Whether you're on a Samsung Galaxy, Google Pixel, Xiaomi, or any Android phone, here are four ways to erase photo backgrounds — without paying for an app.
iPhone users have had a one-tap "Remove Background" option in Photos since iOS 16. Android doesn't have a universal equivalent — Samsung hides Object Eraser deep in Gallery settings, Google Pixel relies on Magic Eraser (which removes objects, not backgrounds), and budget phones from Xiaomi, Oppo, and Motorola offer nothing at all.
The good news: Chrome on Android is powerful enough to run AI background removal directly in the browser. No app install, no subscription, no storage bloat. Here's how.
This is the best method for almost everyone. It works on every Android phone and costs nothing.
Launch Chrome (or Firefox, Edge, Brave) and navigate to the SmartImgKit background remover. It loads in about a second, even on slower phones.
Chrome will open your Android photo picker. Select any JPG, PNG, or WebP. The file never leaves your phone — processing runs locally.
On a mid-range Android phone, the AI model processes the image in about 4 seconds. Older devices may take 8–10 seconds.
Tap download. The PNG saves to your Downloads folder. Open it in any app that supports transparency — Instagram stories, Canva, WhatsApp stickers, or your e-commerce app.
If you have a recent Samsung (S21 and newer, Z Fold/Flip series), the Gallery app has a built-in tool:
Object Eraser works well for simple backgrounds but struggles with hair, fur, and complex edges. For those cases, use the browser method above.
Pixel phones (6 and newer) have Magic Eraser in Google Photos. Open the photo in Google Photos → Edit → Tools → Magic Eraser. It removes unwanted objects but doesn't produce a transparent PNG — it fills in the background instead.
If you need a true transparent cutout for stickers or design work, use the browser method. Magic Eraser is better for "remove this photobomber from my vacation photo."
If you prefer a native app for offline use, these are the best free options:
| App | Free Tier | Watermark | Offline |
|---|---|---|---|
| PhotoRoom | 3 free cuts/day | Yes (free) | No |
| Background Eraser | Unlimited | No | Partial |
| Remove.bg (app) | Low-res only | Low-res | No |
| SmartImgKit (browser) | Unlimited | No | Yes (after load) |
Ranking the major Android OEMs on native background removal:
Android fragmentation means the same tool can behave differently across devices. Here are the most common issues:
Some third-party camera apps (like Pixellab, Background Eraser by handyCloset) offer one-tap background removal as you shoot. The advantage: you see the cutout immediately. The disadvantage: quality is usually worse than post-processing with a full AI model, and the free versions are ad-heavy.
For most users, shooting normally then removing the background in a browser tool gives better results than doing it in-camera. The post-processing model has more compute available than a phone's real-time pipeline.
Once you have the transparent PNG, here's where it goes:
SmartImgKit runs in your Android browser. One tap to remove any background.
Try It Now →Yes. Chromebooks and Android tablets work the same way — open the browser and process photos on the larger screen.
No. The AI model runs at full resolution on your device. The output PNG matches your input dimensions, just with the background removed.
Browser tools typically handle one image at a time on mobile. For batches of 20+, use the desktop version on a computer. On a phone, processing 5–10 images manually is quick enough.
Make sure Chrome is updated to the latest version. WebGPU support (which speeds up processing) requires Chrome 113+. Older phones will fall back to WASM, which is slower but still works.
Absolutely. Remove the background, save the PNG, then use a sticker maker app (or WhatsApp's built-in sticker feature) to turn your cutout into a sticker. This is one of the most popular use cases.