How to Make a Sticker on iPhone From Your Own Photos

Custom stickers are one of the most fun things your iPhone can do. Lift your dog, your product, your logo mug or your own face out of a photo, and suddenly it's a sticker you can drop into messages, notes and photos. Creators and small brands use them for playful replies, mock-ups and social graphics.

Apple builds this into the Photos app and Messages, so there's nothing to install. Here's how it works, following Apple's iPhone User Guide, including how to make a moving sticker and how to tidy up ones you don't want.

Lifting a subject out of a photo to make a sticker

Apple's help says you can turn the main subject of a photo into a sticker:

1. Open the Photos app and tap a photo so it fills the screen.
2. Touch and hold the subject, such as a person, pet or object, then let go.
3. Tap Add Sticker in the menu that appears.

That's it. Apple says the sticker then appears in your stickers menu, which you reach from the iPhone keyboard or the Markup tools. Photos with one clear subject against a plain background give the cleanest cut-out.

Making an animated sticker from a Live Photo

If the photo is a Live Photo, Apple's help says you can make an animated sticker from the subject, so it moves. You follow the same touch-and-hold steps. Then, in the sticker options, Add Effect lets you turn the Live Photo animation on or off.

A little looping wave, a spinning product or a jumping pet makes a sticker far more charming than a still one.

Adding an outline or comic effect to an iPhone sticker

Apple's help says you tap Add Effect to apply a visual effect such as Outline or Comic. An outline gives the classic die-cut sticker look and helps a cut-out stand out against busy backgrounds, which I'd use for anything brand-related.

Creating Live Stickers straight from Messages

You can also make stickers without leaving a conversation. Apple's Messages help gives these steps:

1. Open a conversation in Messages.
2. Tap the Add button, then tap Stickers.
3. Tap the Live Stickers button, then tap the Add button.
4. Pick a photo, then tap the Add button.
5. To add an effect, tap Add Effect, choose an option such as Comic or Shiny, then tap Done.

Sending or placing your sticker in a conversation

Once it's made, there are two ways to use it, according to Apple's help:

How	What happens
Send it as a message	Tap Add, then Stickers, pick your sticker and send
Place it on a bubble	Drag the sticker onto a message bubble in the conversation
Resize or angle it	While dragging, move or rotate a second finger
Attach it quickly	Touch and hold a message, tap Attach Sticker, then choose one

Apple says recipients see a placed sticker as soon as you put it on the message. If someone sends you a Live Sticker you love, touch and hold it and tap Save to Stickers to keep it.

Decorating your photos with homemade stickers

These cut-outs aren't only for messages. Apple's help says you can use stickers you've created to decorate a photo, through the Markup tools in the Photos editor. That's handy for quick social graphics: drop your product cut-out onto a fresh background photo, or add your pet as a cheeky mascot in the corner of an announcement.

For more ideas on turning phone content into promotional posts, my guide to creating promo videos for social media on iPhone covers the bigger picture.

Deleting an iPhone sticker you no longer want

Made too many? Apple's help gives this route in Photos:

1. Open any photo and tap Edit.
2. Tap the Markup button, then tap the Add button.
3. Tap Add Sticker.
4. Touch and hold the sticker you want gone, then tap Remove.

Apple adds that your stickers sync with iCloud, so they appear on your iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Vision Pro where you're signed in to the same Apple Account. That also means a sticker you make on your phone is ready to use on your Mac when you're designing something bigger.

Using custom stickers as a small business

• Make a sticker of your product or mascot to use in replies to customers.
• Add an outline effect so cut-outs look clean on any background.
• Use stickers on photos for quick story graphics without opening a design app.
• Only make stickers of people who are happy to be turned into one.

If Add Sticker doesn't appear on your iPhone

• Make sure the photo is open in full screen before you touch and hold.
• Choose a photo with a clear main subject. Busy scenes are harder to lift.
• Hold a little longer on the subject, then release.
• Try the Messages route through the Live Stickers button instead.
• Menus vary by iOS version, so labels may look slightly different on older software.

And if you're using your iPhone for more of your business admin, my guide to sending a fax from your iPhone shows one more job it can quietly handle.

Frequently asked questions

How do I make a sticker on iPhone?

Open a photo in the Photos app, touch and hold the subject, release, then tap Add Sticker. The sticker appears in your stickers menu on the keyboard and in Markup.

Can I make a moving sticker on iPhone?

Yes. Apple's help says you can make animated stickers from the subjects in Live Photos, and Add Effect lets you turn the animation on or off.

How do I add an outline to a sticker on iPhone?

Tap Add Effect after creating the sticker and choose Outline. Other effects include Comic, and in Messages, Shiny.

How do I delete a sticker I made on iPhone?

Open a photo, tap Edit, tap Markup, tap the Add button, tap Add Sticker, touch and hold the sticker and tap Remove.

Do my iPhone stickers show on my other devices?

Yes. Apple says stickers sync with iCloud to your iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Vision Pro signed in to the same Apple Account.