How to make stickers on iPhone

Updated October 31, 2026 · 4 min read

Since iOS 17 an iPhone makes stickers by itself: it lifts the subject from a photo and keeps it on your emoji keyboard. Below — how to make a sticker from a photo in Photos and in Messages, how to send it in iMessage, how to get an animated sticker, and what to do when you want a caption or a frame from a video, which the iPhone can't add.

How to make a sticker from a photo on iPhone

Open the Photos app and tap a photo so it fills the screen.
Touch and hold the subject — a person, a pet, an object — then let go.
Tap Add Sticker. The sticker appears in your stickers, on the emoji keyboard.
Tap Add Effect for a look like Outline or Comic, then close the stickers.

How to make and send a sticker in iMessage

You can do it all in the Messages app, right in a chat:

In a chat, tap “+” → Stickers.
To make a new one, tap New Sticker, pick a photo and tap Add Sticker.
To send one, tap the sticker. You can add a message before sending, or drag the sticker onto a message in the chat.

An animated sticker from a Live Photo

Do the same with a Live Photo and the sticker moves. Add Effect also turns its animation on and off. A regular video won't do: the iPhone makes animated stickers only from Live Photos.

A sticker with an outline, a caption or a frame from a video

The built-in editor can't add text, and it can't take a moment from a video. Make the picture first — it takes a minute in your browser — and let the iPhone turn it into a sticker:

Open the WhatsApp page on your iPhone: it makes the same PNG with a transparent background that iPhone stickers need. Upload a photo or a video and pick the frame.
On the Background tab, “People, animals and objects” removes the background. Add an outline on the Style tab and a caption on the Text tab.
Press “Make sticker”, then “Save to Photos”: in the Share menu, tap Save Image.
In Messages, tap “+” → Stickers → New Sticker and pick the picture. The iPhone keeps the transparent background, the outline and the caption — we checked.

A frame of a video → crop → background removed → white outline → PNG

Where stickers live

On the emoji keyboard — in Messages, Notes and other apps that accept images; in Messages you can also drag a sticker onto a message.
On your other Apple devices — iCloud syncs stickers to your iPad and Mac signed in to the same Apple Account.
Not in Telegram packs. For a real Telegram sticker pack — animated, too, and from any video — see Telegram stickers on iPhone.

How to delete a sticker

Open any photo in Photos, tap Edit → Markup → “+” → Add Sticker, touch and hold the sticker and tap Remove.

Make a picture for a sticker Telegram stickers on iPhone

FAQ

How do I create a sticker from a photo on iPhone?

Open the photo in the Photos app, touch and hold the subject, let go and tap Add Sticker. The sticker goes to your stickers on the emoji keyboard.

How do I send stickers in iMessage?

In a chat, tap “+” → Stickers and tap the sticker. You can also drag it onto a message in the chat.

Which iPhones can make stickers?

Any iPhone with iOS 17 or later — the feature is in Photos and Messages.

Can I make an animated sticker from a video?

Not with the iPhone itself: it makes animated stickers only from Live Photos, and a GIF turns into a still sticker. For an animated sticker from any video, use Telegram — here's how.

Why does Add Sticker not appear?

Touch and hold the subject itself and let go — the iPhone needs a clear subject. On a busy photo, remove the background first on the WhatsApp page and make the sticker from that picture.

Is it free?

Making stickers on the iPhone is free, and so is our editor — no watermark; without signing in, 5 pictures a day.