By name: haze-faq description: Frequently asked questions about Haze. Use when asked about Haze vs Modifier.blur, cross-platform blur consistency, or which Android versions Haze supports.
Haze — FAQs
Instructions
1. What's the difference between Haze and Modifier.blur?
Modifier.blur and Haze provide different things:
- Haze: primarily background blurring — blurs content behind a composable. Required for glass-like effects (glassmorphism).
- Modifier.blur: performs foreground blurring (content blurring) — blurs the composable itself.
Haze can also do foreground blurring (omit state from hazeEffect), but background blurring is its primary strength. Haze additionally provides: tint overlays, noise texture, progressive gradients, masking, pre-built materials (Material/Cupertino/Fluent), and multi-platform support.
Use Haze when you need content-behind-blur (app bars, dialogs, cards). Use Modifier.blur for simple content-only blurring.
2. Are the blur implementations the same across different platforms?
Yes. The majority of the implementation is shared across all platforms.
The only differences are in platform-specific blur backends:
| Platform | Blur Backend |
|---|---|
| Android 13+ | RenderEffect.createBlurEffect() |
| Android 12 | RenderNode + shader |
| Android 11- | RenderScript |
| Desktop / iOS | Skia shaders |
| Web / Wasm | Canvas filters / custom shaders |
All platforms implement blur in very similar ways — only the platform classes differ.
3. What versions of Android does Haze work on?
Haze works on Android API 11+. The experience varies by API level:
| API Level | Blur | Quality | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| 33+ (Android 13+) | ✅ | Optimal | Enabled |
| 31-32 (Android 12) | ✅ | Good | Enabled |
| ≤30 (Android 11-) | ⚠️ | Laggy (RenderScript) | Disabled (scrim fallback) |
- Android 12 blur was previously disabled but is now enabled by default since Haze 1.6.
- Android 11- requires explicit opt-in:
blurEffect { blurEnabled = true }. Expect frame-behind updates.
4. Does Haze work on Desktop/iOS/Web?
Yes. Haze supports all Compose Multiplatform targets:
| Platform | Supported |
|---|---|
| Android | ✅ |
| Desktop (JVM) | ✅ |
| iOS | ✅ |
| Wasm | ✅ |
| JS/Canvas | ✅ |
Desktop, iOS, and Web all use Skia/Skiko-backed implementations (optimal environment).
5. Can I use pre-release versions of Compose Multiplatform with Haze?
Haze is built, tested, and released against the latest stable Compose Multiplatform. Pre-release CMP versions are occasionally verified but not guaranteed. Test thoroughly if using pre-release CMP.
6. Does Haze blur work on the Android Emulator?
The RenderScript path (API ≤30, Android 11-) does not render blur on the emulator. It works on physical devices only. RenderEffect-based paths (API 31+) work on emulator images that support GPU acceleration.