The latest Google Photos app was accidentally removing the Pixel 6’s Magic Eraser feature, but Google appears to have since halted the rollout of the latest build to prevent the issue from affecting all users. Among the suite of software tricks that the Pixel 6 introduced, Magic Eraser was one of the most interesting and impressive. As the name suggests, the feature allows users to remove certain elements from an image by just performing a rough on-screen selection.
Magic Eraser, which is currently exclusive to the Pixel 6 series phones, relies on machine learning to identify and remove objects based on what users have circled or brushed over in an image. Once a user specifies the image elements they want gone, the machine learning algorithms employ pixel prediction to understand what the image would look like without the selected element. It not only works on photos taken by the Pixel 6, but also those taken on non-Pixel smartphones as well.
However, multiple users have noted that the latest Google Photos update removed the feature from the app. The faulty version of Google Photos in question is v5.67. Sharing one of the Reddit complaints about Magic Eraser on Pixel 6 getting erased not-so-magically from the Google Photos app, Esper Senior Technical Editor Mishaal Rahman tweeted that Google apparently pushed a wrong build that lacks the Magic Eraser feature. Going through the user reports on Reddit and Twitter, it appears that the faulty build was rolled out via Google Play and it was also available from third-party repositories like APKMirror.
Google Accidentally Erases One Of Pixel 6’s Best Tricks
Google has since pulled the update from the Play Store with the latest build of Google Photos currently available being v5.66 via the stable channel. For those that had already installed the update, the only solution is to wait for a corrective update that will restore the Magic Eraser feature on their Pixel 6 series phone. Google tends to roll out updates in a phased manner, so if the update still appears, avoid installing it. For reference, it also appears that returning to an older build won’t bring back the feature either.
The accidental removal of Magic Eraser is not the only issue that has plagued Pixel 6 users. First, it was the practical demonstration that the Pixel 6 charging rate is slower than what Google had advertised. This was soon followed by a barrage of complaints regarding the fingerprint sensor being slow, something Google says is a deliberate security enhancement. Interestingly, the Pixel 6 duo lacks face unlock as an alternative method of authentication, but it appears that Google was once considering adding it, and it might still roll out at some point in the future. Otherwise, Google’s latest offerings, especially the vanilla Pixel 6 at $599, are terrific value for money given the powerful hardware and feature-rich software they bring to the table. Even though the Tensor chip powering them is not shattering any benchmark records, Google’s Pixel 6 phones still pack enough punch to ensure silky smooth day-to-day performance.
