How to blur backgrounds on your FaceTime calls

Blurring the background during FaceTime calls is a feature that enhances privacy and focus by keeping you the center of attention. This feature is available on iPhones and iPads running iOS 15 or later. Here’s how to blur backgrounds on your FaceTime calls:

1. Update Your Device: Ensure your iPhone or iPad is updated to iOS 15 or later. You can check this in the Settings app under General > Software Update.
2. Start a FaceTime Call: Open the FaceTime app and start a call as you normally would.
3. Access Control Center: Once the call has started, access the Control Center. You can do this by swiping down from the top-right corner of the screen on most iPhones (or up from the bottom of the screen on older models).
4. Use Video Effects: In the Control Center, look for the Video Effects option. This should be visible during an active FaceTime call.
5. Enable Portrait Mode: Tap on Video Effects, and then select Portrait Mode. This will blur the background, keeping only your face and body in focus.
6. Return to FaceTime: After selecting Portrait Mode, close the Control Center to return to your FaceTime call. The background of your video should now be blurred.
7. Adjust as Needed: If you need to turn off the blur effect or adjust it, simply go back to the Control Center and toggle off Portrait Mode from the Video Effects option.

This feature might not be available on all models of iPhones and iPads, and it requires a compatible device running iOS 15 or later. Additionally, the effectiveness of the blur might vary depending on your device.

Portrait mode setting is “sticky” to blur your FaceTime Background

The Portrait Mode setting for blur the backgrounds in FaceTime calls is “sticky,” meaning that once you enable it, the setting will remain active for subsequent FaceTime calls until you manually turn it off. This feature is designed for convenience, so you don’t have to enable it each time you make a call. Here’s how it works:

1. Enable Portrait Mode: During a FaceTime call, go to the Control Center and enable Portrait Mode under the Video Effects option. This will blur your background for the current call.
2. Sticky Setting: After you’ve enabled Portrait Mode, it stays active for future FaceTime calls.
3. Disabling Portrait Mode: If you decide you no longer want your background blurred in future calls, you’ll need to manually disable Portrait Mode. You can do this during any FaceTime call by accessing the Control Center and toggling off Portrait Mode under Video Effects.
4. Check for Compatibility: Remember that this feature requires a compatible iPhone or iPad running iOS 15 or later, and the availability of the Portrait Mode might depend on your device’s model and capabilities.

By keeping the Portrait Mode setting sticky, Apple provides a user-friendly experience, allowing users to set their preference once and have it applied consistently across all their FaceTime calls. This is particularly useful for those who frequently make video calls in environments where they prefer to keep the focus on themselves and not the background.