How To Remove The Background Of Your Photos On Android

Since the integration of cameras into mobile devices, it has become second nature to take photos with your phone instead of the standard dedicated camera. It's simply more convenient, especially for two reasons. One, you have your device with you practically 24/7, making capturing the moment as easy as grabbing a phone from your bag. Plus, built-in cameras on mobile devices are getting more and more advanced by the minute, so getting high-quality pictures with just your phone is already a given.

But on top of snapping great photos, mobile phones are also more than capable of editing them directly. No more transferring to your computer or buying an expensive desktop photo editor app. This can be a lifesaver, particularly for simple tasks like removing the background of your photos, say for an ID picture or marketing material. Sure, you can always remove the background of your photos on Windows, Mac, and any other desktop, but it's more practical to do that on the go. Many of the best Android phones can already do this, like the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and the Google Pixel 8 Pro. But, if you have a phone that doesn't, or if you want to try different tools, here are six ways to erase your photos' background on Android.

The BG Remover tool is one of everyone's well-loved features on Canva. Unfortunately, it's locked behind a subscription, so only Pro users get to enjoy it. If you prefer not to shell out $15 a month just to erase the background on your images, there's actually a hidden workaround you can do to get a free version of the background remover tool still inside Canva. Simply follow these steps:

1. Download Canva from the Play Store.
2. Open the app.
3. Sign in with your Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Clever, or email account.
4. Tap the hamburger icon on the upper left to open the menu.
5. Go to Apps > Apps.
6. Search for "background eraser."
7. Tap the first result (one with the goat image).
8. Press Use in new design.
9. Select your desired size from the predefined options or enter a custom size.
10. In the Background Eraser panel on the left, tap Choose file.
11. Upload your image.
12. Hit Remove background to proceed.

After the background is removed, your edited photo will automatically be pasted on the blank canvas. Adjust the size by dragging the corners and sides of the image. You can also play around with Canva's other handy editing tools, such as filters, effects, smart crop, and elements (e.g., stickers, photos, graphics).

CapCut is everyone's go-to app for making and editing TikTok videos, YouTube reels, and other short-form video content, but it's also surprisingly useful for editing pictures. To use CapCut to remove the background of your photos, here's what you need to do:

1. Install CapCut on your Android device if you haven't already.
2. Open the app.
3. Go to the Edit tab.
4. Press Expand at the top of the screen to view more editing tools.
5. Tap Remove background from the options.
6. Pick the photo you want to edit.
7. Hit Edit on the bottom right of the screen. CapCut will then highlight the objects it will retain with a green overlay.
8. To get a better view of the selected objects, long-press the preview icon on the bottom-right of the image. This will show you the photo without the background.
9. If CapCut missed marking some spots you prefer to include in the image, press Quick select at the bottom. Adjust the brush size and highlight the desired areas. Long-press the preview icon again to check whether you've selected all the intended areas.
10. If CapCut selects some objects you don't want to be included in the final image, press Eraser. Change the brush size to get an accurate selection before clearing the unwanted areas. Long-press the preview icon to verify any areas you might have missed.
11. (Optional) Tap Edit more to open CapCut's photo editor, where you can add a solid color background to your photo, apply stickers, and change the image size.
12. Once you're happy with the output, hit Export at the top to save the image to your device.

You probably use, or at the very least, heard about the free Android photo editor app Pixlr. It's a great tool for making collages, smoothing photos, and adding styles like borders and stickers. It also proves useful for removing the background of your images on Android, although its background remover feature actually comes in a separate app: Remove Background by Pixlr. Here's how to use it:

1. Get Remove Background by Pixlr installed on your phone.
2. Open the app.
3. On the home screen, select Background.
4. Press Allow Access to give the app permission to access your media.
5. Pick the photo you need to erase the background of. You can batch edit up to ten photos.
6. Press Select in the upper right corner to start the background removal process.
7. If you want to edit the object selection:
   1. Tap on the photo.
   2. Press Edit Cutout.
   3. Change the size of your brush for more precision.
   4. Select Reveal to mark areas of the photos you want to keep in the final image.
   5. Tap Erase to delete parts of the initial selection. These areas will be removed along with the background.
   6. To review your edits, press the Preview button.
   7. Continue marking the areas until you're satisfied.
   8. Hit the checkmark to save your new selection.
   9. Press the back button to return to the editor screen.
8. Crop the object to recenter or enlarge it. Go to the Crop tab and select your preferred cropped photo from the options.
9. Save the image by pressing the download icon in the upper right corner and tapping Save to Photos. Alternatively, select Share to share the image to Facebook, Gmail, and your other apps.