The iPhone’s Photos app has no blur brush, but it can blur a picture in two built-in ways. To blur the background, open a Portrait mode photo in Photos, tap Edit, tap the Depth Control button (an f with a number), and drag the slider. To blur a face or a private detail, use Clean Up on an iPhone with Apple Intelligence, which pixelates a face when you brush over it.
A normal photo can’t get a background blur unless your iPhone saved depth information with it. iPhone 15 and later models do that automatically when there’s a person, dog or cat in the shot. On older iPhones, take the photo in Portrait mode, or use a free editing app for pictures you’ve already taken.
Which method do you need?
| What you want | Best tool | Works on |
|---|---|---|
| Blurry background behind a person or pet, already taken | Photos > Edit > Depth Control | Portrait mode photos; iPhone 15 and later photos with depth info |
| Blurry background, taking a new photo | Camera in Portrait mode | iPhone SE (2nd generation) and later, iPhone X and later, iPhone 7 Plus and 8 Plus |
| Hide a face in a photo you’ll share | Clean Up in Photos | iPhones with Apple Intelligence (iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 16 and later) |
| Hide a license plate, address or text | Markup (solid shape) or a third-party app | Any iPhone |
| Blur an entire picture or any area you choose | A third-party editing app | Any iPhone |
How to blur the background of a photo you already took
This works for photos taken in Portrait mode. They show a Portrait label in the top-left corner when you open them in Photos.
- Open Photos and tap the Portrait photo.
- Tap Edit. On iOS 18 and later it’s the icon with three sliders at the bottom of the screen.
- Tap the Depth Control button. It shows an f and a number, such as f/4.5.
- Drag the slider under the photo. A lower number, like f/1.4, blurs the background more. A higher number, like f/16, makes it sharper.
- Tap Done to save.
The blur is an effect, not a permanent change. You can reopen Edit and move the slider again at any time, or turn the effect off by tapping Portrait at the top of the edit screen and then Done.
Turn a regular photo into a portrait (iPhone 15 and later)
On iPhone 15 and later models, Apple says the camera automatically records depth information when there’s a person, dog or cat in the frame, or when you tap to focus on something. That lets you add background blur to a photo you took in normal Photo mode.
- Open the photo in Photos.
- If depth was captured, you’ll see a Portrait or f button on the photo. Tap it to turn on the portrait effect.
- Tap Edit to adjust the blur strength with Depth Control. You can also tap a different person or object to move the focus point.
If there’s no Portrait button, the photo has no depth information and Photos can’t blur its background. Use one of the apps described below instead.
How to take a photo with a blurred background
Getting the blur in the camera gives the cleanest result.
- Open Camera and swipe to Portrait.
- Frame your subject and follow the on-screen hints, such as moving closer or farther away, until the name of the lighting effect (for example Natural Light) turns yellow.
- To preview a stronger or softer blur before you shoot, tap the f button and drag the slider (available on most recent models).
- Tap the shutter button.
Apple lists Portrait mode on iPhone SE (2nd generation) and later, iPhone X and later, and iPhone 7 Plus and 8 Plus. Selfies in Portrait mode need an iPhone X or later. On any iPhone, you can also get natural blur by moving close to a small subject, like a flower or a cup of coffee, with the background far behind it.
How to blur a face in a photo
This is the fastest way to hide someone’s identity before you post a picture, and it’s built into Photos on iPhones with Apple Intelligence (iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and iPhone 16 models or later).
- Open the photo in Photos and tap Edit.
- Tap Clean Up in the row of editing tools.
- Brush over the face you want to hide, covering it completely. Instead of erasing the person, Photos covers the face with a pixelated pattern.
- Check the result, repeat for any other faces, and tap Done.
If Photos removes the whole person instead, that’s the regular Clean Up behavior; tap the undo arrow and brush just the face. To erase someone entirely, see our guide to removing a person from a photo on iPhone.
How to hide text, a license plate or other details
For anything that isn’t a face, Photos doesn’t blur, but Markup can cover it completely, which is actually safer than blur.
- Open the photo, tap Edit, then tap the Markup button (a pen tip).
- Tap the Add (+) button and add a square shape, or pick the pen tool with the thickest line.
- Set the shape or pen to a solid color and full opacity, then place it over the detail.
- Tap Done.
Warning: Don’t use the highlighter or a semi-transparent color. They look dark on your screen, but the text underneath can often still be read, especially if someone brightens the image. The same advice applies when you mark up a screenshot before sharing it.
If the detail sits at the edge of the photo, it may be simpler to crop it out.
Apps for blurring any photo or any area
For a background blur on an older photo without depth data, a soft blur over the whole picture, or a blur brush you can paint anywhere, you’ll need an editing app from the App Store. Google’s free Snapseed, for example, has a Lens Blur tool that softens everything outside a point you choose. Many other editors, some free and some paid, offer a blur brush. Check what an app does with your photos in its App Store privacy details before you install it.
Apps save the edited picture as a new copy, so your original stays in Photos.
How to undo a blur
For any edit made in the Photos app, including Depth Control, Clean Up and Markup, open the photo, tap Edit, tap Revert and choose Revert to Original. Photos keeps the original, so nothing is lost. If you already shared the edited copy, though, the other person keeps what you sent.
Common questions
Why don’t I see the Depth Control button?
The photo wasn’t taken in Portrait mode and has no depth information. On iPhone 15 and later, photos only get depth automatically when the camera spots a person or pet or when you tap to focus.
Can I unblur a blurry picture on iPhone?
Only if the blur is a Portrait effect: raise the f-number or turn Portrait off. A photo that’s blurry from camera shake or missed focus can’t be made truly sharp, though raising Sharpness in Edit > Adjust helps a little.
Can I blur the background of a video?
Yes, with Cinematic mode in the Camera app on iPhone 13 and later. It adds a Portrait-style blur to video, and you can change the focus afterward in Photos.
Matthew Roberts is the founder and editor of ARS Digitech. He started the site to answer the iPhone questions his friends and family kept asking him, and it has grown into a library of iPhone and iOS how-to guides. Matthew writes and maintains every tutorial on the site, checking steps and menu names against Apple’s official support documentation and updating guides when an iOS release moves a setting.