Google Photos AI Editor Now Open To All Users

editor for Android and iOS. SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Key Enhancements at a Glance

• Google Photos is receiving a new, advanced image editor.
• The application will intelligently suggest edits tailored to your photos.
• You can apply these suggested edits with a single tap.

Google is rolling out an innovative AI-powered photo editor that is designed for everyone, not exclusively for Pixel device owners. This new Google Photos editor, which will be available soon, features a completely redesigned interface, offers automatic edit suggestions, and allows users to apply these changes with just one tap.

Streamlined Editing with the New AI Interface

The updated editor was first revealed at the end of last month as part of Google Photos’ 10th anniversary celebrations. More recently, Google provided a better look at its capabilities during the June 2025 Pixel Drop, an event that introduced 15 new or updated features to the Pixel lineup. Importantly, this enhanced Google Photos editor is not limited to Pixel phones; it will also be available on other Android devices and iOS.

Google Photos' updated photo editor (right) is a significant upgrade over the current version (left), offering automatic AI-powered suggestions and editing features. GOOGLE/PAUL MONCKTON

Google’s fresh interface design is the most noticeable change. As depicted in the image above, the new editor (on the right) displays a larger preview of the photo being edited, with graphical tiles below labeled Enhance, Dynamic, and AI Enhance.

The Auto Frame feature is readily accessible via a button near the top of the screen, alongside crop, flip, and rotate options. These are all available without needing to navigate through menus or swipe across option carousels.

AI Magic: Smart Suggestions and One-Tap Edits

However, the true power of the new editor becomes apparent when you begin to edit your picture. You can simply tap, circle, or use your finger to brush over the section of the image you wish to modify, and Google Photos will propose the most suitable edits based on your selection.

The new Google Photos editor will automatically suggest appropriate editing tools that you can activate with a single tap. GOOGLE

For instance, in Google’s demonstration, tapping on a person in an image automatically selects both individuals featured. It then presents a contextual menu of editing options, with the most probable desired tool positioned at the top. These options include Focus, Add light, Sharpen, and generative tools such as Move and Reimagine. Tapping on Focus then automatically blurs the background, making the subject stand out more prominently.

A second example shows that tapping on a distant person inadvertently captured in the background triggers a similar array of tools. This time, however, Erase, Move, and Reimagine are the suggested edits. Selecting Erase removes the distracting person from the image, intelligently filling in the background.

Selecting the distracting person in the background causes Google's AI to automatically suggest the 'Erase' function to clean up the photo. GOOGLE

Broader Reach and Strategic Moves

Google’s new photo editor makes features that were once exclusive to Pixel devices available to a much wider audience. This move also places it in direct competition with Apple Intelligence features on the iPhone and Samsung’s Galaxy AI.

Google’s cloud-first AI capabilities can operate on older and less powerful hardware, extending back to Android 8, not just on modern flagship phones. However, Google notes that features and results might differ depending on the device and region. Some AI-powered features also require users to be at least 18 years old.

While Apple, Samsung, and Google all leverage new AI functions to encourage sales of expensive new phones, Google Photos, with its billions of active users, can adopt a different strategy. Google Photos serves as a significant funnel for paid Google One subscriptions and a substantial source of potential training data that the company can utilize to enhance its AI models.

By distributing its premier photo software more widely, Google is aiming to encourage users to entrust the company with a lifetime of memories. This strategy seeks to shift brand loyalty away from the specific device in a user's hand and towards the Google Photos platform itself.

Follow @paul_monckton on Instagram.

Further Reading

• HDR Videos Too Bright? This Leaked Android Update Could Fix It by Paul Monckton
• Google Photos Just Got A Huge AI-Powered Upgrade And Easier Sharing by Paul Monckton