WhatsApp Starts Rolling Out Profile Pictures in iOS Message Notifications

WhatsApp is testing a helpful new feature on iOS that displays profile pictures in system notifications when users receive new messages from chats and groups.

whatsapp notification

Image credit: WABetaInfo

First spotted by app specialist WABetaInfo, the first new feature for the platform in 2022 uses APIs in iOS 15 to add the WhatsApp profile images to notifications in top-screen banners and in the Notification Center when users receive a message.

WhatsApp on Android has been able to display the profile pictures in system notifications for some time, so this change brings parity to the app across both platforms.

If you don't see the profile pictures in your notifications yet, that's because WhatsApp is first making the change for beta testers so they can report bugs, before the feature is rolled out to millions of users on iOS devices worldwide.

The last update to WhatsApp came in December, and was a privacy change to prevent people on the messaging platform from viewing the "Last Seen" status of users whom they have never chatted with.

Popular Stories

iphone 17 air iphone 16 pro

iPhone 17 Air USB-C Port May Have This Unusual Design Quirk

Wednesday April 30, 2025 3:59 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to launch a dramatically thinner iPhone this September, and if recent leaks are anything to go by, the so-called iPhone 17 Air could boast one of the most radical design shifts in recent years. iPhone 17 Air dummy model alongside iPhone 16 Pro (credit: AppleTrack) At just 5.5mm thick (excluding a slightly raised camera bump), the 6.6-inch iPhone 17 Air is expected to become ...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17: What's New With the Cameras

Friday May 2, 2025 3:52 pm PDT by
We've still got months to go before the new iPhone 17 models come out, but a combination of dummy models and leaks have given us some insight into what we can expect in terms of camera changes. Apple is adding new camera features, and changing the design of the camera bump for some models. You might be skeptical of dummy models, but over the years, they've proven to be a highly accurate...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Tuesday April 29, 2025 1:30 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iOS App Store General Feature JoeBlue

Epic Games Wins Major Victory as Apple is Ordered to Comply With App Store Anti-Steering Injunction [Updated]

Wednesday April 30, 2025 4:01 pm PDT by
In a victory for Epic Games, Apple was today found to be in violation of a 2021 injunction that required it to allow developers to direct customers to third-party purchase options on the web using in-app links. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who has been handling the Apple vs. Epic Games dispute for the last five years, said that Apple is in "willful violation" of the injunction she issued to ...
General Spotify Feature

Spotify Submits iOS App Update With Out-of-App Purchase Options

Thursday May 1, 2025 3:37 pm PDT by
Spotify today submitted an app update to Apple that will include information on Spotify plan costs and options to subscribe through weblinks without using the in-app purchase system. Spotify will not need to pay a fee to Apple when customers subscribe to the service using alternate payment methods in the Spotify app. In a blog post announcing the changes, Spotify said that yesterday's ruling ...
iphone 16 pro ghost hand

iPhone 18 Rumors: What to Expect From Apple Next Year

Friday May 2, 2025 3:01 am PDT by
Apple's is continually working with suppliers on successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features so far ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a picture forming of what to expect from Apple's 2026 smartphone lineup. If you're skipping this year's upcoming iPhone 17 series, or just plain curious about Apple's plans...
iphone 16 display

iPhone 17's Scratch Resistant Anti-Reflective Display Coating Canceled

Monday April 28, 2025 12:48 pm PDT by
Apple may have canceled the super scratch resistant anti-reflective display coating that it planned to use for the iPhone 17 Pro models, according to a source with reliable information that spoke to MacRumors. Last spring, Weibo leaker Instant Digital suggested Apple was working on a new anti-reflective display layer that was more scratch resistant than the Ceramic Shield. We haven't heard...
iOS 19

Apple Already Testing iOS 19.4 After Delaying Personalized Siri Features

Thursday May 1, 2025 9:03 am PDT by
A subset of Apple's software engineers started internal development of iOS 19.4 last month, according to the MacRumors visitor logs. iOS 19.4 is expected to be released in March or April next year, so the software update is still nearly a year away. However, Apple develops both "Fall" and "Spring" versions of iOS each year, with our website's analytics logs indicating that both iOS 19.0 and...

Top Rated Comments

TFK. Avatar
43 months ago
Now please fix the poor photo sharing resolution rate -.-"
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kiranmk2 Avatar
43 months ago
Where's that iPad app?
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iDento Avatar
43 months ago

I wish I could get away from WhatsApp, but so many people use it. I have got some Android family members on Viber. What's the best alternative?
My relatives and friends all use WhatsApp, even people with iPhones.

Apple should either make an iMessage app for Android and Windows, or they can just make an app that aggregates all texting apps into it, like how Files app works with OneDrive and Dropbox.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
conradolson Avatar
43 months ago

I wish I could get away from WhatsApp, but so many people use it. I have got some Android family members on Viber. What's the best alternative?
Signal. In the past few years the app as got a lot slicker. It has all the features that WhatsApp and it works really well.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Christoffee Avatar
43 months ago
I wish I could get away from WhatsApp, but so many people use it. I have got some Android family members on Viber. What's the best alternative?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
akbarali.ch Avatar
43 months ago

I wish I could get away from WhatsApp, but so many people use it. I have got some Android family members on Viber. What's the best alternative?
Telegram, i suppose. Even i'm trying to get away from it.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)