6 series closely since Google’s semi-reveal earlier this year, there shouldn’t be any surprises in this leak.

Next up, leaker ‘Snoopy’ (@_snoopytech_) posted a Pixel 6 series ad on Twitter (via 9to5Google). The roughly 30-second ad focuses on the new Tensor chip and shows off several features powered by it. Those with a keen eye will spot some of the new Android 12 clock and weather widgets, what appears to be a redesigned ‘Now Playing’ widget and a ‘Magic Eraser’ feature.

This isn’t the first time Magic Eraser has leaked, but seeing it in an official-looking Google Pixel ad effectively confirms the feature’s existence. For a bit of context, Google showed off a similar feature all the way back at its I/O developer conference in 2017. The feature never materialized, and the company confirmed in 2018 that it wasn’t coming soon.

In the ad, Magic Eraser appears as a suggestion chip in Google Photos — the user taps the chip, and it highlights a person in the background of a selfie and then removes that person from the image.

Further, the leaked ad shows off ‘Live Translate’ in a conversation between two people, in Google’s Messages app and in pictures, although the latter appears to be existing Google Lens functionality. The impressive part comes after, where the ad claims that there’s “no internet required” for the feature.

Finally, the ad shows off the new ‘Security Hub,’ which Google bills as a helpful way to protect your “digital life.”

All in all, the ad makes the Pixel 6 series look rather impressive. We’ll likely learn more about all these features on October 19th and real-life tests from reviewers soon after will show how well the features actually work.

Image credit: Evan Blass

Source: Evan Blass, Snoopy (Twitter) Via: 9to5Google