How to remove the background from a photo on Android

Remove a photo background on Android, step by step

1. 1

   Install BG Remover from Google Play

   It is free and runs on Android 8.0 and later. On first use the AI model installs itself through Google Play services — after that, everything works offline.

2. 2

   Tap New image and choose a photo

   Pick it from the Photo library, take one with the Camera, open a PNG, JPG or HEIC from Files, or share a photo into BG Remover from any other app.

3. 3

   Let the automatic cutout run

   The subject is detected and separated on the device in a few seconds. If the photo holds several people or objects, choose whether to keep them merged as one cutout or separate them into layers.

4. 4

   Pick a new background

   Open Background: Transparent for a PNG with no background at all, a solid colour, a gradient, a blur of the original background, one of the studio scenes, or any photo from your gallery.

5. 5

   Perfect the edges in Refine

   Open Refine and use the Brush, Lasso or Wand in Remove or Add mode, or Details to recover hair and soft edges. Zoom in up to 6× for precise work.

6. 6

   Export the result

   Tap Export, choose PNG (keeps transparency) or JPG (lighter), a resolution — Standard 1080 px, HD 2160 px, or 4K 4320 px with Pro — then Save, Share or Copy.

Tips for the cleanest cutout

The model finds the main subject on its own — a person, an animal, an object — and separates it from everything behind it. A few habits make the edge even cleaner:

• Contrast between the subject and what is behind it — a dark jacket against a light wall, for example.
• A sharp, well-focused subject, so every strand of hair is there to be traced.
• Soft, even light that shows the whole outline.
• A good-sized photo: the export is rendered from your original at full resolution, up to 4K.

Perfect hair, fur and fine edges

The cutout is a confidence mask — a per-pixel estimate — rather than a hard outline, which is how fine hair and fur survive the cut. To perfect an edge, the Refine screen has four tools:

• Details (Light, Medium or Strong) brings back the softest edges: hair, fur, tulle.
• Brush, with adjustable size and hardness — lower the hardness for a soft transition, keep it at 100 % for a crisp product edge.
• Wand selects an area of even colour in one tap, such as a patch of wall caught between an arm and the body.
• Lasso cuts a clean selection in one gesture around a hard edge.

To add an element to the cutout — a bag strap, a chair — use the Wand or the Brush in Add mode.

PNG or JPG?

Choose PNG when the background is transparent: it is the format that stores transparency, and the app selects it automatically for a transparent cutout. Choose JPG when you have placed a background behind the subject and want a lighter file for sharing.

Free, with Pro when you need it

Cutouts are unlimited and free, with exports up to HD (2160 px). Pro adds 4K, watermark-free exports, every studio scene, background blur, ID photos and batch processing — and each of them can also be unlocked for a while with a short ad.

Questions