WhatsApp Cover Photo: Facebook Feature Added for Personal Profiles

Meta-owned messaging platform WhatsApp has initiated beta testing for a major profile customization feature, introducing a dedicated WhatsApp Cover Photo layout for personal user accounts across Android devices.

The upcoming design update, which was previously restricted exclusively to WhatsApp Business accounts, borrows heavily from Facebook’s established profile structure by allowing regular users to showcase wide landscape banner images.

How Does the New WhatsApp Cover Photo Feature Work?

According to beta-tracking platform WABetaInfo, the interface overhaul introduces several structural and visual updates to the app’s settings and profile sections:

Dual Display Layout: The WhatsApp Cover Photo does not replace existing circular display pictures; instead, both images appear simultaneously on the user profile page.
Settings Page Redesign: The cover photo will sit prominently at the top center of the redesigned app settings page, above the primary profile avatar, creating a cleaner and more modern account layout.
Chat Info Visibility: When contacts open a user’s chat info screen, the landscape banner will appear above their display picture, account name, and phone number.

What Privacy Controls Are Available for Cover Photos?

Addressing personal safety and account control, developers have integrated comprehensive visibility settings directly into the application’s privacy configuration menu:

1. Granular Visibility Options

Users can explicitly select who can view their background banner. Available settings include Everyone, My Contacts, My Contacts Except, and Nobody, ensuring total control over personal image exposure.

2. Beta Testing and General Availability

The feature was identified in WhatsApp beta version 2.26.43.11 for Android. Because testing remains limited to selected beta participants via the Google Play Beta Program, official release dates for stable global updates have not yet been announced.