You can ask Apple to blur your home in Apple Maps, making it harder for strangers to inspect your entrance, windows, and driveway through its street-level Look Around imagery.
You might want that extra privacy simply because you don't like having detailed photographs of your home online. For someone dealing with stalking or harassment, obscuring the property can also reduce how much another person can examine without visiting the street.
Apple accepts home-blurring requests through Maps and by email. Blurring doesn't remove your address or affect photographs on other services, and a Look Around request shouldn't be assumed to cover satellite imagery too.
Find your home in Look Around
Look Around lets you explore street-level photographs before visiting a location. The detail that helps you recognize an unfamiliar building can also expose more of your own property than you'd prefer.
Start by searching for your full home address in Maps. Check that the result identifies the correct building, then open the Look Around preview or binoculars button when it's available.
Look Around doesn't cover every street. If Maps finds your address but doesn't offer street-level imagery, you won't have a Look Around photograph to report from that location.
Once you've opened the image, move along the street until your home is clearly visible. The address marker alone might not distinguish your property from the house next door.
For a corner lot, check the views from both streets. If you live in an apartment or condominium building, describe the building and the area you want obscured so Apple doesn't have to infer which part of the image concerns you.
Request home blurring on iPhone or iPad
Opening the relevant image before reporting gives Apple useful context. Its reporting process can collect the direction and angle of your Look Around view, along with the information you submit.
- With your home visible, expand Look Around to full screen.
- Tap the address or expand the information panel, then select Report an Issue.
- Choose Privacy Concerns, followed by Obscure imagery of my home.
- Complete the form, describing the property clearly and supplying any information the form requests.
- Check the location and account details before submitting.
Apple associates Look Around blurring reports with your Apple Account and displays the account during submission. It may email you to clarify the request or notify you that it's addressed the issue.
First, find your house in Look AroundYou're submitting a request, so the photograph won't change simply because you've completed the form. If you can't find the privacy options, you can contact Apple's image collection team directly.
Request blurring by email
Apple's image collection page lists [email protected] for requests to blur a home, face, or license plate. Email is an alternative when you can't locate the reporting controls in Maps.
Include your complete address and explain that you'd like your home obscured in Look Around. A Maps link and a screenshot marking the building can help Apple locate the right property.
Apple's public page doesn't specify a mandatory email template or a universal requirement to attach ownership documents. Supply enough information to identify the imagery, then respond if Apple asks for clarification.
Can Apple blur satellite images too?
Apple has obscured a home in both satellite imagery and Look Around. In January 2022, we reported that Tim Cook's home was blurred in both views after Apple obtained a restraining order against a woman accused of stalking him.
Apple's blurring of Cook's home shows that satellite images can be obscured, but the case doesn't establish that every home-blurring request covers both views. The company's privacy notice specifically describes requests to blur Look Around imagery without promising to obscure satellite images of the same property.
If satellite imagery is part of your concern, say so in your email and ask Apple whether it can obscure both views. Check them separately if Apple confirms that it's made a change.
What to expect after submitting
Apple doesn't publish a guaranteed turnaround time or a clear reversal policy on its image collection page. Keep your correspondence so you can follow up, and don't assume you'll be able to undo the blur later.
Blurring also removes a visual reference that visitors might use to recognize your entrance. They can still look up your address, but you may need to give them more specific arrival instructions.
If Apple reports that it's addressed your request, revisit your home in Look Around and check nearby viewpoints. You'll need separate requests for Google Street View or other services, and blurring won't remove real estate photographs or copies someone has already saved.
