This hidden iPhone editing tool removes the background from any image without the need for a third-party app

(Image credit: Future)

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Ever wanted to quickly remove the background of an image on your iPhone without downloading expensive third-party applications? There’s a hidden editing tool built into one of your iPhone’s applications that can do just that.

Nestled in the Files app, you’ll find a hidden editing tool that magically removes the background from any image you select. From there you can then import the edited image into any application you want.

Here’s how to quickly remove the background from images on iPhone.

Remove backgrounds in seconds

Hidden in the Files app is a fantastic feature that makes photo editing that little bit easier. Found under the Quick Actions tab, the ability to remove backgrounds from images simply plucks the subject from a photo and saves it as an additional file:

Select an image from within Files
Long press on the image
Tap Quick Actions
Select Remove Background

It’s that easy and all from within a file management app that many don’t even use. This trick not only works on the best iPhones like the iPhone 15 Pro Max but also on all devices able to run iOS 17.

In iOS 18, Apple Intelligence will allow you to remove elements from the background of images so you may not need to remove the whole background altogether, but until then this quick trick will get the job done.

If you’d like to try iOS 18 and all it has to offer early, you can download the iOS 18 beta right now and it’s really easy to install. Be warned, however, we don’t advise using beta software on your primary device as it can impact the performance and battery life.

iOS 18 is set to launch later this year alongside the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max.

John-Anthony Disotto is the How To Editor of iMore, ensuring you can get the most from your Apple products and helping fix things when your technology isn’t behaving itself. Living in Scotland, where he worked for Apple as a technician focused on iOS and iPhone repairs at the Genius Bar, John-Anthony has used the Apple ecosystem for over a decade and prides himself in his ability to complete his Apple Watch activity rings. John-Anthony has previously worked in editorial for collectable TCG websites and graduated from The University of Strathclyde where he won the Scottish Student Journalism Award for Website of the Year as Editor-in-Chief of his university paper. He is also an avid film geek, having previously written film reviews and received the Edinburgh International Film Festival Student Critics award in 2019. John-Anthony also loves to tinker with other non-Apple technology and enjoys playing around with game emulation and Linux on his Steam Deck.

In his spare time, John-Anthony can be found watching any sport under the sun from football to darts, taking the term “Lego house” far too literally as he runs out of space to display any more plastic bricks, or chilling on the couch with his French Bulldog, Kermit.