New iOS 18.1 Beta Adds 'Clean Up' Apple Intelligence Photos Feature

The third beta of iOS 18.1 that Apple provided to developers today includes a new Apple Intelligence feature for the Photos app. Clean Up can be used to remove distracting objects from the background of a photo while leaving the subject of the image intact.

iOS 18 Photos Feature Chromatic
The Clean Up tool in the ‌Photos‌ app is able to automatically detect objects in an image that might not be wanted, but users can also tap, circle, or brush over an unwanted object to remove it.

Zooming in on an image can help with using a finger as a brush to remove smaller blemishes and issues with an image, and it is intelligent enough not to remove part of a person even if a person or main subject is selected.

Clean Up works on all images in the ‌Photos‌ library, including older images and images captured by other devices like a point and shoot camera or a DSLR.

Apple says that Clean Up works using multiple machine learning models to detect distractions, determine the where the edges of an object are, and then fill in the area seamlessly to replace the unwanted object, even filling in the object's shadow or reflection.

The update also includes notification summaries for additional apps beyond Messages and Mail.

Popular Stories

Aston Martin CarPlay Ultra Screen

Apple's CarPlay Ultra to Expand to These Vehicle Brands Later This Year

Sunday February 1, 2026 10:08 am PST by
Last year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. Nearly nine months later, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to Aston Martin's latest luxury vehicles, but that should change fairly soon. In May 2025, Apple said many other vehicle brands planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis. In his Powe...
Apple Logo Black

Apple's Next Launch is 'Imminent'

Sunday February 1, 2026 12:31 pm PST by
The calendar has turned to February, and a new report indicates that Apple's next product launch is "imminent," in the form of new MacBook Pro models. "All signs point to an imminent launch of next-generation MacBook Pros that retain the current form factor but deliver faster chips," Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said on Sunday. "I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated...
Apple MacBook Pro M4 hero

New MacBook Pros Reportedly Launching Alongside macOS 26.3

Sunday February 1, 2026 5:42 am PST by
Apple is planning to launch new MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips alongside macOS 26.3, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "Apple's faster MacBook Pros are planned for the macOS 26.3 release cycle," wrote Gurman, in his Power On newsletter today. "I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated for the macOS 26.3 software cycle, which runs from...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by
We are still waiting for the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate to come out, so the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week or two away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April. Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far. iOS 26.3 iPhone to Android Transfer Tool iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
14 inch MacBook Pro Keyboard

Apple Changes How You Order a Mac

Saturday January 31, 2026 10:51 am PST by
Apple recently updated its online store with a new ordering process for Macs, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro. There used to be a handful of standard configurations available for each Mac, but now you must configure a Mac entirely from scratch on a feature-by-feature basis. In other words, ordering a new Mac now works much like ordering an...

Top Rated Comments

Treble Avatar
19 months ago
Now you see it and now you don’t

Attachment Image

Attachment Image
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
spaxxedout Avatar
19 months ago
I just tried it on a screenshot of my Apple Card balance.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
August West Avatar
19 months ago
And the shadow from the bottle remains even though the bottle is no longer visible.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
spaxxedout Avatar
19 months ago
Much better than I expected. Very good for a local model.



Attachment Image

Attachment Image
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GrayFlannel Avatar
19 months ago

Now you see it and now you don’t
Flawless. No one can tell it was shopped.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ChrisA Avatar
19 months ago
a lot of phototography is utilitarian. I use a camera like a notebook. This feature, even if it makes uigly artifacts would help with these kinds of record-keeping photos because I would remove anything that is distracting.

As an example, yesterday I send a bicycle manufacturer a photo of a bike with a question about exactly when it was made. Had this "clean up" feature been available I could have removed every non-bike object that cluttered the frame. I just needed to order a part and which parts depended on when the bike was made. Many people use cameras to communicate things like proposed changes at a construction site or whatever. So the feature does not need to be perfect to be very useful.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)