Google’s Street View, and Apple’s version, Look Around, allow you to get a close-up look at locations from a street level.
The idea is to give you a better view of the address you’re looking up. Chances are you’ve used it a few times to get a look at someplace you’re heading to, like a restaurant where you’re meeting friends.
But the features also put your home on the internet for all the world to see. Yes, people can just drive by your house in real life and see it, but there’s something creepier about having the place where you spend most of your time on display for the entire world.
Thankfully, you can blur your house via either app, making them less visible to other users. And doing so is actually surprisingly quick and easy. Here’s how.
Google Maps
Using the Google Maps app on your mobile device, enter your home address.
Tap the image of the location to get a Street View of your residence.
Then press the options button, represented by three horizontal dots, in the top right corner of the screen.
Select “Report a problem.”
You’ll see an image of your home.
Arrange the photo so that your house is in the red square.
Under the “Request blurring” option choose “My home.”
Enter your address in the dialog box to blur your house.
You’re also able to blur your car and license plate(s).
Then enter your email address and click submit. It may take some time for the blurring to take effect, but it will be permanently blocked. You won’t have the option to un-blur it .
It an identical process for anyone using a computer. Just look up your address, enter Street View, click report a problem, and choose blur “My home.”
Apple Maps
You can submit an email to Apple at [email protected] and request that your particular address be blurred on Apple Maps.
Please be certain that you want to blur the location permanently. There isn’t an EDIT, Un-DO option.
You better get ready to “blur away”.