If you want to change your friends’ WhatsApp profile pictures on your phone as a joke, then read on. The steps are simple and nothing beats the expression on a friend’s face when he sees the photo and is convinced that he has been “hacked”.

The procedure does not involve anything illegal. Whenever you open someone’s full-screen profile picture, WhatsApp saves the image . These images are then saved associated with the contact’s phone number as a file name in the WhatsApp folder of your phone. So, all you have to do is go to your file manager and replace your existing profile picture with one of your choice.

How to change profile pictures on WhatsApp [Android]

0. Before changing the profile picture of any friend on WhatsApp, it is good to keep in mind to save a copy of the original image , so that you can possibly restore it.

1. Download and install a file management app on your smartphone. For example ES File Explorer, but the process is pretty much the same with every other.

2. Open the app and enter the folder: / device / sdcard / WhatsApp / Profile Pictures . Here you will see the profile pictures that the application has saved. If you don’t see the photo of the friend you were looking for, go back to WhatsApp and open it. All you have to do is tap his name on him at the top of a conversation and then on his profile picture icon. Once the image is loaded full screen, it will automatically be saved in the Profile Pictures folder .

3. Go back to the Profile Pictures folder , find your friend’s picture and long press and choose to copy it. You can paste it and save it wherever you want, but remember that you are also copying the file name (a friend’s phone number), and you definitely don’t want it to end up in the wrong hands.

4. Now, choose a photo to replace with your friend’s profile picture and resize it to a size of 640 x 640 pixels , the standard format for WhatsApp profile photos. If you don’t know how to resize the image, I suggest you read this quick guide on how to resize a photo with paint written by the authoritative Italian science writer Salvatore Aranzulla.

5. Now, move the new profile picture into the Picture Profile folder and rename it with your friend’s phone number . To rename the image, just long press the image and select “Rename” from the menu.

6. From now on, by opening WhatsApp and tapping the friend’s name and then the profile photo , the full screen image will be the one you saved.

NB It is possible to change the WhatsApp profile picture of several friends at the same time by simply repeating the process.

We haven’t found a way to change the little profile icon yet, but this is already a great way to have fun with friends. Just go to them and say “I think your WhatsApp account has been hacked / hacked …” or “What happens with your WhatsApp profile picture? “. Show them the phone. And enjoy their expression.