WhatsApp blocks screenshots of profile picture on Android; Allows beta testers to pin multiple chats

WhatsApp now blocks users from taking screenshots of other smartphone users’ profile pictures, a new privacy feature widely available on Android phones. Meta started testing the app’s beta functionality over the past few weeks, and it’s now live for all users. Meanwhile, the company has begun allowing beta testers to pin more than one message in a chat, allowing easy access to more information in individual or group chats.

Meta has yet to announce details about the privacy functionality that blocks screenshots in the profile picture area. The deployment was noticed by Android Police, and WhatsApp for Android stable and beta users are now blocked from taking screenshots when viewing another user’s profile picture. Users can still take screenshots on WhatsApp for iOS in the beta and stable version.

Gadgets 360 was able to confirm that WhatsApp blocks screenshots of a profile image on a Samsung smartphone, citing the device’s security policy, while trying to take a screenshot while another user’s photo is open on the Pixel 7a results in a completely black screen .

However, it is important to note that the feature that blocks screenshots of a user’s profile picture does not guarantee that another user will not be able to save the image. The new functionality cannot prevent the user from clicking on a photo on the screen where the image is displayed using another smartphone. Likewise, tapping on a user’s profile picture in the main chat list reveals a small thumbnail, and WhatsApp doesn’t block screenshots there.

Meanwhile, the WABetaInfo tracking feature noticed A change in the latest beta version of the Android smartphone app — the ability to pin multiple messages to the top of a chat. Currently, users can pin a single message, but a future update is expected to expand this to allow three messages to be pinned simultaneously. Beta testers can now test the enhanced feature by updating to WhatsApp for Android beta version 2.24.6.15. It is expected to be released to all iOS and Android users at a later date.