Snip for iPhone and iPad · Guide
How to remove the background from a picture on iPhone
The quickest built-in way: open the photo in Photos, touch and hold the subject, then tap Copy or Share. When you need a transparent PNG in your library, a new background, an outline or a size for Instagram or your shop, use Snip — it removes the background automatically, and 3 photos a day are free.
Remove a background with Lift Subject
Lift Subject is built into iOS 16 and later on iPhone XS, iPhone XR and newer models. It works in Photos, Safari, Quick Look and other apps, right on your iPhone.
Open the photo
Open a photo full screen in Photos, or pause a video on the frame you need.
Touch and hold the subject
Keep holding until a glowing outline appears around the person, pet or object.
Copy, share or make a sticker
Tap Copy and paste the cutout into a message, email or note, tap Share to send it with AirDrop or to another app, or tap Add Sticker.
Where Lift Subject stops
- iOS chooses the subject for you. If it grabs the wrong object or cuts off hair, there’s no brush to fix it.
- You get the cutout itself: no new background, outline or canvas size such as a square for a marketplace.
- It handles one photo at a time.
- Older iPhones, and any iPhone on iOS 15, don’t have it.
Remove a background with Snip
Snip is free to download with 3 background removals a day, and new backgrounds, outline and crop sizes are included. Refine Edges, ×2 export, templates and batch mode are part of PRO. Photos are processed on our server, so you need an internet connection.
Pick a photo
Open Snip and tap Start with image to choose a photo from your library, or tap the camera button to take a new one.
Let Snip cut it out
The background is removed automatically — you’ll see “Doing the magic...” for a few seconds. Keep Snip open until the cutout appears.
Choose a background
Under BACKGROUND, keep it transparent or pick white, black, any color, a gradient or one of your own photos. OUTLINE adds a sticker-style border in the color and thickness you like.
Pick a size
In the crop menu, choose AUTO for a tight cutout, ORIGINAL, SQUARE, CIRCLE or a ratio such as 9:16, or a ready size for Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Shopify or Poshmark. Drag and pinch the subject to place it; SCALE changes its size.
Save
Tap Save. Snip adds a PNG to Photos — with a transparent background if you kept one. To send the file to another app, tap the share button next to Save.
Fix the edges
If the cutout missed a strand of hair or kept a bit of the background, tap Refine Edges above the photo. Paint with Erase to remove leftovers or Restore to bring parts of the subject back, and adjust the brush with Size and Blur (Smooth softens the edge of the mask). You can try Refine Edges for free; saving the changes needs PRO.
Next to it, Erase Objects removes things from the photo itself — a price tag, a cable or a person in the background. How the eraser works.
Transparent background on iPhone
Transparency needs the right file format. Snip always saves a PNG, which keeps transparent areas, so the cutout can go on top of a slide, a design or a website without a white box around it.
JPEG can’t store transparency. If an app or a messenger converts your picture to JPEG, the transparent area turns into a solid color — share the PNG file with Snip’s share button instead.
On iPad
Snip runs on iPad with iPadOS 15.0 or later, with the same tools and the same subscription.
Up to 10 photos at once
Tap Batch Edit on the start screen and choose up to 10 photos — product shots for a listing, for example. Snip removes every background; tap a photo to refine it, add more with ADD PHOTOS, then tap Save to put each one in Photos as a PNG of up to 2048 px, or 4096 px with ×2. Batch mode is part of PRO.
Lift Subject or Snip?
Lift Subject is enough for a quick sticker or a cutout to paste into a message. Snip is for transparent PNGs, new backgrounds, exact sizes and many photos.
| Feature | Lift Subject | Snip |
|---|---|---|
| Which devices | iPhone XS or newer with iOS 16 or later | Any iPhone or iPad with iOS 15.0 or later |
| Where it runs | On your iPhone | On our server, needs an internet connection |
| Fixing edges | Not available | Refine Edges with Erase and Restore brushes, PRO |
| New background | Not available | Color, gradient or your own photo |
| Crop sizes and outline | Not available | Square, circle, ratios, sizes for social media and shops; outline |
| Many photos at once | Not available | Up to 10 photos, PRO |
| Result | Copy, share or sticker | PNG saved to Photos, up to 4096 px; ×2 up to 8192 px with PRO |
| Price | Free, part of iOS | 3 photos a day free; PRO from $9.99 a month |
Questions about removing backgrounds on iPhone
Does iPhone have a built-in background remover?
Yes. On iPhone XS and newer with iOS 16 or later, you can lift the subject off the background: touch and hold it in Photos, then tap Copy or Share. It’s perfect for stickers and messages; for a new background, crop sizes or many photos at once, use an app like Snip.
Can you remove the background from a picture on iPhone for free?
Yes. Lift Subject in Photos is free. Snip removes the background from 3 photos a day for free, and new backgrounds, outline and crop sizes are included.
How do I make a transparent background on iPhone?
Remove the background in Snip, keep the background transparent and tap Save. Snip saves a PNG, the image format that keeps transparent areas. To send it to another app, use the share button in Snip.
How do I change the background of a photo on iPhone?
Remove the background in Snip, open BACKGROUND and choose a color, a gradient or one of your photos. Then drag and pinch the subject to place it and tap Save.
When do the free background removals renew?
The counter on Snip’s start screen shows how many of the 3 free removals are left. They renew 24 hours after your first free removal.
Does Snip remove backgrounds offline on iPhone?
No. On iPhone and iPad, Snip sends the photo to our server to remove the background, so you need an internet connection. Snip for Mac removes backgrounds right on your Mac, even offline.