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Apple’s iOS 18.1 developer beta 3, released on August 28, 2024, added Clean Up to the Photos app. The Apple Intelligence tool is designed to remove distracting objects from a photo’s background while preserving its subject. This was a historical beta feature announcement, not a description of a current beta release.

What Clean Up does

Apple described Clean Up as a way to identify and remove distracting objects in a photo’s background “without accidentally altering the subject.” The feature appeared in Photos as part of Apple Intelligence. Apple’s September 2024 iOS guide also listed it as a photo-editing capability.

In practice, the aim is to remove an unwanted background detail—such as a distracting object—without changing the person or other subject in the foreground. It is not a guarantee that every removal will look natural, especially when the selected area is large or the surrounding scene is complex.

How to remove an object from an iPhone photo

In its August 2024 hands-on coverage of the beta, MacRumors reported that Clean Up could detect objects automatically, or let users mark one by tapping, circling, or brushing over it. The precise controls may differ in later iOS versions.

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  1. Open the photo in Photos. Choose the image you want to edit.
  2. Open Clean Up. Select the Clean Up editing tool, if it is available on your device and software version.
  3. Select the unwanted area. Let the tool identify objects or tap, circle, or brush over the object you want removed.
  4. Review the result. Check both the edited area and the surrounding subject. If the result is not what you want, revert the edit; MacRumors reported that reverting was possible in the early beta.

What early beta users should know

MacRumors’ August 28, 2024 hands-on report found that the early beta tended to work better on small unwanted objects against clearer backgrounds than on a large foreground person amid a busy scene. That is one publication’s observation of an early beta, not a controlled comparison or a guarantee of results in later versions.

  • Photos, not video: MacRumors reported that Clean Up did not work on videos in the early beta.
  • Live Photos: Applying the tool disabled Live Photos in that beta, according to the report.
  • Reversibility: The report said the edit could be reverted.

Those details describe the beta build covered at launch; they should not be assumed to apply unchanged to every later iOS release.

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Which iPhones supported Apple Intelligence at launch?

When Apple announced its first Apple Intelligence features on September 9, 2024, it named iPhone 16 models and iPhone 15 Pro models as eligible iPhones. Apple also said the initial availability required both the device language and Siri language to be set to US English. That announcement describes the launch scope, not the complete or current compatibility list.

Apple’s current support page lists advanced photo-editing tools, including Improved Clean Up, and says Apple Intelligence availability varies by platform, language, and region. Check Apple’s current Apple Intelligence availability and requirements for the applicable details rather than using the 2024 beta announcement as a current eligibility guide.

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How the feature moved from beta to iOS 18

MacRumors reported Clean Up’s arrival in iOS 18.1 developer beta 3 on August 28, 2024. On September 9, Apple said its first Apple Intelligence features would begin rolling out the following month with iOS 18.1, alongside iPadOS 18.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.1. Apple’s iOS 18 update documentation later listed Clean Up among the Apple Intelligence features in iOS 18.1.

For historical context, see MacRumors’ report on iOS 18.1 beta 3, its early Clean Up hands-on coverage, Apple’s September 9, 2024 Apple Intelligence announcement, and Apple’s iOS 18 update notes.

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Apple iPhone 16e, 128GB, Black - Unlocked (Renewed)
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  • Unlocked for freedom to choose your carrier. Compatible with both GSM & CDMA networks. The phone is unlocked to work with all GSM Carriers & CDMA Carriers Including AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, Straight Talk., Etc.
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