How to blur a face in a photo on iPhone

Method 1: Clean Up (iPhone 15 Pro and newer)

Clean Up is the Photos app's tool for removing distractions. When the thing you select is a face, it doesn't erase the person — it covers the face with a pixelated safety filter.

1. Open the photo in the Photos app.
2. Tap Edit (the sliders icon), then Clean Up.
3. Scribble over the face, or draw a circle around it. It's pixelated.
4. Repeat for each face, then tap Done.

You'll need an iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence — the iPhone 15 Pro or a later model — on iOS 18.1 or newer, with Apple Intelligence turned on in Settings. The safety filter doesn't always trigger, so zoom in and check every face before you share.

Method 2: Markup (any iPhone)

Markup can't blur, but it can cover a face completely.

1. Open the photo in Photos and tap Edit, then the Markup (pen) button.
2. Tap +, add a shape, and set it to a solid fill — or pick the marker and colour over the face.
3. Drag and resize the shape until the face is fully covered, then tap Done.

Thin or semi-transparent strokes can leave features visible, so use a solid fill and check the result zoomed in.

Method 3: a face blur app

Apps in the App Store can detect every face and blur them in one tap, which is quicker for group photos. Before you use one on photos of children, check where the photos are processed, whether they're kept, and whether they're used to train AI.

Sharing photos of children? Read this first

Blurring hides a face, not a child. Anyone who knows them can still recognise their hair, their build or their uniform — and research has shown machine learning can recognise faces through blur and pixelation. The photo also ends up looking edited, which isn't what you want in a newsletter or on a school's Facebook page.

Safeguard Vision takes a different approach: it gives each child you tap a brand-new face with the same age, expression and complexion, so the photo looks natural and nobody in it can be identified. It works in your iPhone's browser, accepts HEIC photos straight off the camera roll, and your first 2 photos are free. See how it compares in blur faces in photos — or replace them.