5 Ways to Fix WhatsApp Profile Picture Not Showing

Quick Tips

• Connect your phone to a stable internet connection, preferably a Wi-Fi network, and then try accessing the profile photo.
• Update WhatsApp to the latest version to ensure all bugs are eliminated.
• If that doesn’t help, uninstall and reinstall WhatsApp on your phone to fix the issue.

Basic Fixes

• Ask the other party to save your contact: Depending on the profile picture settings of the other party, you may not be able to view their DP if your contact isn’t saved on their phone. If you think this is the case, simply ask the other party to save your contact.
• Clear your phone’s storage: Downloading a WhatsApp profile picture takes up storage on your phone. So if your phone’s storage is full, it’s time to make some space. You can also clear the Other Storage on your iPhone if you’ve run out of things to delete.
• Switch to the stable version of WhatsApp: The beta versions of apps add cool new features but can introduce several bugs. So, it’s advisable to quit the beta program by hitting the Leave button on the app’s page on the Google Play Store.

Fix 1: Check Profile Picture Visibility Settings

WhatsApp — just like Telegram and Signal — allows you to choose who can see your profile picture. If you have set this option to Nobody — either deliberately or by mistake — your profile pic will be blank. It won’t be visible even to your contacts.

Here’s how to check and change the visibility if your WhatsApp profile picture suddenly disappears.

On Android

Step 1: Open WhatsApp on your phone and tap on the three-dot menu at the top-right corner. Tap on Settings to bring up WhatsApp settings.

Step 2: Select the Account option at the top. Tap on the Privacy setting.

Step 3: Select Profile photo and choose the relevant option. You can either set it to My contacts or Everyone depending on who you want to share your profile picture with.

On iPhone

Step 1: Open WhatsApp and tap on the Settings tab at the bottom-right corner. Select Account.

Step 2: Now, tap on the Privacy option. Select the Profile Photo option and then choose My Contacts or Everyone.

Fix 2: Grant the Right Permission to WhatsApp

Every app requires access to certain permissions to function correctly. If you’ve set your profile picture to be visible only to your contacts, WhatsApp needs to know who your contacts are. That’s why WhatsApp requires access to your phone’s contacts and asks your permission for the same. Otherwise, you’ll see there’s no WhatsApp picture for anyone.

If you missed permitting WhatsApp access to your phone’s contacts, here’s how to fix it.

Enabling Permission on Android

Step 1: Tap on hold on WhatsApp in your app drawer. Select the ‘i‘ button to access the app’s settings. Select the Permissions option.

Step 2: Now, tap on Contacts and select Allow.

Give WhatsApp a couple of minutes to sync your contacts. After that, your profile picture should be visible to your contacts.

Enabling Permission on iPhone

Open the Settings app on your iPhone and scroll down till you find WhatsApp. Tap on it. Turn on the toggle next to Contacts.

Reopen WhatsApp and wait for it to sync your contacts.

Also Read: 6 ways to fix WhatsApp Web Not Syncing

Fix 3: Remove and Re-Add a Profile Picture

If you’re switching from an older phone to a new one, your WhatsApp data including your profile picture is generally transferred over to the new phone. At times, it doesn’t always work, especially when you switch from Android to iPhone or vice-versa.

Hence, it’s best to remove your profile picture and add it again. Here’s how to do it.

On Android

Step 1: Open WhatsApp on your phone and tap on the three-dot menu at the top-right corner. Tap on Settings to bring up WhatsApp settings.

Step 2: Select your existing profile picture by tapping on it.

Step 3: You will now see your profile picture, name, about, and phone number. Tap on the small camera icon below the profile picture. Now, tap on the delete icon to remove your profile picture.

Step 4: Next, tap on the same camera icon again and choose whether you want to upload a new picture from your phone’s Gallery app or capture it using the camera.

On iPhone

Step 1: Open WhatsApp and tap on the Settings tab at the bottom-right corner. Tap on the profile picture that is displayed.

Step 2: Select the Edit button below your photo and then tap on Delete Photo.

Step 3: Select Add Photo and then tap on Take Photo or Choose Photo depending on whether you want to click a new picture or add one from the Photos app.

Fix 4: Clear WhatsApp Cache

Clearing the cache can sometimes fix problems like these quickly. Here’s how to do it.

Step 1: Tap on hold on WhatsApp in your app drawer. Select the ‘i‘ button to access the app’s settings. Select the Storage option.

Step 2: Select Clear cache.

Also Read: How to change photo upload quality on WhatsApp

Fix 5: Unblock a Contact if You Blocked Them by Mistake

Blocked contacts and phone numbers on WhatsApp cannot see your profile picture. You can check the list of your blocked contacts to see if you’ve blocked someone by mistake. Unblock the relevant contacts and they will be able to see your profile picture again.

On Android

Step 1: Open WhatsApp on your phone and tap on the three-dot menu at the top-right corner. Tap on Settings to bring up WhatsApp settings.

Step 2: Select the Account option at the top. Now, tap on the Privacy setting.

Step 3: Scroll down and select Blocked Contacts. You’ll see a list of phone numbers and contacts that you’ve blocked. To unblock them, tap on a phone number and select Unblock.

On iPhone

Step 1: Open WhatsApp and tap on the Settings tab at the bottom-right corner. Select Account.

Step 2: Now, tap on the Privacy option. Select the Blocked banner.

Step 3: Tap on Edit at the top-right corner. Hit the red ‘–‘ key in front of a contact or number you want to unblock and then tap on Unblock.

FAQs for WhatsApp Profile Picture Not Showing