WhatsApp Spotted Working on Facebook-Like Cover Photos for Business Profiles

WhatsApp is reportedly working on an improvement to user profiles that could allow users to set a cover image on their WhatsApp Business profiles. The feature was recently spotted in development by a feature tracker on WhatsApp Business for iOS and is expected to arrive on WhatsApp Business for Android in a future update. WhatsApp is yet to reveal any details regarding plans for a cover photo for business profiles, and there is no word on whether the company would bring the feature to regular user accounts in the future.

The information that the Meta-owned messaging service is working on a cover photo feature for WhatsApp Business accounts comes from a report by WhatsApp feature tracker WABetaInfo. The feature is reportedly under development and could be rolled out to beta testers in a future update on both WhatsApp Business for iOS and Android. WhatsApp Business' cover image feature closely resemble how cover photos look on Facebook user profiles.

The under-development cover photo feature spotted on WhatsApp Business
Photo Credit: Screenshot/ WABetaInfo

According to the screenshot shared by WABetaInfo, it appears that the profile section of WhatsApp Business for iOS and Android will be revamped to include a new cover photo, including moving the business name, phone number, description, and other sections to accommodate the new cover photo. Users will reportedly be able to tap on a camera icon, to take a photo or use an existing image as their cover photo. Other WhatsApp users will be able to see the cover photo when they visit the profile from the WhatsApp Business and regular WhatsApp apps, according to the report.

Meanwhile, WhatsApp is also tipped to be working on a new indicator for WhatsApp Desktop, to inform users that their chats are protected with end-to-end encryption. While WhatsApp does offer end-to-end encryption for calls, messages, and attachments using the secure Signal protocol, metadata (or data about a user's data) on the service is not encrypted and shared with parent company Meta. The new indicators were spotted in development on the latest beta version of WhatsApp Desktop and are expected to roll out to users in a future update.