Key Highlights
- WhatsApp testing profile picture screenshot block
- Aims to enhance user privacy
- Expected rollout in coming weeks
WhatsApp is currently testing a new feature designed to strengthen user privacy. This feature aims to curb the practice of taking screenshots of other users’ display pictures without their consent.
This experimental feature came to light thanks to WABetaInfo, which identified it in the latest version of WhatsApp beta for Android, accessible through the Google Play Store. Users running WhatsApp beta version 2.24.4.25 on Android may encounter a notification reading ‘Can’t take a screenshot due to app restrictions’ when attempting to capture another user’s display picture. Also Read | WhatsApp Tips And Tricks: How To View Someone’s Status Secretly
Influence From Other Platforms
Similar functionalities are already present in platforms like Snapchat and payment apps such as Paytm and Google Pay. These platforms restrict screenshotting in situations where sensitive information, personal or financial, is displayed.
Potential Workarounds
Despite this new feature, users can still circumvent it by resorting to alternative methods, such as using a secondary device like another phone or a camera to photograph another user’s profile picture.
Also Read | WhatsApp Tips And Tricks: Easy Ways To Record WhatsApp Video Calls
Reducing Harassment and Impersonation Risks
WhatsApp’s motivation behind this feature is to mitigate the risk of harassment and impersonation by limiting the ability to capture screenshots of users’ display pictures.
Rollout Expectations
The feature is currently undergoing beta testing and is anticipated to be available to all users in the coming weeks.
Additional Privacy Measures
Meanwhile, WhatsApp is also experimenting with another feature for its web version. This feature enables users to lock and conceal selected chats behind a secret code, akin to similar features already present in the Android and iOS versions of the app.
Chat Lock Feature on WhatsApp Web
The Chat Lock feature on WhatsApp Web empowers users to create a secret code to conceal desired chats from the primary chat list. This code can consist of a word, a phrase, or even an emoji, providing an added layer of privacy and security.
Also Read | WhatsApp Tips & Tricks: How To Unblock Yourself And Regain Access
