WhatsApp Spotted Testing a Custom Privacy Setting for Profile Photos on Android

WhatsApp for Android is in testing a profile photo privacy setting that will let users hide their profile photos from specific contacts, according to a report. The custom privacy setting may come alongside the existing options to let you show your profile photo to everyone, all contacts, and nobody. The change is said to be a part of the enhanced privacy settings that would also be a part of the Last Seen and About status updates on WhatsApp.

In the report, WhatsApp beta tracker WABetaInfo has noted that WhatsApp for Android beta version 2.21.21.2 carries references about the new profile photo privacy setting. A screenshot shared by the source suggests that the new setting would come through the option My contacts except… that is available alongside the existing Everyone, My contacts, and Nobody privacy options for the profile photo.

WhatsApp is spotted testing a My contacts except... option for profile photo privacy setting
Photo Credit: WABetaInfo

The new setting would let you select particular contacts that you want to exclude from the people who would be able to see your profile photo.

The My contacts except… option is not likely to be limited to the profile photo privacy setting but would also be available for Last Seen and About status updates, as earlier reported by WABetaInfo.

It is currently unclear whether the change be initially limited to Android, though WABetaInfo previously showed an iPhone screenshot suggesting the same custom privacy setting for the Last Seen option.

WhatsApp back in 2017 brought the My contacts except… option for its Status function. The same option later arrived for the group privacy settings in November 2019.

Although the update has been spotted within a recent WhatsApp for Android beta release, it has not yet been available for beta testers. It is also not clear whether WhatsApp will roll out the new custom privacy setting in phases, with first arriving for profile photos and later expanding to Last Seen and About status updates.