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How to remove a photo background on iPhone or Android, without an app

Last updated October 17, 2026

Short answer

Open cutoutfree.com in your phone’s browser, tap Choose a photo and pick one from your gallery or camera. The background is removed on your phone in a few seconds. Then tap Save image on iPhone, or Download on Android, to put it in your gallery. There is no app to install, and it’s free for 10 photos a day.

Step by step

  1. Open the site in your browser. Go to cutoutfree.com in Safari, Chrome, Samsung Internet or any other browser. If you opened the link inside Instagram, Facebook or another app, use its menu to open it in your browser instead: saving works best there.
  2. Choose a photo. Tap Choose a photo, then pick one from your gallery or take a new one with the camera.
  3. Wait a few seconds. The very first time, your phone downloads the AI once, about 40 MB, so Wi-Fi helps. After that, each photo takes a few seconds.
  4. Pick a background. Keep it transparent (the checkerboard), tap a color, or tap Use a photo to put another picture behind it.
  5. Save it. On iPhone and iPad, tap Save image, then “Save Image” in the menu that opens: the picture goes to Photos. On Android, tap Download: the picture goes to your Downloads folder and shows up in your gallery, usually in an album called Download.

Can my phone do this on its own?

Some phones can lift the subject out of a photo themselves:

  • iPhone and iPad (iOS 16 or later, iPhone XS or newer): open the photo in Photos, touch and hold the subject until it lights up, then tap Copy or Share.
  • Samsung Galaxy (newer models): open the photo in the Gallery app and touch and hold the subject, then choose Copy, Share or Save as image.

That is handy for a quick sticker in a chat. CutOutFree is the better choice when you want a color or another photo behind the subject, a picture that keeps the size of your original photo, or when your phone does not have that feature.

Keep it on your home screen

If you use it often, add it to your home screen and it opens like an app. On iPhone, in Safari, tap the Share button, then “Add to Home Screen”. On Android, in Chrome, open the ⋮ menu and tap “Add to home screen”.

Phone or computer?

Phones use a lighter version of the AI so that it runs smoothly, and very large photos are scaled down to 2048 pixels on their longest side, which is plenty for social media and messages. For difficult photos with lots of hair or fur, a computer can use the Detailed setting: see how to keep hair and fine edges.

Try it now

Free for 10 photos a day, no sign-up, nothing uploaded.

Remove a background

Questions

Do I need to install an app?

No. CutOutFree works in the browser on iPhone, iPad and Android. You can add it to your home screen if you want it to open like an app.

Where does the picture go on Android?

Into your Downloads folder. It also shows up in your gallery app, usually in an album called Download.

My iPhone shows no “Save Image” menu. What now?

Some browsers inside other apps cannot open that menu. CutOutFree then shows the picture full screen instead: touch and hold it and tap “Save to Photos”. Or open cutoutfree.com in Safari and try again.

Why does it say my phone ran out of memory?

Removing a background takes a lot of memory for a phone. Close other apps and browser tabs and try again; the page also switches to a lighter setting by itself. A computer always manages.

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