If we talk about privacy on WhatsApp We tend to think of functions such as hiding the blue checkmark in sent messages, hiding that we are online and even hiding when we write. However, there is a basic option that probably few people have talked about and yet is essential: preventing our profile photo from being stolen.
No, we are not talking about the possibility of hiding our photo on WhatsApp that we have had for years, but rather about the prevent our photo from being saved with a simple capture. So far it is possible to take a screenshot from anyone and save it, but it will be over soon.
WhatsApp is already preparing to ban photo captures
A few years ago it was possible to find an option in WhatsApp that, whether we used iPhone or Android, allowed us to directly save the profile photo of any user. This option has been removed, although there always was (and is) the option to open this photo wide and take a screenshot. Then we can crop the capture or not, but the other user’s profile photo remains stored on our mobile.
Also, There is already a beta version of WhatsApp in which this capture is impossible. Specifically in the beta version 2.24.4.25 of WhatsApp for Android, which does not mean that it will not also reach iOS, since in the end both systems end up sharing all the functions (even if they present some obvious aesthetic changes).
Message that appears to some beta testers when taking a screenshot of their profile photo (Image: WABetaInfo)
That some beta testers of the application on Android have reported that When you take a photo, a message appears warning you that it cannot be taken.. It is unclear whether a similar message will appear on iOS or whether it will go straight to black. We already have some examples of the latter when we try to take a screenshot of a video from Apple TV+, Netflix and other platforms, in which case we notice that a completely black screenshot has been taken .
Of course, Activating this function will be essential for multiple reasons. The most important ones are privacy and security. Privacy, because this way we will prevent our photos from being taken without authorization and for security reasons, because this will prevent strangers from using our photo to impersonate us.
As for when this feature will be available, well… nothing. WhatsApp usually integrates new functions in its beta versions that do not always end up reaching the stable versions and when they arrive, it is not always immediately. In fact, in this case we already see that it has not yet reached the iOS beta and that not even all Android beta users have it. As things stand, it could still take a few months.
This feature brings back that old desire to prevent chats from being captured or send warnings to the other user when they’re done (the latter has been the epicenter of many hoaxes in recent years). Well, it must be said that at the moment there is nothing to indicate that this barrier to capture is going to reach chats, although who knows, maybe its implementation in profile photos is the first step to expand it to the entire application.
By | Xataka Mobile
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