When using the clean up tool in photos, instead of removing the person it applies identity protection. I used to be able to remove heads and entire people but now it just applies the pixels. I can’t find a way to change that setting.
[Edited by Moderator]
Original Title: clean up tool applies identity protection
You didn't say what model and OS you are using, so it makes it hard to know what to say. I can do this with iOS18.6, like this:
I circled the girl, and she disappeared from the diving board.
I can also make Superman's mouth disappear:
In both cases I zoomed in so the subject, the girl or the mouth, took up a big part of the screen.
Does zooming work for you?
Some background on the less-than-documented identity protection and the “identity protection applied” message:
Turn off “Safety Filter” during “Clean Up… - Apple Community (a discussion of the issues here)
Log feedback with Apple too, if you find the identity protection tool being entangled with the cleanup tool awkward.
mouthmanca wrote: I’m on an iPhone 15 pro max with iOS 18.6
Good-- that's what I used.
I'm afraid you will see way more complaining than information. For me, as I zoom in to get the area I want, I haven't had any real problems, as you can see from my examples. As MrHoffman suggests, if you would like Apple to know about problems you have, then send them a message-- they seem to pay attention:
Brand0nC wrote: … Mine will both pixelate a face and remove a face.
That's the normal way it works. As we've said (over and over, apparently,) zooming in lets you work on smaller things, and it will keep Clean Up from dealing with parts of a face as a face.
Brand0nC wrote:
Mine will both pixelate a face and remove a face.
Some background on the less-than-documented identity protection and the “identity protection applied” message:
Turn off “Safety Filter” during “Clean Up… - Apple Community (a discussion of the issues here)
Log feedback with Apple too, if you find the identity protection tool being entangled with the cleanup tool awkward.
We can’t yet discuss details of iOS 26 (details not already discussed by Apple), but that will change soon.
I had this problem. People were pixilated instead of removed. So I went into the “mark up” option, used the red marker and filled in the person’s face then went back to the image and used the removal tool. It worked perfectly.
SoCalDave2 wrote: …I had this problem. People were pixilated instead of removed. So I went into the “mark up” option, used the red marker and filled in the person’s face then went back to the image and used the removal tool. It worked perfectly.
Clever!
I’m on an iPhone 15 pro max with iOS 18.6
Mine will both pixelate a face and remove a face.
[Edited by Moderator]
Clean up tool in Photos app applies identity protection
