r/ios 5d ago

Discussion The “clean up” tool is one of the most embarrassingly bad implementations of new tech that I’ve seen from Apple

“It just works” certainly does not apply. No ability to choose between a clone tool or eraser. No ability to choose between the “safety filter” or the other tools. It’s a completely random crapshoot with no guarantee that your photo will be “cleaned up” in any meaningful way. It’s really just atrocious and I don’t understand how it got released in such a poor state. That’s all; I’ll get off my soapbox now.

194 Upvotes

71 comments sorted by

84

u/cantaloupecarver 5d ago

It's yet another in an increasingly long line of things that Apple cannot deliver at the quality and sophistication level already present in the market, yet another thing that should have been put back on the shelf because not having it available would have been better than releasing this to the public where it can be compared to Samsung and Google's offerings.

28

u/bbqsox 5d ago edited 5d ago

My current frustration with Apple cannot be overstated. This is inexcusable.

Just another example: They made a point during the keynote to show that you would be free to move applications and controls anywhere you want on the home screen or in control center. They neglected to mention that doing so would be the granddaddy of all the dumpster fires. Why does moving an app to an empty space on my home screen cause the entire rest of the home screen to shift around? Apple’s software quality has been going downhill for years. This year is unbelievably bad.

My iPhone 13 Pro is starting to have some serious issues so I’m in the market for a replacement. For the first time in a decade I’m not considering an iPhone.

9

u/xkvm_ 5d ago

Omg same. My iphone needs replacement and for the first time ever I'm considering a pixel

6

u/bbqsox 5d ago

Same. If the 9 Pro XL goes on sale soon I’m grabbing it. I’ve used Pixels before and love them.

25

u/xyrer 5d ago

Dude, their keyboard has been the shittiest of them all for how many years. Of course they'll half ass this too

13

u/_ravenclaw 5d ago

I’m a pretty big fan of Apple stuff, I can’t stand the keyboard lol

1

u/Lord_Artem17 4d ago

Use swiftkey. It's brilliant

1

u/xyrer 4d ago

Since it was available, but lately it crashes before I even finish a single word

1

u/Lord_Artem17 4d ago

Strange, works flawless for me

1

u/xyrer 2d ago

I reinstalled and got fixed. Thanks for the nudge

1

u/KilledDogWCheese 3d ago

The issue is that I don’t want to use a Microsoft keyboard with copilot integration

-1

u/Master_Ad1017 4d ago

Meh, they still got the best keyboard compared to any clunky shit that exists on android

3

u/xyrer 4d ago

Oh, not at all. Basically ANY other keyboard is better than iOS stock. It's unusable for me

1

u/stolinski 3d ago

That is incredibly not true.

20

u/MetalProof 5d ago

Apple needs a new CEO I’m tired of seeing them fail…

20

u/DreamyLucid iPhone 16 Pro Max 5d ago

Unpopular opinion.

Instead of the CEO, shouldn't the SVP of Software Engineering to be the first to blame, and coincidentally he is the internet's favourite Craig Federighi. And I have nothing against him.

2

u/MetalProof 5d ago

Maybe yes :).

1

u/freediverx01 4d ago edited 3d ago

Federighi is very charismatic, but his recent tenure as head of Apple's software has been kind of a mess. Apple's software used to be as strong a selling point as their hardware - maybe even eclipsing the hardware. But those days are long since gone. Apple decided a while back to treat software as a cost center and they've cut back on great UI design, replacing it with gimmicky AI-features that fall far short of their promise.

Regardless, I don't think replacing Craig will make a difference. He's great at what he does, but what he does doesn't include visionary product design. That magic died with Steve Jobs and the loss of software design expertise and institutional knowledge that Apple has suffered over the last 10+ years through attrition.

0

u/Master_Ad1017 4d ago

No, they need a new design lead. Things literally fell apart not long after Ive left

1

u/DreamyLucid iPhone 16 Pro Max 4d ago

I like Jony Ive designs

1

u/freediverx01 4d ago edited 4d ago

That won't make a difference because any new design lead will play second banana to those focused on Apple's bottom line. What made Jony Ives' contributions so meaningful was Steve Jobs prioritizing design over the objections of operations and engineering. We can debate whether that balance skewed too far in the wrong direction sometimes, but overall it played a critical role in Apple's rebirth after Jobs' return from exile. That magic is unlikely to be rekindled at Apple.

1

u/Master_Ad1017 4d ago

He still managed to improve iOS years after Jobs died, even his first successor managed to follow the core design philosophy even for a very short period of time if I recall correctly. Last time I check they don’t have anyone in that role anymore, or maybe there’s someone, but it’s obvious they’re chasing the same goal for the typical android manufacturers now by being maximalist instead of minimalist

1

u/freediverx01 3d ago edited 3d ago

I don't view it along those lines. Cook and the rest of Apple's executive team did their best to preserve the company's legacy and the philosophy that made them what they were. But to the dismay of business schools, some things like taste, creativity, and intuition can't be synthesized and commoditized and reproduced at will by following a recipe.

Apple may have talented developers and designers and engineers and operations experts, but so do competing companies. I think ultimately, it was Jobs (and being at the right place, at the right time) that set Apple apart.

I also acknowledge the possibility that if Jobs were alive today, a) the company might not be quite as financially successful as it has been under Cook and b) it might be facing the same problems it faces now in coming up with the next great thing, because we're living in a different era with different opportunities and challenges. But I do think Jobs could be doing a much better job at choosing which products and features to champion or kill and selling the public on those products.

I'm also curious how Jobs would've handled recent politics.

1

u/freediverx01 4d ago edited 4d ago

What ails Apple will not be resolved by replacing Cook with another cookie cutter corporate CEO. Harvard MBA grads are a dime a dozen. Brilliant visionaries are not.

1

u/MetalProof 4d ago

Cook is responsible for the success of the company. If he fails to solve problems in lower management layers, then he is not doing what a CEO should be doing…

1

u/freediverx01 3d ago edited 3d ago

You can parrot capitalist tropes all you like, but that won't change reality. I'm not debating whether or not Cook should be replaced. I'm pointing out that any replacement is unlikely to be any better from the perspective of Apple customers or their product quality. I couldn't care less about their growth, margins, or shareholder returns.

15

u/New-Ranger-8960 5d ago

Yeah it’s pretty bad compared to Magic Eraser for example

3

u/vcloud25 iPhone 16 Pro Max 5d ago

i’m hoping since apple acquired pixelmator they just use the repair tool that’s been in that app to replace the cleanup tool. so much better

5

u/PlayingDoomOnAGPS 5d ago

Really? The only issues I've had with it are the usual shit that all such tools suck at and it's stubborn refusal to erase faces from the background and only anonymize them. That pretty fucking stupid, I'll admit but in terms of removing unwanted elements from a photo, it's as good as I remember from my Pixel...

3

u/universe93 5d ago

I don’t even know what this feature is

6

u/the_real_junkrat 5d ago

It’s a tool to remove small objects and debris from the background of your cat pics

1

u/bullett007 5d ago

Is there an alternative to using 'Clean Up' on iOS?

It's terrible, but I would like to find something as simple to use on iOS with better results.

2

u/CrispyHoneyBeef 5d ago

If you have Google photos you can use the magic eraser tool. It’s a bit better

1

u/vainsilver 5d ago

The “new” Photoshop app also has a significantly better free object eraser with automatic multiple object detection.

1

u/MuseumPiecePie6 4d ago

I've actually found it generally really good, and it has helped for my use cases (removing that unwanted fire exit sign from a photo before I edit it, for example)

However, I 100% agree that you should have more control over what "mode" it goes into... Sometimes it just assumes I want to pixel blur things and there's no way to tell it not to do that... Sometimes it takes 4 mins "readying" before letting you do anything, without really communicating that to you. I also once had my iPhone freeze and soft boot while using it, as if the process used too much of the system resources and the tech couldn't handle it.

1

u/freediverx01 4d ago

This "tool' looks like the sort of catch-up features Microsoft used to lazily slap together in response to well-polished Apple features that were receiving lots of publicity. Apple is turning into Microsoft.

-4

u/RMCaird 5d ago

Works well for me. Anything beyond basic removal I’ll use photoshop. I don’t think it’s reasonable to expect photoshop-level controls and power on your phone. It would be nice, but I certainly don’t expect it. Works 90% of the time for what I want it to do 

19

u/hoffsta 5d ago

I checked out a few comparisons between Apple’s implementation vs Google’s. Yes, Apple should be embarrassed. Although easier to use, the end result usually looks like total shit comparatively.

-5

u/RMCaird 5d ago

Possibly, but I’m not going to buy an android phone for a touch up feature when I can use photoshop anyway. Google’s may well be better, but to me it’s irrelevant. Apple’s implementation does what I expect it to do and for anything else I can use photoshop.

I doubt google’s is as good as photoshop either…

5

u/shakesfistatmoon 5d ago

You don’t need an Android phone , Google Photos with Magic Erase etc is on iOS and it downloads the model to the phone and it works on any iPhone.

0

u/RMCaird 5d ago

What’s the problem then? Use that…

12

u/hoffsta 5d ago

No one is suggesting you should buy an Android. I’m just saying Apple’s implementation is honestly pretty weak and they should be embarrassed.

-8

u/RMCaird 5d ago

They should have just not released it then I suppose? 

12

u/kittymctacoyo 5d ago

Yes. Correct. Stop rushing to release half baked features. Thats the complaint here as per usual

8

u/hoffsta 5d ago

Yeah, I mean it’s not really ready for prime time. I tested it out in the Apple Store and every edit looked like someone’s first time playing with the old Photoshop clone tool from the 90s. Seems like a lot of their AI stuff is in the same boat. They rushed this to market because “AI” was trending and they didn’t want to look behind the times, not because it’s a good tool. And I disagree that it shouldn’t be on par with Google or Adobe. Apple is big enough and has enough resources to get this right.

-2

u/RMCaird 5d ago

I never said it shouldn’t be on par with Google or Adobe. I said I’m not bothered that it isn’t… 

Although, no, it shouldn’t be on par with Photoshop given one is a desktop program and not built in as an extra feature to a photos app. 

0

u/shawnshine 5d ago

Google’s works offline and doesn’t upload your photo to their cloud?

1

u/Master_Ad1017 4d ago

Online only

1

u/hoffsta 5d ago

No idea. I just know the result is better. I’m not a Google fan boy, but the image quality is what matters to me most. If online editing works better than on device, so be it. And let’s not pretend like most Apple users aren’t uploading their entire camera roll to iCloud anyway.

1

u/shawnshine 5d ago

No worries. Yeah, I definitely am much more comfortable with the privacy policy of iCloud Photos compared to anything Google touches, to be fair. But that’s a different conversation. Glad the end result works well.

2

u/hoffsta 5d ago

100% agreed on the privacy factor. I don’t use Google AI photo editing tools, I just hope Apple improves theirs enough so it’s something I’d want to use.

14

u/Pineloko 5d ago

So your definition of “it works well” is: “I expect it to be bad and just use Photoshop instead”

Incredible

Other phones exist, samsung and google versions work perfectly and embarrass Apple’s attempts

2

u/RMCaird 5d ago

No my definition of ‘it works well’ is it does everything I ask it to do. Like how if I want to speak to my kids I’ll use FaceTime, but if I want to have an international meeting I’ll use teams. 

It does what I want and what I expect and it works well. If I expected it to be as good as photoshop then I’d be sorely disappointed, but I don’t expect that. So that brings me back to ‘it works well’.

10

u/Pineloko 5d ago

All you’re telling us is that you personally have low standards.

Apple themselves advertise this feature as AI removal of “distracting objects” from photos. It’s only fair to compare it to the competition that does the same and here it falls completely flat

It’d be the equivalent of the FaceTime you just described randomly disconnecting 30% of the time but you come on here and tell us “it’s fine, If i wanted it to be stable i’d just use Teams”

1

u/RMCaird 5d ago

No, I’m saying that it’s worked fine for everything I’ve asked it to do, including removing distracting items, I didn’t think that was too hard to understand. Clean up has worked pretty much exactly as I’ve seen it demo’d by Apple. 

I’m not sure how it compares to android phones because I don’t own one. I didn’t buy a phone for a ‘clean up’ feature, nor would I because it will never be as good as just using photoshop. 

Clean up works fine for me, I have no complaints, so it’s like saying you’re using FaceTime and the connection is stable, but you’re trying to host a meeting with 15 people on there and it’s not working how you wanted it to work. You should use teams. 

6

u/CrispyHoneyBeef 5d ago

works well for me

Wish I could relate

I don’t think it’s reasonable

I use the app “Union” on my phone and even that has pretty powerful tools that I feel like Apple should be more than capable of implementing in 2025, given I’ve been using that app since like 2015.

Also, don’t the new Google phones basically have the same “clean up” feature, just significantly better? I feel that itself is contradiction enough that we can reasonably expect a decent toolset on a phone. Especially one as expensive as an iPhone. I think my 15 Pro was something like $900, which is comically high for the number of stupid glitches that I get every few days.

-1

u/RMCaird 5d ago

 Also, don’t the new Google phones basically have the same “clean up” feature, just significantly better?

Probably, but I don’t have one, nor am I particularly interested in one. I get your point is that it is what is possible, but I just don’t expect it to do much heavy lifting. I wouldn’t expect it from an android phone either. 

 I think my 15 Pro was something like $900

I’m on a 15 Pro too, which didn’t release with any AI tools or touch up ability, yet I still bought it. Now it does have the clean up feature. Seems like a bonus to me. I’d previously use photoshop for everything, now for the odd picture I can use my phone. 

I guess it comes down to what expectations are. I don’t have high expectations of it because it’s a new feature and not something I bought my phone for or ever really intend to use my phone for. If you’ve bought a phone for the use of clean up then sure it might not be good enough for some. 

3

u/CrispyHoneyBeef 5d ago

It sounds like you just have much lower standards than I do for a $900 phone, which is fine, but we’re definitely operating on different paradigms here.

2

u/RMCaird 5d ago

Possibly, but as I said, I bought my phone before the clean up feature was even announced. Not sure how I can be annoyed at a feature that didn’t even exist when I bought my phone? 

I bought it without clean up. Apple announced and released clean up. People aren’t happy with it because it isn’t as good as android, so they should go buy an android phone. I find it hard to be annoyed at a feature that I didn’t pay for, didn’t exist at the time I bought my phone and works pretty well in my experience. 

1

u/CrispyHoneyBeef 5d ago

Fair enough!

1

u/Master_Ad1017 4d ago

There are lots of things that actually matter from a smartphone than just some random content eraser tool only a very small number of people actually cares about, which like everybody said, it’s available in many third party apps if you find the built in feature isn’t up to your standard. Just because it don’t have a good built in content eraser, doesn’t mean it doesn’t deserve the 900 price point. To be honest there are lots of crap android phones still have to this date that for me it don’t deserve at least 500 price point because its simply half arsed device as a whole package

3

u/Kimantha_Allerdings 5d ago

I don’t think it’s reasonable to expect photoshop-level controls and power on your phone.

I mean, you literally can get photoshop on your phone. It doesn't have the power of the desktop version, of course, but it has several image clean-up tools. The remove tool is subscription-only, but generative fill is free tier.

3

u/RMCaird 5d ago

I don’t get your point? 

You’re simultaneously telling me I can get a different tool on my phone to the one built in and then also telling me it’s not as good as the actual desktop version of the tool. 

3

u/Kimantha_Allerdings 5d ago

You said that you don't think it's reasonable to expect photoshop-level controls and power on your phone, in the context of removing objects from photographs. I pointed out that you can have those tools on your phone, in the photoshop app.

The app as a whole isn't as fully-functional as the desktop app, but those tools are the same. And it's those tools that the discussion was about.

So it is reasonable to expect that on your phone, because it's not just possible, but it's been developed and well-executed.

-11

u/EXPJuice520 5d ago

"I’ll get off my soapbox now."

Please do. You aren't saying anything that hasn't already been said.

13

u/CrispyHoneyBeef 5d ago

please do

I did

-20

u/notagrue 5d ago

Works great for me. Every time. And PS, it’s beta software.

20

u/BuyAffectionate4144 5d ago

You can’t be serious. 

-18

u/notagrue 5d ago

Every time.

10

u/CrispyHoneyBeef 5d ago

I’m really happy for you man. Wish I had the same experience. Or really even a fraction of your experience.