How to Use Live Stickers on iPhone and iPad

In iOS 17 and up, you can create custom Live Stickers with visual effects and small animations using your photos. This article explains how to create and use Live Stickers on iPhones and iPads.

How to Create Live Stickers on iPhone and iPad in the Photos app

Custom Live Stickers can be created in the Photos app or Messages (the next section has instructions for that). Whatever app you use to make them, the Messages app (there's no third-party app support as of this writing) is where you'll use them.

Follow these steps to create Live Stickers in Photos:

1. In the Photos app, find the photo you want to use to create the sticker.

2. Tap and hold the part of the photo that will become the sticker. Photos will detect your selection. Let go when the menu pops up.

   Live Stickers can include the small animations that come with Live Photos. If the photo that's the basis of the sticker is a Live Photo and you want to keep the animation, do nothing. To turn off the animation and make the sticker static, tap Live in the top left and then tap Off.

3. Tap Add Sticker.

4. The item extracted from the photo will appear in the Stickers menu. If you don't like it, tap Delete. Alternatively, you can tweak the look of the sticker by tapping Add Effect.

5. Tap each effect to see it applied to the sticker.

6. When the sticker looks the way you want, tap Done. The sticker is now saved and is accessible in the Stickers menu in Messages as explained in the next section.

How to Use Live Stickers on iPhone and iPad

Using Live Stickers in a Messages chat is really simple. Whether you've already created some stickers using the steps from the last section, or need to create a new one while you're testing, just follow these steps:

1. In Messages, go to the message where you want to use a Live Sticker.

2. Tap +.

3. Tap Stickers.

4. If the sticker you want to use appears in the Recent Stickers section, tap it and skip to step 9. To view all Stickers, tap the icon next to Recent Stickers. Make your pick and skip 9.

   To create a new sticker, tap +.

5. Find and tap the photo you want to create a sticker from.

6. The app will auto-detect key elements of the photo and outline them for use as a sticker. Tap Add Sticker.

   If it's a Live Photo, you can keep the animation as part of the sticker or turn it off by tapping Live > Off.

7. To change the style of the sticker, tap Add Effect and tap the options. to change the style of the sticker. Tap Delete to trash the sticker.
   

8. Happy with the sticker? Tap Done to save it.

9. Tap the sticker to add it to the message field. Add text if you want.

10. Tap the up arrow to send the sticker.