(pocket-lint) – Many users on Facebook, Twitter and other social networks are turning their profile pictures into cartoon-like artistic pictures. That’s because a new app — officially called “NewProfilePic Picture Editor” — is trending on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store charts to make it incredibly easy to turn your selfies into art.
Here’s everything you need to know about the new profile picture image editing app, including whether experts think the app is safe for you to use.
new profile picture
What is New Profile Pic App?
The new profile picture topped the mobile app charts in May 2022 with hundreds of thousands of downloads.
Everywhere people are sharing their pictures on social media which they have edited with new profile pic. The app uses artificial intelligence to easily and quickly create profile pictures that look like they have been featured. But as it exploded in popularity, rumors began to spread on the Internet that the app was somehow linked to Russia or the Kremlin.
How does the New Profile Pic App work?
this is easy. First, download the app on your iPhone or Android phone.
new profile picture
Step 1: Allow
Open new profile picture and give General permission.
It will ask for permission to track your activity across the web to deliver personalized ads. But you can request that the app not track you. It also asks for permission to send notifications, and later, for permission to access your photos. It claims that all the photos you edit in the app are anonymously uploaded to its servers for processing.
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You can allow access to select photos in your library or all of your photos.
new profile picture
Step 2: Choose a Photo
Once you get all the permissions, the main screen of the app will open and ask you to choose a photo. You can take a picture with your device’s camera or select one from your Camera Roll and Recent. If you don’t want to use your own photos, there is an option for celebs. Under there, you can search for a celebrity’s name to find a picture of them to edit in the new profile picture.
new profile picture
Step 3: Apply an Art Style
Anyway, after you have taken or selected your photo, New Profile Pic will give you a choice of four art styles. Under the first style, there are three additional aesthetics to try. You’ll also find additional options under the second style and the fourth style. Pro Tip: Simply tap all the styles in a row to process them instantly, then when they’re finished you can flick between them all. It takes a few seconds for the styles to be processed and applied to your photo. The first style is our favorite. It turns your picture into a hyper-realistic painted picture.
All except the second style support images with multiple people. The second can only be used on selfies with one person.
note: The Photo Lab option you see points you to another app from the developer to try.
new profile picture
Step 4: Save and Share
So, you are finished with your picture and you want to save and share it. Just tap the green Save & Share button at the bottom of the screen! This will give you the opportunity to save it locally on your device or send it to Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, Messenger, Snapchat, and other apps installed on your device.
Is the new profile pic app free to use?
Yes. It is free to use New Profile Pic App. At the moment, there is no paywalled feature or subscription tier. However, there are advertisements. They pop up among the style selections.
Can you remove the watermark?
There doesn’t appear to be a way to remove the watermark on processed photos in the New Profile Pic app itself, but you can re-size/crop the photo on your device later to get rid of the watermark before sharing it .
Is New Profile Pic App Safe?
Russia Rumors
The rumor that the new profile pic is linked to Russia or the Kremlin is based on screenshots shared on Facebook, which purportedly showed the app’s website (newprofilepic.com) registered in Moscow. Snopes took a deep dive into the app and saw that the new profile pic was created by Inform Laboratories and copyrighted by Linrock Investments. According to their App Store listings in the Google Play Store and Apple App Store, the developer’s location is listed as Tortola in the British Virgin Islands.
But a spokesperson for Linrock Investments has already confirmed to the media that the website domain of the app was once registered in Moscow. This is because the founders of the company had lived in the country. However, the person has since left, so the company has now changed the domain registration address “to avoid any confusion.”
data collection
According to The Independent, allaying any concerns concerning Russia, experts are warning that the new Profile Pic app collects vast amounts of personal data. Pocket-lint downloaded the app to view the permissions of the app. As of 12 May 2022, the permission requests we saw were in line with those of other popular apps (such as TikTok and Instagram).
Written by Maggie Tillman.
