WhatsApp has taken several steps in recent years to improve the security of its platform and provide a safer and more secure chat experience. With view-once media, you can use WhatsApp to share your private photos and videos with friends or family without worrying about forwarding the content to others. They can’t even take screenshots of media once viewed. To further enhance user privacy on its platform, Meta is now rolling out screenshot blocking feature for profile pictures on WhatsApp.
WhatsApp has been working on the feature since February 2024
WhatsApp was seen working on screenshot blocking for profile pictures in February 2024. While Meta has yet to officially announce the feature’s availability, it appears to be testing it widely with a server-side implementation. A family member of one of my AP colleagues reported that he was unable to screenshot WhatsApp contacts in the latest stable build of the app. WhatsApp shows an error stating that it cannot take screenshots due to app restrictions.
I can take a screenshot on my Pixel 8 Pro running WhatsApp beta for Android v2.24.6.15, but the user’s screenshot appears blank. Android Police editors Manuel and Dallas see the same behavior. This has nothing to do with whether the other user is using the latest WhatsApp version or using an iPhone or Android.