Google Photos may bring Pixel 9 Magic Editor tools to older Pixels

In short: Google’s Pixel 9 phones introduced new Magic Editor photo tools, and signs in Google Photos suggest they may later expand to Pixel 6 and newer devices.

What's going on

Google launched the Pixel 9 phone lineup in 2024 with expanded editing tools inside Magic Editor in Google Photos. These tools let people type what they want to change in a photo using normal words, like asking to change the sky, remove an object, or add new items.

Some of the best-known Pixel 9 features include Auto Frame, which can re-crop a picture or fill in missing edges so the subject sits better in the shot (like straightening and re-centering a framed photo on a wall). Another feature, Reimagine, lets you type a prompt to add or change parts of an image, such as adding palm trees, wildflowers, or even replacing the background.

Pixel 9 also introduced Add Me, which combines two photos so the person taking the picture can also appear in the group shot. It uses alignment help on screen so the two images match up. Google’s older tools like Magic Eraser, which removes unwanted objects, continue to be part of this broader set of edits. You can learn more about that tool here: Magic Eraser.

By early 2026, reports noted that code found in Google Photos suggested these Pixel 9 style Magic Editor features could be coming to Pixel 6 and newer phones. Google has used a mix of processing on the phone and in the cloud (remote computers) to make these edits work.

What to watch

If these features move to older Pixels, more people will be able to make big changes to photos with a few words. It also raises ongoing questions about limits and safety, since some early guardrails could be sidestepped with clever prompts.

Source: The Verge AI