I’ve tested the most popular ones. The inspect element trick? Doesn’t work — Badoo serves a deliberately low-resolution, pixelated version of the image, not a full image with a CSS blur filter. The so-called “unblur apps” on third-party websites? Almost all are scams designed to make you complete surveys, download malware, or steal your login credentials. I’ve seen people lose access to their Badoo accounts within hours of entering their details on a shady “unblur tool” website.

You might have seen AI-based “photo enhancers” that claim to de-pixelate or unblur images. While AI can sometimes sharpen low-res images, Badoo’s blur isn’t just a soft focus — it’s a heavy mosaic-style pixelation. AI can guess, but it cannot reconstruct an actual face you’ve never seen. At best, you’ll get a weird, distorted hallucination of a face. At worst, you’ll waste time and risk privacy by uploading screenshots to unknown servers.

Have you tried any so-called “unblur” methods before? Share your experience below — good or bad — so others don’t fall for the same traps.