Have you got your picture as the 'Display Picture' on your WhatsApp and are scared that someone might misuse it? You're not alone in this, many people might be afraid of this. It is very easy for anyone to click a screenshot of our WhatsApp DP, crop it smartly and use it as per their requirements. Well, fret not because WhatsApp has heard your concern now. It has recently introduced a new privacy feature for Android users, which prevents them from taking screenshots of someone else's profile pictures.
This innovative functionality underwent testing on the beta version of the app and has now been officially rolled out to all users. Additionally, WhatsApp has also commenced allowing beta testers to pin multiple messages within a chat, facilitating better accessibility to information in both individual and group chats.
Although detailed information regarding this privacy feature that blocks profile picture screenshots has not been officially announced by Meta, its implementation has been observed and reported by Android Police. As a result, users across both stable and beta versions of WhatsApp for Android are now unable to capture screenshots of profile pictures belonging to other users. It's important to note that this restriction does not apply to WhatsApp for iOS, where users can still capture screenshots of profile pictures on both beta and stable versions of the app.
ABP Live tried testing this feature and confirmed that indeed Android users henceforth won't be able to take screenshots of someone's DP.
Privacy Concern Still Exists
However, it's essential to understand that while this feature prevents direct in-app screenshots, it does not entirely prevent users from saving profile pictures. Users can still bypass this restriction by using another device to capture a photo of the screen displaying the profile picture.
Additionally, it's worth mentioning that screenshots can still be taken from the main chat list, where a small thumbnail of the profile picture is displayed, as WhatsApp does not restrict screenshots in this view.