Blur the background of a photo after you shoot.

Open the photo in How to Blur Photo, keep the Background tab selected so the subject is detected automatically, choose Gaussian, drag Radius until the background is as soft as you want, and tap Save. It works on any photo in your library — Portrait mode is not required.

Only if the photo was captured in Portrait mode, using the f-number control in Edit. Normal photos, selfies without Portrait, screenshots, and received images have no depth data, so Photos offers no background blur for them. That is what this app is for.

Tap the Faces tab in How to Blur Photo. Every face in the frame is detected and blurred at once; choose Pixelate or Gaussian and set Radius. It runs on any iPhone with iOS 18.6 or later — no Pro model or Apple Intelligence needed.

Use the Manual tab: brush over the area — a name, a house number, a person in the background — pick a style, set Radius, and Save. Only the painted region is blurred. Photos’ Markup can only cover areas with shapes.

Open the image, tap Manual, choose Pixelate or Box, brush over the text or plate, and raise Radius until no character is readable when you zoom in. Then Save and share the exported copy, not the original.

Tap the Motion style on the Background tab. Radius sets how long the streaks are and Angle sets their direction; match the angle to the way the subject is moving. The subject stays sharp while the background streaks.

Gaussian is a smooth, even blur — the closest software match to a lens out of focus. Bokeh describes how out-of-focus highlights render. On the Background tab, Gaussian or Ghosting at a higher Radius gives the bokeh look on backgrounds with lights.

Tap Full Photo instead of Background, choose Gaussian or Ghosting, drag Radius, and Save. It is the quickest way to make a soft wallpaper or a story background from any picture.

Yes. It is free to download and basic background blur is included. Advanced styles and tools are available as optional in-app purchases.

No. The App Store listing states photos are processed on your device and are not uploaded to external servers. The app works without an internet connection.

Any iPhone running iOS 18.6 or later. It is iPhone-only (no iPad version) and available in English and 30 other languages.

Choose Faces (for people) or Manual (for an area), tap the Pixelate style, and drag Radius — it controls block size. Use blocks larger than an eye or a letter for real privacy.