How to blur out your home in Apple Maps and Google Maps

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How to hide your home in Apple Maps and Google Maps
All you have to do is ask.
Photo: Redd/Unsplash/Cult of Mac

Tim Cook’s plush home in Palo Alto, California, has been blurred out inside Apple Maps and Google Maps — likely because of an alleged stalking incident. If you enter his address, you’ll see nothing but a gigantic, pixelated wall.

But this kind of digital scrubbing isn’t reserved for top CEOs and celebrities. In fact, anyone can quite easily get their own home hidden from online maps. All you need to do is ask Apple and Google to conceal the locations. We’ll show you how.

How to get your house blurred out in Apple Maps and Google Maps

There could be countless reasons why you don’t want your home to appear on street views inside Apple Maps and Google Maps. Whatever it may be, it doesn’t matter. You don’t need a reason to get your home blurred out.

Apple Maps

When it comes to Apple Maps, all you need to do is email Apple at MapsImageCollection@apple.com and ask for your address to be censored. Be sure to provide all the details they’ll need to find your property.

Google Maps

And these are the steps to follow for Google Maps:

  1. Go to Google Maps and enter your home address.
  2. Enable Street View mode by dragging the small yellow person from the bottom-right corner onto your street.
  3. Once you find your house, click Report a problem in the bottom-right corner.
  4. Center your home inside the red box that appears on screen. Then click My home under the Request blurring options.
  5. Enter your email address, then click Submit.

It’s not clear how long it takes for either service to act on these requests, but bear in mind that you won’t see instant results.

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