Quick Answer
Yes, it is possible to hide your WhatsApp profile picture from certain contacts while keeping it visible to others. There are a couple of different ways to do this:
- You can set your profile photo visibility to “My Contacts Except…” and then select the specific contacts you want to hide it from.
- You can block a contact, which will hide your profile photo from them in addition to hiding your last seen and online status.
So by using these WhatsApp options, you can customize your profile photo visibility and hide it selectively from certain contacts in your phonebook.
Hiding Profile Photo from Specific Contacts
The easiest way to hide your WhatsApp profile picture from certain contacts is to use the “My Contacts Except…” visibility setting. Here’s how to do it:
- Open WhatsApp and go to Settings.
- Tap Account > Privacy.
- Tap Profile Photo.
- Select “My Contacts Except…” for the visibility option.
- This will open your contacts list. Tap to unselect the contacts you want to hide your profile photo from.
- Tap Done when finished selecting contacts.
Now your profile photo will be hidden from the contacts you chose, but remain visible to all other contacts who have your phone number saved in their address book.
The “My Contacts Except…” option gives you precise control over who can and cannot see your profile picture. It’s useful if there are just a few specific contacts you want to conceal it from.
Benefits of Using “My Contacts Except…”
- Selectively hide profile photo from individual contacts
- Photo stays visible to all other contacts
- Simple to set up in the app’s settings
- Contacts are unaware you hid the photo from them
Drawbacks of Using “My Contacts Except…”
- Time consuming if hiding from many contacts
- Must repeat process if you get new contacts you want to hide from
- Profile photo may be visible in group chats with excluded contacts
So while the “My Contacts Except…” approach gives you precision control, it can become cumbersome if you need to hide your profile picture from a large number of contacts. In that case, blocking contacts may be a better option.
Hiding Profile Photo by Blocking Contacts
Instead of selectively choosing contacts to hide your profile picture from, you can simply block those contacts you want to conceal it from.
Blocking a contact on WhatsApp does the following:
- Hides your profile photo from them
- Hides your last seen and online status from them
- Prevents them from calling or sending you messages
So blocking effectively achieves the same profile photo hiding as “My Contacts Except…”, but with fewer steps if you need to do it for many contacts.
Here is how to block contacts on WhatsApp to hide your profile picture:
- Open your WhatsApp contact list.
- Tap and hold on the contact you want to block.
- Tap More > Block Contact.
- Confirm the block when prompted.
- Repeat for each contact you want to block.
Blocked contacts see your profile picture and last seen as hidden, but are not notified they were blocked.
To unblock a contact later, go to WhatsApp Settings > Account > Privacy > Blocked > Unblock next to their name.
Benefits of Blocking Contacts
- Hides profile picture from multiple contacts easily
- Also hides online status and last seen
- Prevents contact from messaging you further
- Contact is unaware they are blocked
Drawbacks of Blocking Contacts
- Extreme measure if you only want to hide profile photo
- Prevents you from receiving messages from blocked contacts
- You may still see blocked contacts in group chats
- Tedious to unblock contacts later if needed
So while blocking is an efficient way to mass hide your profile picture, it also has some downsides to consider.
Summary Comparison
| Method | Precision | Ease of Use | Additional Effects |
|---|---|---|---|
| My Contacts Except… | High | Moderate | None |
| Block Contacts | Low | High | Hides status, prevents messaging |
As this comparison shows, “My Contacts Except…” allows for selectively hiding your profile photo from specific individuals, while blocking contacts is better for hiding from a large number of people without precision.
Other WhatsApp Profile Photo Considerations
Beyond these two main options, there are a few other things to keep in mind regarding your WhatsApp profile privacy:
- Your current profile photo may still appear in group chats containing contacts it is hidden from. There is no setting to prevent this.
- Setting your profile photo to be visible to “Nobody” will hide it from all your contacts without exceptions.
- Changing privacy settings affects new contacts added going forward, not existing contacts.
- Deleted contacts may still have your old profile photo saved if they had previously synced your info.
So while WhatsApp provides good options for tailored profile photo visibility, there are still some potential visibility leaks to be aware of.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does hiding your profile photo notify a contact?
No, WhatsApp does not notify contacts when you hide your profile photo from them. The profile photo simply appears as the default blank icon to those it is hidden from.
Can I hide my profile photo from contacts not in my phonebook?
The WhatsApp profile photo privacy settings only apply to contacts who have your phone number saved in their address book. There is no way to control visibility for non-contacts who just have your WhatsApp number.
Can I set my profile photo to be visible to only select contacts?
Unfortunately, there is no “Only share with…” option for WhatsApp profile photos. The only way to make it visible to just certain contacts is by using “My Contacts Except” and selecting all others to exclude.
If I block a contact, will they know I blocked them?
No, WhatsApp does not notify users if they have been blocked. To a blocked contact, it simply appears as if the person who blocked them has hidden their profile photo, last seen and online status.
Can I prevent my profile photo being seen in group chats?
There is no setting to prevent your profile photo from appearing in group chats, even if you have hidden it from specific group members. The only way is to entirely hide it from “Everyone” but this will remove it from all chats.
Conclusion
To summarize, you have two main options for selectively hiding your WhatsApp profile photo from certain contacts:
- Use “My Contacts Except” and individually choose who to hide it from
- Block contacts you want to hide it from
“My Contacts Except” gives you precision control to tailor visibility on a per-contact basis. Blocking contacts is quicker if you need to hide your profile photo from many people, but is an extreme measure just for hiding your profile photo.
Understanding these options allows you to take control of your WhatsApp profile privacy settings and decide exactly who can see your photo and who cannot. Just be aware of potential visibility in group chats containing excluded contacts.