Summary

  • Google Photos’ Magic Editor may soon be available for free, with a monthly save quota or unlimited saves with a paid Google One plan.
  • The tool is currently Pixel 8 exclusive but may expand to other Android devices, as all processing happens on the cloud.
  • Offering a free tier of Magic Editor could attract more One subscribers and compel users to upgrade for unlimited access to the feature.



Magic Editor is one of the best photo-editing tools available in Google Photos. First available exclusively on the Pixel 8 series, it allows you to move the subject around, remove unwanted objects, resize subjects, change the color of the sky, and more — all after taking the picture. Outside the Pixel 8 series, Magic Editor can be accessed by subscribing to a Google One plan with 2TB of storage or higher. But now, we’re learning that Google will soon make Magic Editor available to a lot more devices without even needing a One subscription, though with a catch.


The Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro laying next to each other on a desk mat, with sunlight gently hitting the backs of both devices.

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A teardown of the latest Google Photos APK by Android Authority hinted at some significant changes to Magic Editor’s availability, and Google has now outright confirmed its plans for expansion. Beginning May 15, all Google Photos users on Android, iOS, and ChromeOS will be able to access Magic Editor, as well as other AI editing tools like Magic Eraser, Photo Unblur, and Portrait Light, without paying for any subscriptions. Google is also expanding the availability of these tools to all Pixel devices, not just its most recent models.

The catch is that there will be a quota of saves every month if you’re not using a Pixel device, meaning you can only save ten photos edited with Magic Editor per month. For unlimited saves, you must still subscribe to a premium Google One plan. You can see some of these details in a string discovered by Android Authority:

Make editing even easier with a new AI experience from Labs. Remove distractions, move your subjects around, improve backgrounds, and more. You can save %s edited photos every month or subscribe to a Google One Premium plan for unlimited saves.


Additional strings in the Google Photos beta suggest that the free saves quota will automatically reset at the beginning of each month. Once you have exhausted the available quota, Photos will prompt you to upgrade to a paid One plan with 2TB or more space. It’s worth noting that the quota does not seem to apply to Magic Eraser, Photo Unblur, and Portrait Light — just Magic Editor.


A free Magic Editor tier could help Google gain more One subscribers

Animated GIF demonstrating the AI-powered Magic Editor in Google Photos
Source: Google

Google expanded Magic Eraser’s availability to non-Pixel devices with Google One, so it isn’t surprising that the company is taking the same approach with Magic Editor. While the tool has been marketed as a Pixel 8 exclusive, the processing happens entirely in the cloud. So, the device you take the photo from or use Magic Editor on does not affect its functionality.


By offering a free tier of Magic Editor and expanding its availability to non-Pixel devices, Google will give non-paying One users a taste of the feature. This could eventually compel many of them to upgrade to a premium Google One tier for unlimited access to the tool.