The Pixel 9 series is here, and honestly, the AI features are so cool they might just make iPhone users a bit jealous. Sure, Apple’s got its own AI suite in the form of Apple Intelligence with neat tricks like Image Playground, Clean Up, AI-powered Siri, and call transcriptions, but there are some Pixel features I wish Apple would copy from Pixel to iPhone.
Table of Contents
1. Add Me
This feature blew my mind the first time I saw it at the Made by Google event. It lets you add yourself to a group photo after the photo is taken – by you!
Picture this – you’re taking a photo of your friends or family, but you’re the one behind the camera, so you can’t be in the frame. But thanks to the Add Me feature, you can still be part of that group photo.
How?
All you have to do is leave some space where you’d like to be in the shot, then have someone else take a second picture while you stand in that spot. The Pixel will then work its magic and combine the two images into one, with you right there in the group. To help you be in the right place, Pixel will show an AR overlay to guide you.
Seriously, how has no one thought of this before? It’s an awesome feature I want to see on iPhones. No more awkwardly asking strangers to take a picture or lugging around a selfie stick.
2. Reimagine in Magic Editor
Google Pixel already has the Magic Eraser feature that lets you remove objects and people from photos. Pixel 9 takes it up a notch with the new Reimagine feature in the Magic Editor. You can now reimagine your photos using generative AI to swap out one object for something completely different.
Want to change a dull sky to a stunning sunset? Just select the sky and explain to AI what you want and it’ll handle the rest. This feature is a game-changer for making your Instagram photos pop with customized visuals that are sure to grab attention and rack up those likes. Some examples include changing ground with tarmac to garden floor or replacing trees with rainy clouds.
Apple’s got its own on-device text-to-image generator called Image Playground and Genmoji in iOS 18, so here’s hoping they add something like Magic Editor soon.
3. Magic Audio Eraser
Just like the Magic Eraser for photos, the Pixel 9 has a Magic Audio Eraser for videos. It’s perfect for removing background noise. We tested it out during an office discussion where the AC was making a lot of noise. But thanks to the Audio Eraser, we were able to clear out that annoying hum.
Since iPhones are already known for their stellar video quality, I’d love to see this feature make its way to the next iPhone or maybe in the iOS 19 update.
4. Best Take
If you’re already impressed by the Add Me feature, you will love the Best Take feature. Let’s say you and your friends took a bunch of photos, but in every shot, someone’s either blinking, not smiling, or looking plain weird. Best Take saves the day by offering alternative face options that you can swap with just a tap.
This feature is a lifesaver for those who always end up with a less-than-perfect shot. With Best Take, you can easily fix those little imperfections, making sure everyone looks their best in your group photos.
5. Zoom Enhance
While there are plenty of online tools to enhance cropped photos, the Pixel 8 and 9 series let you do this right on the device. It uses Google’s Gemini AI to improve the quality of images when zoomed in. To do that, it fills the gaps in the pixels when you zoom in using AI to recreate the color, texture, and background.
So, what do you think? Which Pixel AI feature are you most excited about seeing on the iPhone? Is there another AI feature from a different smartphone that you would like to see on your iPhone? Hit us up on X (Twitter) and let us know.
