WhatsApp, an essential application in our lives, particularly in a country like Spain with over 35 million active users, may seem like a platform we know inside out. However, even in 2023, there are still some lesser-known features that can catch you by surprise.
One of the pivotal moments when you begin using WhatsApp is choosing your profile photo. After all, it becomes your visual representation in the Meta-owned messaging app. But did you know that regardless of the time and effort you invest in selecting the perfect photo, your contacts have the ability to change it and choose one of their liking? And yes, you can do the same with their profiles too.
Changing a Contact’s Profile Photo
The choice of a profile image is the prerogative of the individual, and along with the contact’s name (which we have the liberty to choose), it becomes a key identifying feature when communicating via WhatsApp. However, the image may not be very representative, or your contact might use a photo you simply dislike, or you might want to visually distinguish that contact in a unique way. In any case, it’s worth knowing that you can modify a contact’s image, a feature not widely known to many.
Here’s how you can change a contact’s profile photo, keeping in mind that this change is applied locally on your device. The image you choose will be how you see that contact, while the image they selected will remain visible to other Meta app users, unless they decide to personalize it as well.
- Start by opening the conversation with the contact whose profile photo you want to change.
- Click on the contact’s image to access their profile.
- Tap the info button, usually located on the right.
- In the contact details section, locate and click on the icon represented by three vertical dots.
- From the menu that appears, select “Edit.”
- Among the available details for editing, choose the option labeled “Add information.”
- In the next step, click on “More details” at the bottom left.
- This is where you can add an image to the contact. You can choose to select one from your gallery or cloud services or take a new photo with your camera. The former option is typically preferred.
- Frame the image within the circle to represent the contact’s profile photo and save it.
It’s important to note that what you’re actually doing is editing the contact’s information in your device’s contacts, whether stored in your email manager, on the SIM card, or directly on your smartphone. This change personalizes the contact’s appearance for your reference, without alerting the contact to this modification. This feature enables you to use a photo in which the contact’s face is better visible or to categorize them with a company logo if they are professional contacts, among other possibilities.
