How to make Telegram stickers
Telegram is one of the best apps for stickers: sets can be large, they sync across all your devices and anyone can add yours from a link. The classic way to make one is through Telegram's @Stickers bot, which means preparing files at exactly the right size and sending them one by one.
There's an easier way on iPhone. holos prepares the stickers in Telegram's format and hands the whole set to Telegram in one go.
Step by step
Install Telegram and holos
You need Telegram on the same iPhone, signed in to your account. Get holos from the App Store.
Make or get a pack
Tap + in holos, pick your photos and tap Make stickers. Or open the Market tab and tap Get pack.
Open the export sheet
Open your pack in My Stickers and tap Export, or tap Send on a Market pack.
Choose Telegram
Under Send to, tap Telegram (Create a sticker set). holos gets your stickers ready and opens Telegram.
Name your set in Telegram
Telegram shows your stickers and asks you to create a new set. Give it a name and a link, then confirm.
Share it
The set is now in your Telegram stickers on every device. Send the set's link to friends so they can add it too.
Why Telegram stickers are worth making
Telegram treats stickers as first-class citizens. Your sets live in your account, so they follow you to your phone, tablet and computer. Friends can add a whole set from one link, and Telegram suggests stickers when you type a matching emoji. A set made from your group's best photos tends to become the group's unofficial language very quickly.
Still and video stickers
Telegram sticker sets are either all still or all moving. Still stickers go to Telegram as images, and animated ones become video stickers that loop in the chat. holos handles the sizes and formats Telegram asks for, so you don't need to resize anything.
A Telegram set holds up to 120 stickers. If your pack is bigger, holos splits it into parts that you send one by one.
Making stickers that move
To make an animated set, open a sticker in the holos editor and tap Animate. Pick a move, a meme, a reaction or a moving effect, like a rainbow outline. You can also make a sticker from a Live Photo and choose the best 3 seconds.
Tips
Pick a short, memorable link for your set: it's the address your friends will use to add it.
Keep one theme per set. Smaller themed sets are easier to scroll than one giant set.
Telegram suggests stickers when you type an emoji, so a set full of reactions gets used more.
If holos says Not installed, install Telegram and sign in before you try again.
Questions
Do I need the @Stickers bot?
No. holos sends the set straight to the Telegram app, and you finish by naming it there. The bot is only needed if you prepare sticker files by hand.
Can I make animated Telegram stickers on iPhone?
Yes. Animate a sticker in holos and it goes to Telegram as a video sticker that plays in the chat.
How do I share my Telegram sticker set?
Open the set in Telegram and share its link. Anyone who taps it can add the set to their own Telegram.
Can I add stickers to the set later?
Telegram lets you manage your own sets, including adding stickers, through its @Stickers bot. You can also send an updated pack from holos as a new set.
