How to make iMessage stickers
iMessage stickers are more fun than emoji because you can do more with them: send one on its own, or peel it off and stick it right on top of someone's message. Making your own takes a couple of minutes.
This guide covers making iMessage stickers from your photos with holos and finding them in Messages, plus a quick way to do it without any app.
Step by step
Make or get a pack
In holos, tap +, pick up to 20 photos and tap Make stickers. Or open the Market tab and tap Get pack on a pack you like.
Edit it
Tap Make them amazing to add a caption with Text, change the Outline, or try Effects like Holographic. Animate makes a sticker move.
Export to Messages
Open the pack in My Stickers and tap Export (or Send for a Market pack). Under Send to, tap Messages (Use in iMessage).
Open Messages
holos shows two quick steps. Tap Open Messages, open any conversation and tap the + button next to the text field.
Find holos
Find the holos app in the list. Your stickers are waiting there.
Send or stick
Tap a sticker to send it. Or touch and hold it, then drag it onto a message bubble to stick it there.
Before you start
Stickers in Messages work over iMessage, the blue bubbles. You need an iPhone or iPad with Messages set up, and your friends see your stickers on their Apple devices. Making the stickers happens in holos, and the holos sticker app inside Messages is where you pick them while you chat.
Choose photos with a single clear subject: a face, a pet or an object. holos cuts the subject out on your phone and adds a white die-cut outline, which helps the sticker look good on any bubble color.
Stickers on top of messages
The best part of iMessage stickers is placing them. Drag a sticker onto any bubble in the conversation, and while you hold it, use a second finger to turn it or pinch to change its size before you let go. Your friends see it stuck to the message.
Sent on its own, a sticker shows up much bigger than an emoji, so one good reaction can replace a whole reply. Keep a few all-purpose ones handy: a yes, a no and an absolutely not.
Animated iMessage stickers
Stickers you animate in holos play in Messages too. In the editor, open Animate and pick from Moves, Memes, Reactions or Effects.
Tips
If you can't see holos after tapping +, tap More at the bottom of the list to find it.
Photos with one clear subject make the crispest stickers.
A thicker white Outline helps a sticker stand out on both light and dark chat backgrounds.
Want a sticker as an image? Export it to Photos as a Transparent PNG.
Questions
Can I make iMessage stickers without an app?
Yes. In the Photos app, touch and hold the subject of a photo and tap Add Sticker. It's saved to your Stickers in the emoji keyboard. holos is handy when you want a whole pack, outlines, text, effects or animation.
Do iMessage stickers work for people without holos?
Yes. The person you're texting sees your stickers in the chat without installing anything.
Do stickers work on iPad?
Yes. holos runs on iPhone and iPad, and the sticker app appears in Messages on both.
Can I send iMessage stickers to Android?
Messages to Android phones don't support stickers the same way. To share with Android friends, send the pack to WhatsApp or Telegram instead.
