How to Turn Off Portrait Mode in Snapchat on iPhone

If your selfies look weirdly blurry on Snapchat, you’re probably seeing Portrait Mode in action. It’s Snapchat’s background blur effect, and it’s turned on by default on many iPhones. If you’re ready to stop the blur, here’s how to turn off Portrait Mode in Snapchat on iPhone. It only takes a few seconds.

What Is Portrait Mode in Snapchat?

Portrait Mode uses your iPhone’s front-facing camera and depth sensors to blur the background behind you. It’s designed to mimic DSLR-style photography. When it’s on, your face stays sharp while everything else goes soft.

Snapchat enables it by default in certain camera views, especially if you’re using an iPhone with Face ID (iPhone X and newer). If your app looks overly blurry, Portrait Mode is probably active.

How to Turn Off Portrait Mode in Snapchat on iPhone

1. Open Control Center

Swipe down from the top-right corner of your iPhone screen to open the Control Center.

2. Tap the Snapchat Camera Controls

Look for the Snapchat preview or camera controls tile. Tap it to open Snapchat’s quick camera settings.

3. Toggle Off Portrait Mode

Tap the Portrait mode icon to turn it off. When it’s off, Snapchat removes the background blur effect.

Optional: Check iPhone Camera Settings

Snapchat uses your iPhone’s system-level camera features. If you’ve enabled Portrait in your iOS Camera settings, Snapchat might mirror those choices. To double-check:

• Open the Camera app.
• Switch to the Portrait tab.
• Exit and reopen Snapchat to reset the camera behavior.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Makes selfies look more polished.
• Useful in messy environments.

Cons:

• Can blur too aggressively.
• Sometimes struggles with hats, glasses, or poor lighting.

If you want to control how your snaps look, turning off Portrait Mode gives you a cleaner, more natural image.

FAQ

How do I know if Portrait Mode is on in Snapchat?
Look for the Portrait icon in Control Center. If it’s highlighted, it’s active.

Why does my Snapchat camera look blurry?
You probably have Portrait Mode enabled. It adds a background blur.

Does turning off Portrait Mode affect photo quality?
No. It just removes the artificial blur. Your image will still be sharp.

Is Portrait Mode available on all iPhones?
No. It typically works on iPhone X or newer models with Face ID.

Can I make Portrait Mode default to off?
Snapchat doesn’t offer a way to set it off by default. You’ll need to tap it off each time.

Tony Simons

Tony has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Phoenix and over 14 years of writing experience between multiple publications in the tech, photography, lifestyle, and deal industries.