Document Redaction
Blur ID Cards & Documents Before You Share Them
Sometimes you have no choice but to send a photo of your ID. Blur ID lets you redact the parts the recipient doesn't need — document numbers, address, date of birth — entirely on your iPhone, so the photo of your passport never touches anyone's server.
How do you safely blur an ID card photo?
Open the ID photo in Blur ID, let the AI detect the text fields and face, then cover the fields the recipient doesn't need — use the solid redaction style for numbers and codes, not a light blur. Export the copy and share that. Everything runs on-device: unlike online redaction websites, your ID photo is never uploaded anywhere.
Redact an ID card in 4 steps
- 1
Photograph or import the document
Take a photo of the ID card or import an existing one — driver's license, passport, national ID, student card.
- 2
Let the AI find text and faces
Blur ID detects text fields and the portrait automatically. Add manual regions for anything it should also cover, like a barcode or signature.
- 3
Use solid redaction for numbers
For document numbers, dates of birth and machine-readable code lines, choose the solid or immersive style — a light blur is not safe enough for data that must stay secret.
- 4
Export and send the copy
The redaction is baked into the exported image; the original stays in your library. Send the copy, not the original.
When you're asked for an ID photo
Landlords, visa agencies, HR onboarding, marketplace verification, age checks — requests for ID photos are routine now. The safe habit is to share the minimum: redact every field the specific recipient doesn't need, and keep a note of who received what.
- Rental applications — usually only your name and photo need to stay visible
- Marketplace or platform verification — check which fields their policy actually requires
- Sending documents to family or an agent over chat apps
- Posting a document online to ask a question about it
What to redact on an ID card
- Document / license number — the most abused field
- Date of birth and address, unless explicitly required
- Machine-readable zone (the two or three lines of characters on passports)
- Barcodes and QR codes — they often encode everything printed on the card
- Signature
Why light blur isn't enough for numbers
Researchers have repeatedly shown that lightly blurred or pixelated text and codes can be reconstructed, because the smear still carries information about the characters underneath. That's fine for a name you'd merely prefer to de-emphasize — it is not fine for a passport number.
Blur ID's solid and immersive redaction styles remove the content completely, and the exported image is re-rendered with the redaction baked in, so the original pixels are simply absent from the file you share.
Never upload an ID to an online blur tool
The biggest risk in redacting an ID is the tool itself. Free web-based blur tools often process images server-side — meaning you uploaded a clean scan of your passport to an unknown server in order to hide it from someone else.
Blur ID runs its AI entirely on your iPhone. The app works in airplane mode, collects no images, and your document never leaves the device. For identity documents, on-device processing isn't a nice-to-have — it's the whole point.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it safe to share a blurred ID card photo?
It's much safer than sharing the original, if done right: use solid redaction (not light blur) on numbers and codes, cover every field the recipient doesn't need, and share an exported copy rather than the original. Also strip the photo's location metadata via the iOS share sheet's Options.
Can a blurred ID number be recovered?
A lightly blurred or pixelated number can sometimes be reconstructed, which is why Blur ID offers solid and immersive redaction styles that remove the content entirely. The exported file is re-rendered with the redaction baked in — the original pixels aren't in it.
Does Blur ID upload my ID photo?
No. All processing happens 100% on your iPhone — the app works even in airplane mode. Unlike online redaction websites, your document photo never touches a server.
Can it also blur the portrait on the ID?
Yes. Blur ID detects faces automatically, including the portrait printed on the card, and you can blur or cover it like any other region.
Redact documents without uploading them
Download Blur ID and cover ID numbers, addresses and photos entirely on your iPhone.
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