Google adds Magic Eraser and faster Night Sight in Pixel Phones

Last Updated: March 14, 2023

A new software update being rolled out to all Pixel smartphones from Google starts today and includes several cool features.

Principal among these is the ability to take faster low-light shots and manage a wider range of editing functions.

The low-light photo feature being introduced is called Night Sight. It lets you take a photo in low lighting more quickly and sharply, though Google hasn’t specified exactly how much faster the shooting process now is once you tap the shutter icon.

I note that this Night Sight feature is only going to the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro phones since it already functionally exists in the newer Pixel 7 lineup. On the other hand, it seems that the Pixel 6a phone won’t include Night Sight.

As for the broader editing functionality, this new tool is called Magic Eraser and will go to all Pixel phones of all types. With Magic Eraser, users of any Pixel phone, old or new, can erase unwanted people and objects from their photos.

image of google magic eraser

For those of you wanting to forget old love interests digitally, this might just be a handy tool for bad doses of nostalgia.

Google first announced Magic Eraser in February, but for older model Pixel phones like the 5a and those before it. The technology was also touted as being available with Google One accounts, making it usable with Google Photos.

This addition of the technology to Google Photos basically opens it up for people who don’t even have a Pixel phone.

In other words, anyone taking photos with any device can use Magic Eraser through their Photos account with Google on any device in which it’s accessible.

It’s also worth mentioning that Google isn’t the only company to unveil this editing technology. Samsung has something similar called “Object Eraser” in its Gallery app, and we’ll doubtless see many more options like this emerge soon from assorted sources.

Google’s February addition of Magic Eraser also came with an option for applying HDR preset effects to videos in certain Pixel phones.

Finally, Google hasn’t mentioned adding Photo Unblur to older Pixel phones. This feature is available in Pixel 7 devices but as far as we know, older Pixel phones can only use Face Unblur.

Highly Recommended

8 Tools for Photographers

Check out these 8 essential tools to help you succeed as a professional photographer.

Includes limited-time discounts.

Learn more here

Stephan Jukic Shotkit Journalist, Writer & Reviewer

Stephan Jukic is a technology and photography journalist and experimental photographer who spends his time living in both Canada and Mexico. He loves cross-cultural street photo exploration and creating fine art photo compositions.