WhatsApp May Soon Stop Your Profile Picture From Being Downloaded by Others on iOS Too

The feature to save profile photos of other users is something that has always raised questions of privacy and finally looks to be on the way out.

WhatsApp is finally introducing a much-important feature that many have often wondered why it was included in the first place. According to a report by WABetaInfo, the latest beta update for WhatsApp on iOS adds a crucial security feature (among others) that was recently introduced on Android -- preventing others from downloading user profile photos.

Many have often wondered why this feature was in place for so long, anyway. Given that WhatsApp is not a social medium, and is instead a personal communications platform, the profile photo on WhatsApp is essentially put in place for identification, and not in the same tune as on social platforms such as Facebook. Even social platforms such as Facebook have started putting in restrictions that prevent profile photos from being downloaded, with increasing incidents of misuse and cyber abuse on the internet.

Now, WhatsApp will finally disable the feature that allowed users to copy, download or share others' profile photos. However, it is important to note that WhatsApp still hasn't imposed restrictions to prevent screenshots from being taken, which would truly help in making the platform safer, and prevent any potential misuse of user identities. The latest privacy feature was first introduced in the latest Android stable build update, and given that it has now landed in the beta circle of the app on iOS, we expect to see it in the stable build soon.