Protecting your personal data usually means tweaking phone settings and managing passwords, but keeping nosy eyes off your doorstep requires a different kind of cleanup. Apple Maps makes it surprisingly easy for anyone to scout out your neighborhood and view your home down to the window frames.

Leaving high-resolution imagery of your property online gives potential burglars, nosey neighbors, and strangers a clear view of your entry points, security setup, and personal belongings.

Provided Apple's Look Around feature covers your area, scrubbing your residence off the map in Apple Maps is pretty straightforward. Here's how to check if your location is eligible and blur your home, plus what to do if you need an alternative method.

Search for your address in Apple Maps and look for the binoculars icon on the location card or map. Tap it to enter the street-level view.

If you don’t see the binoculars icon, Apple’s Look Around imagery isn’t available for your area yet — which means your home isn't visible on street view anyway. Desktop users can launch full-screen mode by clicking the photo preview at the bottom left of the display.

With the street view image of your property visible, swipe up from the bottom of your screen to bring up the menu options and scroll down to select Report an Issue.

If you're on a Mac or desktop browser, click the three-dot menu icon in the top corner to find the same option.

In the report window, you will see a preview of the stored imagery alongside category options.

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