WhatsApp Rolls Out Profile Picture Screenshot Blocking on Android Devices; Pixel Phones Capture a Black Image
WhatsApp has initiated a privacy-centric update, barring users from capturing screenshots of others’ profile pictures on smartphones. This feature, recently introduced on the beta version, is now being rolled out widely for all Android users. Concurrently, Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, is expanding the functionality for beta testers, allowing them to pin multiple messages within a chat, enhancing accessibility to crucial information within individual or group conversations.
Although Meta hasn’t provided comprehensive details regarding this privacy feature, which restricts profile picture screenshots, its implementation has been noted by users and tech observers alike. Notably, Android users on both stable and beta versions of WhatsApp are now encountering barriers when attempting to capture screenshots of others’ profile images.
However, this restriction does not extend to WhatsApp for iOS, where users on both beta and stable versions can still capture such screenshots.
Interestingly, the behavior of this restriction varies across different Android devices. For instance, when attempting to capture screenshots of another user’s profile picture on a Samsung smartphone, users are notified of the device’s security policy hindering the action. In contrast, Pixel 7a users are met with an all-black screen upon trying to capture such screenshots, showcasing diverse responses to this privacy measure.
WhatsApp is now blocking users from taking screenshots of other users’ profile pictures on smartphones, a new privacy feature that is widely available on Android handsets. Meta began testing the functionality on the beta version of the app over the past few weeks, and it is now being enabled for all users. Meanwhile, the company has started to allow beta testers to pin more than one message in a chat, allowing more information to be easily accessed in individual chats or group chats.
Meta is yet to announce details of the privacy functionality that blocks screenshots on a user’s profile picture area. The rollout was spotted by Android Police, and users on the stable and beta versions of WhatsApp for Android are now blocked from capturing the screen when they are viewing another user’s profile photo. Users can still capture screenshots on WhatsApp for iOS on the beta and stable versions.
WhatsApp blocks profile image screenshots on a Samsung smartphone citing the device’s security policy, while attempting to capture the screen while another user’s photo is open on a Pixel 7a yields an all-black screen.