WhatsApp is now rolling out an update that prevents you from taking a screenshot of a contact's profile picture.
Initially spotted by Robot policeRecent updates to WhatsApp on Android seem to mean that trying to take a screenshot of a contact's profile picture results in an error message.
In our testing, there is no warning message when trying to do this, but trying to take a screenshot when viewing a contact's profile photos full screen now results in a blank screen. There is no way to prevent this behavior, but this functionality has been spotted in development for some time. A warning message may be added when this reaches the stable version of the application.
However, despite this enhanced privacy change, you can still take a screenshot of the mini profile or a profile preview that can be expanded when viewing all WhatsApp chats. This is a lower resolution version of your full-screen profile photo.
As he pointed out APThis appears to be the default behavior and is not limited to a specific application build. My device is running WhatsApp v2.24.6.16 beta while others are seeing this behavior in older versions. This indicates that the functionality is being rolled out via a server-side update and is not locked to specific versions.
By blocking the ability to take screenshots of profile photos on WhatsApp, Meta is likely aiming to prevent impersonation and other privacy concerns. Other cross-platform messaging services such as Telegram and Signal currently lack this functionality.
For more enhanced privacy, you can hide your profile picture on WhatsApp by heading to Settings > Privacy > Profile Picture. From here you can adjust who sees your profile
More on WhatsApp:
FTC: We use automatic affiliate links to earn income. more.
“Alcohol maven. Evil bacon lover. Wannabe social media geek. Travel guru. Amateur introvert. Pop culture nerd.”