WhatsApp is testing one of its most significant visual changes to personal profiles: the addition of rectangular cover images. The feature, developed by Meta, introduces a wide banner across the top of the profile, changing the minimalist layout users have traditionally seen in the messaging app.
Until now, a WhatsApp account’s visual identity was mainly represented by its circular profile picture and a short status or biography. With the new design, the cover image appears above the profile photo when users open their account settings or view the contact information for an individual conversation.
The feature was first identified in the iOS test version distributed through TestFlight and has also reached the Android beta channel. Users can access the new area through their account customisation settings and select the editing icon associated with the profile header.
WhatsApp allows users to choose an image from their smartphone gallery or take a new panoramic photo using the camera. The feature also includes tools based on generative artificial intelligence, allowing users to describe a scene or visual pattern and create a customised background instead of uploading a personal image.
Cover-image visibility is managed separately from the main profile picture. Available options allow users to show the banner to everyone, limit it to saved contacts, apply manual exceptions or hide it entirely.
The feature remains limited to users enrolled in WhatsApp’s testing programmes. Its presence in recent test builds suggests that a wider release for the stable version may follow, although the recovered information does not specify a launch date.
Sources: Pplware.