Contacts Without a DP Will Now Appear with a Photo: WhatsApp Tests a New Feature

WhatsApp may soon introduce a feature that eliminates the annoyance of blank profile pictures (DPs). Now, for contacts who haven't set a profile photo, the photo you have saved for them in your phone's contacts list may be displayed instead. This will make chatting feel more seamless and natural. Currently, this feature is in the beta testing phase and is expected to roll out to all users soon.

Do you have a contact on WhatsApp who never sets a profile picture? Or perhaps someone suddenly removed their DP, leaving you staring at a blank circle? This situation could soon change. WhatsApp is currently working on a new feature designed to resolve this issue of "Blank DPs"—profile pictures that are missing a photo. According to a report by WABetaInfo, instead of displaying a generic default icon, WhatsApp may now utilize the contact photo you have saved locally on your phone.

This means that if you have previously saved a specific photo alongside a contact's phone number, that very photo will appear within your WhatsApp chat interface. The best part is that this change will have absolutely no effect on the other user; this visual update will be visible only on your device. Simply put, instead of seeing a blank DP, you may now see that contact's actual photo—even if they haven't set a profile picture on WhatsApp themselves.

How Will This Feature Work?

First, let's address your own profile. If you haven't set a profile picture for yourself yet, WhatsApp may display the photo saved in your phone's contact card—though this will be visible only to you. To everyone else, your profile will still appear blank.

Now, let's look at other users. It often happens that a contact hasn't set a profile picture, or they have hidden it due to their privacy settings. In such cases, WhatsApp will display the photo you have saved for that contact in your phone's address book. This means that whether or not the other person has a profile picture set on WhatsApp, you will be able to identify them easily.

In short, you will no longer have to rely solely on names to identify your contacts. You will now have a visual identifier as well, which will make your overall chatting experience feel much more natural and effortless.

When will you receive this feature?

For now, this feature has only been observed in the beta version, particularly on iOS. Some users are even able to try it out, but no concrete date has been announced yet regarding its large-scale rollout. Another point to note is that this feature will only work with contacts for whom you have granted access to your address book.