WhatsApp Introduces New Privacy Feature Restricting Profile Picture Screenshots

WhatsApp has rolled out a new privacy-focused update that prevents users from taking screenshots of profile pictures of other users on the messaging platform. This latest move highlights WhatsApp’s commitment to enhancing user privacy within its application.

It is to be noted that users can already share their personal data through one-time photo or video views, with the added security of preventing recipients from taking screenshots

The update, which has yet to be formally announced by WhatsApp or its parent company Meta, was initially detected by The Android Police. According to reports, the feature appears to be activated server-side, impacting users across various app versions and device models.

When trying to capture a screenshot of a user’s profile picture, users are now met with a message stating, “Unable to capture a screenshot due to app restrictions.” On certain devices, the captured screenshot displays a blank image.

Whether it’s the stable or beta version, WhatsApp no longer allows users to screenshot profile pictures of other users. However, it is still feasible to take screenshots through the pop-up window which is accessible when clicking on the profile picture of a saved WhatsApp contact.

While users may seek alternative methods such as accessing WhatsApp via desktop or using a secondary device’s camera to bypass these restrictions, the implementation of this feature marks a significant advancement in safeguarding user data within the platform.

Reports from the Android Police highlight that this feature grants WhatsApp a competitive advantage over rival apps like Telegram and Signal, which do not currently offer a similar feature to prevent users from screenshotting profile pictures of other users.

Other updates about WhatsApp reveal their preparation to introduce a new feature that allows users to pin up to 5 chats within the app. Reports from WABetaInfo state that this function acts as a shortcut to access specific chats, saving users time that would otherwise be spent searching for group or individual conversations. Presently, WhatsApp permits users to pin only three chats.

Additionally, WABetaInfo reports revealed that WhatsApp users may soon gain the ability to send messages to third-party apps such as Telegram and Signal. This move towards chat interoperability is a response to Europe’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) regulations, which require large companies to enable communication between various messaging platforms within six months.

The report also suggests that WhatsApp will provide users with the option to choose which third-party apps they wish to share messages with, giving them control over the sharing of their data with external services.