Your iPhone contacts list has phone numbers of numerous random persons a restaurant, a friend's friend, an old acquaintance, ex-partner, distant relatives, etc. You don't have regular conversations with them but may need to once in a blue moon. However, since their phone number is saved to your contacts, by default, they can see your WhatsApp profile picture, status (stories), last seen, and more.
For privacy and safety reasons, you might want to stop your WhatsApp profile picture, stories, and other similar personal data from showing to such contacts. In this tutorial, we'll show you how to do that on your iPhone.
Please note that these tips also apply to WhatsApp on Android as well as the WA Business app.