New updates are being added at the bottom of this story…….
Original story (published on November 14, 2020) follows:
Google has stowed away the option to reset the Gmail/Google account’s profile photo in a secret little submenu, and users are unaware of its existence.
The result is a slew of complaints from users who just want to restore their profile picture to the default alphabet on colored background look, but are unable to do so.
As apparent from the above comments, users were able to reset their profile picture with ease prior to the deprecation of Google Plus. However, post its shutdown, the option is extremely difficult to find.
If you are one of the users facing this issue, then worry not for you reset it with ease via this link.
How to delete Google / Gmail profile photo
It is quite odd that Google has hidden this option inside several subsequent menus.
For reference, you will have to Tap on avatar (top-right corner) > Manage your Google Account > Personal Info > Go to About me (scroll down the personal info page) > Profile Picture > Remove, if you want to perform the same directly.
And what could be the reason behind such a move? It appears that Google is simply trying to discourage users from using the default avatar.
Google sets a display picture using the first letter of your name (obviously), but the color of the background isn’t in the user’s hands. It is assigned randomly.
How to set a custom color background for your picture
However, several users have continued demanding the ability to set custom backgrounds. It is unlikely that Google will add such a feature, but you can try the following workaround for now.
And that’s all for now. Also be sure to check out our similar story wherein some users are rooting for holiday-themed versions of Google Apps icons over here.
We’ve come across a few more user-shared workarounds that may help resolve the issue. Here is the first one:
Update 1 (March 10, 2021)
Here’s what worked for another user:
And here is the last one:
PiunikaWeb started as purely an investigative tech journalism website with main focus on ‘breaking’ or ‘exclusive’ news. In no time, our stories got picked up by the likes of Forbes, Foxnews, Gizmodo, TechCrunch, Engadget, The Verge, Macrumors, and many others. Want to know more about us? Head here.
