How to Use Blur Effect on Wallpapers in Samsung One UI 7

With One UI 7, Samsung has introduced a slick new feature that lets you apply blur effects to your home screen and lock screen wallpapers. Whether you want to create a minimal aesthetic, reduce visual clutter, or make your icons pop, adding a blur can give your Galaxy device a modern and personalized touch. In this guide, we’ll show you exactly how to use the new wallpaper blur feature on Galaxy phones running One UI 7.

You first need to change your wallpaper to a custom image

You may have noticed how portrait photos blur the background to highlight the subject. One UI 7 uses a similar blur effect for wallpapers, softening the background to help your app icons, widgets, and folders stand out more clearly. This subtle transparency layer not only enhances visibility but also adds a smooth, elegant look to your home screen and lock screen.

However, this feature does not work with the stock wallpaper, so you must set a custom wallpaper to add a blur effect. There are two different ways to change wallpapers — let’s learn both ways.

Changing wallpapers from Settings

1. Open the Settings app and go to the Wallpaper and style menu. You can also pinch inwards on the home screen or press and hold the home screen and then select Wallpaper and style to enter the same menu.
2. Tap Change wallpapers and select Gallery.
3. Now, select the photo you want to use as your wallpaper and tap Done in the top right corner.
4. On the following screen, you can select whether you want to set this photo as your lock screen wallpaper, home screen wallpaper, or both. Make your selection and tap Next.
5. Tap Done in the top right corner to save your changes.

At this point, your wallpaper is successfully changed. You can continue to add a blur effect without exiting the screen (steps are detailed below). Meanwhile, let us quickly outline the steps for changing your wallpaper from Gallery.

Changing wallpapers from Gallery

1. Open the Gallery app and select the photo you want to use as your wallpaper.
2. Tap the three dots (⋮) in the top right corner and tap Set as wallpaper.
3. Once again, your phone will ask you whether you want to change your lock screen wallpaper, home screen wallpaper, or both. You also have the option to set the image as your call background(but let’s skip that and focus on the wallpaper part). Make your selection to continue.
4. Tap Done in the top right corner to save your changes.

How to add a blur effect to your wallpaper on One UI 7?

Once you have changed your wallpaper, you can proceed to adding a blur effect before saving your changes (continue from Step 3 below). But if you have already saved the changes, or if you just want to add a blur effect to your existing wallpaper, pinch inwards on the home screen or press and hold the home screen and follow the steps below.

1. Select Wallpaper and style in the bottom right corner.
2. You’ll see your current home screen and lock screen wallpapers. Select the one you want to add the blur effect to (you can do both separately). In this guide, we select the home screen first.
3. In the next screen, tap Effect in the bottom right corner.
4. Swipe around to apply various effects to your wallpaper. You can see the results in real time. Select the Blur effect if you want to blur the whole wallpaper. Alternatively, you can select the Blurred background effect to keep the main subject in focus.
5. Once finalized your pick, tap Apply in the top right corner.
6. In the following screen, tap Done in the top right corner.
7. Repeat Steps 2-6 to add a blur effect to your lock screen.

You have now successfully added a blur effect to your wallpaper. As you saw, Samsung also offers a bunch of other wallpaper effects, though the blur effect is only available in One UI 7. If you have any questions, reach out to us on X.