# How to Blur the Wallpaper on iPhone

Updated: November 3, 2026

Blear: Price: Free. Platforms: iOS. Get it from: [App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/id994182280). Requires iOS 26 or later.

URL: https://sindresorhus.com/guides/blur-wallpaper-iphone

Open a photo in the free [Blear](https://sindresorhus.com/blear) app, choose the blur with the slider, and save it. Then set it as the wallpaper of the Lock Screen and the Home Screen. Without an app, iOS can blur only the Home Screen wallpaper: when you add a wallpaper in “Settings › Wallpaper”, tap “Customize Home Screen”, and select “Blur”.

## With Blear

1. Open [Blear](https://sindresorhus.com/blear), and tap the photo button to choose a photo. Or use one of the included photos: double-tap the photo or shake the iPhone to get another one.
1. Drag the photo sideways to change the crop, and drag the slider to change the blur.
1. Tap the save button. The wallpaper is saved in the Photos app.
1. In the Photos app, open the wallpaper, tap the share button, and choose “Use as Wallpaper”.

The blur keeps the colors of the photo, but hides the details, so the icons of the Home Screen and the clock of the Lock Screen are easy to read. Bright, colorful photos give the best result. To start from the Photos app, open a photo, tap the share button, and choose “Make Blurry Wallpaper”.

## Without an app

iOS can blur the wallpaper of the Home Screen, but not of the Lock Screen:

1. Open “Settings › Wallpaper”, and tap “Add New Wallpaper”.
1. Choose a wallpaper, like a photo, and tap “Add”.
1. Tap “Customize Home Screen”, and select “Blur”.

[Apple’s instructions.](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/iph3d267104/ios) iOS has one blur, without a setting for how much, and the Lock Screen shows the photo sharp. Use Blear to choose the blur, and to have the blurred photo on the Lock Screen too.