In plain English
It is the picture people connect with an account or profile. The image can be a photograph or another kind of picture.
In context
Here, "profile photo" refers to the picture intended to represent the account or profile.
- Situation
- Profile setup, contact details, verification fields, and preference settings
- What it communicates
- labels the upload field for the picture associated with the account profile.
Meaning limits
The term does not by itself require the image to be a photograph of a person.
Examples
“The club used its logo as the profile photo instead of a group portrait.”
“On the family account, the profile photo is a drawing of the house.”