What to cover in a photo before you post: a privacy checklist
A scannable checklist of everything worth covering before a photo goes public — faces, plates, addresses, screens, reflections, and the location data hidden in the file.
The short answer
Before you post, cover the things that identify a person or place: faces (yours, kids, strangers, bystanders), license plates, house numbers and street signs, mail and package labels, screens and documents in frame, and reflections. Then turn off location data so the file does not leak GPS coordinates. Cover faces with a tool that auto-detects them; use native iOS Markup for precise boxes over text.
You are about to post a photo. Before you do, run it through this list. Most leaks are not dramatic — they are a house number in the background or a face nobody asked to include. Here is everything worth a second look.
The checklist
- Your own face — if the account is meant to stay anonymous.
- Kids’ faces — yours or anyone else’s. The most common regret. See why to cover a child’s face before posting.
- Strangers and bystanders — people in the background who did not consent. More on whether you should blur strangers’ faces.
- Everyone in a group or event shot — crowds are where a face gets missed. Here is how to cover faces in group and event photos.
- License plates — on your car or anyone else’s in frame.
- House numbers and street signs — they place you on a map. If the shot is of your home, see whether it is safe to post photos of your house.
- Mail, package labels, and deliveries — names and full addresses.
- Screens and documents in frame — laptops, phones, paperwork, whiteboards.
- Reflections — windows, mirrors, glasses, and shiny surfaces hide faces and rooms you did not mean to share.
- Location data — the GPS coordinates stored invisibly in the file. See whether a photo reveals your location.
Faces: cover them automatically
Faces are the item this list is most often about, and the one most worth automating. Scribbling over each face by hand is slow and easy to get wrong — a turned head or a background face is simple to miss.
Poof handles this part: it finds the faces in your photo on your device and covers them at once, and you can tap to drop a cover anywhere it missed. Pick a style — emoji, blur, pixelate, or a solid cover — and the cover bakes into the exported file with no hidden original underneath. If you are deciding between styles, see blur vs pixelate vs solid. And if you are wondering whether a light blur is enough, the answer depends on how you blur it.
Plates, signs, and text: use native Markup
For the precise, rectangular items — a license plate, a street sign, a label, a screen — the iOS Photos Markup tool is the better fit. Open the photo, tap Edit → Markup, and draw a thick, solid shape over the detail. Poof’s covers are auto-sized and soft-edged for faces, so for tidy boxes over text, Markup gives you more control. Use a solid, opaque shape and review at full zoom — a thin scribble can leave readable detail. (Tempted to delete a stray bystander instead of covering them? Here is cover vs erase, and when each is the right call.)
Location: turn it off at share time
None of the above touches the GPS coordinates hidden in the file. Drop those when you share: in Photos, tap Share → Options, and switch Location off — here is the full walkthrough for removing location data from an iPhone photo. Poof also helps here as a side effect — because it re-renders the pixels on export, the exported image does not carry the original photo’s EXIF or GPS metadata.
Why do all this on your device
Every item on this list is sensitive by definition, which is the last reason to avoid tools that upload your photo to a server to process it. Doing the work on your own phone means the image — and everything you are trying to protect — never leaves it. Here is why on-device photo privacy matters.
The short version
Cover faces (auto), then plates, addresses, labels, screens, and reflections (native Markup), then turn off location. Two tools, one habit, and a photo that says only what you meant it to.
Want the fast way through the face half of the list? See what’s free in Poof.
Frequently asked
What should I cover in a photo before posting it?
Faces of anyone who did not consent, license plates, house numbers and street signs, mail and package labels, screens and documents, and reflections that reveal a face or place. Also turn off location so the file does not carry GPS coordinates.
Do I need to blur strangers and bystanders in my photos?
It is the considerate default, and in some places a legal one. People in the background did not agree to be posted. Covering bystander faces protects them and you. See our guide on whether to blur strangers' faces.
What is the easiest way to cover faces before posting?
Use an app that detects every face on your device and covers them at once, then tap to add a cover anywhere it missed. That is faster and less error-prone than scribbling over each face by hand, especially in group photos.
How do I stop a photo from sharing my location?
Turn off location when you share: in Photos, tap Share, then Options, and switch Location off. Tools that re-render the image on export, like Poof, also drop the original file's GPS and EXIF data.