Do you wish you could hide your WhatsApp profile picture from just one person? Or from anyone you so choose? Here’s how to do it in a few easy steps using either your Android device or an iOS device.
Hello again everyone.
I’m Frankie Caruso – your Italian nerdy friend raised on pizza, spaghetti and social media. I’m here with another helpful trick to help you master WhatsApp and boost your privacy.
In this comprehensive guide I’ll show you how to hide WhatsApp profile picture from specific contacts (and also from everyone).
By the way, I created “Spaghetti e social media”, a free weekly newsletter where every week I will send you useful tips and secret gems on instant messaging apps. I’ll wait for you on board!
Back to us.
I am sure that you have opened WhatsApp multiple times to take a peek at your friends’ profile pictures.
Today, we take a look at this question from the point of view of the victim.
WhatsApp has released an update that allows you to hide your profile picture from one person directly.
People will stay out of your private business. These contacts can be your professional contacts or annoying relatives that you do not want to share your display picture with for whatever reason.
If after some time you change your mind, you can simply go back and put up your profile picture the way it was meant to be.
Read to the end (it takes less than 5 minutes) because in this guide you will find everything you need without jumping from one tutorial to another.
Are you ready?
Let’s jump in!
Hide your WhatsApp Profile Picture From Individual Contact
Here’s how to hide your WhatsApp profile picture from specific contacts in simple few steps.
This feature is available on both iOS and Android devices.
Proceed like this:
- Open the WhatsApp app on your smartphone
- Go to Settings
- Tap on Account
- Click on Privacy
- Tap on Profile Picture
- Select My Contacts Except…
- Choose any contacts you don’t want to see your WhatsApp profile picture
- Tap on Done
Watch the video instructions:
That’s it!
An important thing: you’ll still be able to send and receive messages with the contacts you select as normal, but they will see a great circle with a person icon in place of your WhatsApp picture.
Just like in this screenshot:
Alternative Ways to Block Someone from Seeing Your WhatsApp Picture
What I showed you in the previous chapter is the easiest and fastest way to hide your WhatsApp profile photo from specific contacts.
However, there are other methods, equally effective but more complicated. I think it’s worth a look.
Method 1: Delete Contacts to Keep Them from Viewing Your Photo
WhatsApp provides you the ability to block all of your contacts from seeing your profile picture without filtering them.
Using this small trick, you can choose who you would like to see your profile picture and who you would not.
To do this, just follow these simple steps:
- Open WhatsApp
- Go to Settings> Account > Privacy
- Tap Profile Photo
- Select My Contacts
- Exit WhatsApp and enter your phonebook
- Copy and paste Contacts you want to block into Notes
- Return to your phonebook and delete them from your contacts
By doing this, none of the contacts you deleted from your phone book will then be able to see your profile pictures.
Frankie’s Take:
Removing a contact from your list might seem dramatic, but it is an effective method to achieve the goal of preventing certain people from seeing your profile picture. If you do not wish to delete a contact, you should take a look at my guide on becoming invisible on WhatsApp instead.
Method 2: Block Contacts to Keep Them from Viewing Your Picture
Now it is time to show you step by step how to hide your WhatsApp profile picture from specific contacts. You can block them in your app for Android and iPhone, and in the WhatsApp client for Windows and Macs.
Android/iPhone
Using the app for Android and iOS, you can block undesirable contacts from seeing your messages and also keep them from viewing your profile picture at the same time.
You will need to follow these steps if you are using an Android device:
- Launch on your device
- click on the three dots icon in the upper right corner, and then make the following selections Settings > Account > Privacy > Blocked Contacts.
- Next, click on the pawn icon in the upper right corner and tap the name of the person you wish to block to add them to your blacklist.
iPhone users will have a slightly different process, which looks like:
- Launch WhatsApp on your device
- Click on settings in the bottom menu, and then make the following selections Account > Privacy > Blocked. Tap on Add Item, then click the Add button.
- Choose the specific contact you wish to block and add their name to this list.
If you have any questions or concerns about this process, I have a more dedicated tutorial specifically about blocking people on WhatsApp when you want to.
Frankie’s Take:
Blocking someone on WhatsApp is not permanent. If you ever decide to have second thoughts, you can reverse this process by beginning in the settings menu and choosing Account > Privacy > WhatsApp Blocked Contacts. From here you just choose who you want to Unblock and then you are back to normal action.
PCs
It is possible to block a user on WhatsApp from your PC, and you would use the official WhatsApp client for Windows or Macs. You can also achieve this through WhatsApp Web.
To do this, you have to sign into your account by scanning the QR code available. Authorized the connection with biometrics such as your face ID or touch ID to confirm your identity.
From here you will just follow a few simple steps.
- Click on the (…) icon in the top menu on your PC.
- Choose Settings> Blocked > Add Contact to Block options.
- Find the contact’s name and add it to this list to block them.
Frankie’s Take:
If you have any second thoughts, you can unblock contacts in this same menu that you chose to block on your WhatsApp account. So yes, even on the PC version of WhatsApp you can still reverse the process. I bet you didn’t think you would have it so easy, did you?
Hiding Your Profile Picture from Anyone on iOS/Android
There are lots of reasons why you might not want your friends seeing your profile picture. People could be gossiping, you could be in love or someone else might be, people might wish you ill-will, or you just want to safeguard some of your privacy.
The good news is that you can limit how visible your profile photo is and show a white silhouette on a grey background.
Follow these 4 simple steps to protect your privacy:
- Open WhatsApp
- Go to Settings > Account > Privacy
- Tap on Profile Photo
- Select Nobody
Now you are done!
From this point, no one in your contacts can see your profile picture.
Alternatively, you may choose to show your picture to only your contacts. This is all the people you have saved in the phone book. You can also choose to show it to anyone who adds your phone number and tries to contact you through WhatsApp.
Hiding Your WhatsApp Profile Picture FAQs
Undoubtedly this article has spurned some questions for you. Because I already field so many of the topic regularly, I am going to put a few of the most common ones below to see if that gives you the information you seek.
Can I customize my profile picture to appear differently to different contacts?
Sounds like a great idea, but that is likely never going to be an option that WhatsApp provides.
Conclusion
I tried to provide all the information on these topics that I can.
In the earlier portions of this article you learned about a strategy of preventing specific people from seeing your WhatsApp profile picture using a feature of the app itself and by removing them from your address book.
You also then were introduced to the methods of keeping your profile image hidden from contacts.
Finally, I wanted to ensure that you had the information you needed to keep your account safe moving forward.
If you have any questions or worries about all of this, you can reach me through the comment box below (I will be sure to answer you as soon as I can).
If you want to keep in touch, follow my Facebook page or YouTube channel.
Do not forget to check out my free weekly Spaghetti and Social Media newsletter, where I share secret tips to enhance your mobile and online experience.
A hug,
Frankie Caruso
PS – Have you ever thought about how great it would be to be invisible on WhatsApp? I have a full detailed guide to show you how to do just that!
PS II – Do you have someone’s photo put want to learn their name? I have a guide to help you do it.
