Photoshop Is Now Officially Available (and Free) on Both iPhone and Android

"Photoshop" is synonymous with image editing—the app is an industry standard, and has been for over 30 years. But while Photoshop has been available on computers forever and on tablets for some time now, those looking to edit images on their smartphones have had to make due with competing programs.

That changed earlier this year. In February, Adobe officially made Photoshop available on iPhone. Just over three months later, it has now released the app in beta on Android, and you can officially download it for either platform. Head to the App Store or Play Store, search "Photoshop," and you'll see not just the usual alternatives—like Lightroom, Canva, and Facetune—but the real deal. Plus, the app itself is free, in addition to a number of its "core imaging and design tools."

According to the company, you'll be able to use the following tools, free of charge:

• Selections, layers and masks

• Tap Select tool

• Spot Healing Brush

• Adobe Firefly AI features, like Generative Fill and Generative Expand

• Integration with Adobe Express, Adobe Fresco, and Adobe Lightroom

• Access to "hundreds of thousands" of free Adobe Stock assets

Credit: Adobe

In its initial announcement back in February, the company showed off a number of edits one might use the app for: using a masking tool to copy a subject from one image and paste it to another; using a "quick select brush" to isolate parts of an image from the final product; layering multiple images over one another to create a dramatic but realistic assortment of items around the subject; changing the color of one element of an image, while preserving the rest; and selecting objects to quickly remove them from the scene.

Of course, Adobe is also pushing its AI features—namely, Generative Fill. In one demo, a rep needs to insert an island onto an image of an ocean. They use the lasso tool to highlight where in the image they want that island to be, then use Generative Fill to create a grassy piece of land with AI. In another, Generative Fill is used to remove a background, replacing it with the sky seen in a different part of the image.

If you have previous Photoshop experience, you should be quite familiar with the tools and features of this incarnation of the program. However, it may take you a moment to get your bearings. This version definitely feels and functions like a mobile app, meaning its UI looks like many other image editing apps you might have used before. As such, it could take some trial and error before you understand where all of your usual options and features are located. Aside from that, this is the typical Photoshop experience, distilled into mobile form.

There are more paid features (but they are temporarily free on Android)

While Photoshop and its "core" features are free to download and use on iPhone, there are more features and perks if you choose to pay. Adobe has a "Photoshop Mobile and Web plan" for customers who want more on the iOS, iPadOS, Android, and web versions of the app. That includes:

• Access to Photoshop on the web

• Expanded access to Firefly-powered AI tools, like Generate Similar and Reference Image

• Access to over 20,000 fonts (or import your own)

• Object Select for precise selections

• Magic Wand for targeted adjustments

• Remove Tool

• Clone Stamp

• Content-Aware Fill

• Advanced blend modes for styling your image

• "Lighten" and "Darken" to lighten or darken different parts of an image

This plan costs $7.99 per month, or $69.99 per year. If you already pay for Photoshop, you now have all of these perks included in your plan.

Extra features are free while the Android version is in beta

The good news, for Android users, is that Adobe is making all these features free while the app is in beta. If you have even a passing interest in Photoshop, I'd recommend checking out the beta ASAP to try out these premium features while you can.