How to remove the background from a product photo on your phone

Ways to cut a product out of its background on an iPhone or Android phone, how to get pure white for Amazon, and how to shoot so the cut-out comes out clean.

Updated 2026-10-22

A clean background makes a product look professional, and some marketplaces require it, like Amazon for the main image. You no longer need a desktop editor: your phone can cut a product out in a second. How you shoot it matters more than the tool.

Shoot for a clean cut-out

Use a plain background that contrasts with the product: a white sheet behind dark products, grey or coloured card behind white ones. Cut-out tools find the edge by contrast.
Use soft daylight from a window. No flash and no harsh shadows.
Leave space around the product, and tap it on screen so it is in sharp focus.
Glass, shiny metal and fur are the hardest. Shoot them on a plain background close to the colour you want in the end.

On an iPhone: the built-in cut-out

Open the photo in the Photos app.
Touch and hold the product until a glowing outline appears.
Tap Copy or Share.
Paste it into an app where you can place it on a new background.

This works on iOS 16 and later, on iPhone XS, XR and newer. It gives you the product with no background at all (transparent), not on white, so a white background takes a second step in another app.

On Android

Some Android phones have a similar touch-and-hold cut-out in their gallery or photos app. The steps differ by maker and model, so search your phone maker's help pages for 'remove background' or 'extract subject'.

Getting real white

For Amazon's main image the background must be pure white: RGB 255, 255, 255. A background that only looks white, like 250 or 245, is not compliant. Check it with an eyedropper tool, or use an app with a pure white backdrop. Before you upload, look at the edges at full size: a thin halo of the old background means the cut-out needs another go. Amazon's other main-image rules, such as the product filling about 85% of the frame and no text, are in our Amazon photo guide.

A product-photo app does the whole job

A general cut-out leaves you with a transparent picture. For a listing you also need the background, the size and the framing. STAR Seller Studio's AI cuts the product out on your phone, places it on one of 46 backdrops, from pure white to marble, linen and wood, with real shadows, and sizes it for Amazon, Etsy, Shopify, Instagram and more, with a one-tap check for each marketplace. The photo is not uploaded for any of this. Only the optional AI scenes use the cloud, and the app asks first.

Questions

How do I remove the background from a photo on iPhone for free?

Open the photo in Photos, touch and hold the subject, then tap Copy or Share. It works on iOS 16 or later on iPhone XS, XR and newer, and gives you a transparent cut-out.

How do I make the background white on an iPhone photo?

Lift the subject as above, then paste it onto a white background in another app. For Amazon the white must be exactly RGB 255, 255, 255.

Why does my cut-out have rough edges?

Usually low contrast between the product and the background, soft focus or motion blur. Reshoot on a contrasting background in good light.

Is my product photo uploaded by STAR Seller Studio?

Not for the cut-out, the studio or the writer: they run on your phone. Only the optional AI scenes send a photo, and the app asks first.