A new update is making taking a screenshot of WhatsApp profile pictures impossible. This seems to be some sort of security measure that WhatsApp is taking to prevent unnecessary screenshots on their platform. Users of the recent WhatsApp beta version are now noticing this new limitation on the app.
A few weeks ago, reports that WhatsApp was aiming to bring this feature to users hit the internet. Right now this feature is already up for beta testing awaiting its global release. Various beta testers are now confirming that they are no longer able to take screenshots of the profile pictures of other users on the platform.
According to their reports, taking a screenshot of users’ WhatsApp profile pictures will only produce a blank screen. Other beta testers are seeing a prompt that tells them that they “can’t take a screenshot due to app restrictions.” These reports prove that WhatsApp is already making this feature available to beta testers as it prepares for a global rollout.
If you are concerned about the reason behind this feature, all we know is that it’s a security measure from WhatsApp. It aims to protect users of the messaging platform from getting their profile picture screenshotted by other users. Already, users can limit who gets to see their profile picture and who doesn’t, but this is an extra layer of security.
We aren’t sure if this feature will be accessible by default once it rolls out for usage globally. At the moment, beta testers confirm that there’s no setting within the app from which they can control the use of these features. Possibly such a setting will be available as this feature hits the global community via an OTA upgrade from the Play Store or App Store.