How to Access Stickers on iPhone: A Complete Guide

Stickers on iPhone are more versatile than most people realize. What started as a fun add-on to iMessage has quietly expanded into a system-wide feature — and depending on which iOS version you're running and how you use your phone, accessing stickers can look quite different from one device to the next.

What Are iPhone Stickers?

On iPhone, stickers are image-based overlays you can use in messages, reactions, and even on top of photos and videos. They come in several forms:

• Emoji stickers — any standard emoji turned into a peel-and-place sticker
• Live Stickers — animated stickers created from your own photos using the subject lift feature (requires iOS 17 or later)
• App-based sticker packs — downloaded from the App Store
• Memoji stickers — customized avatar-based stickers generated from your Memoji

Each type lives in a slightly different place, which is why users sometimes can't find what they're looking for.

Accessing Stickers in iMessage 📱

The most common place to use stickers is inside the Messages app. Here's how the sticker drawer works:

1. Open Messages and start or open a conversation.
2. Tap the plus (+) icon to the left of the text field (this replaced the App Store icon in iOS 17).
3. Select Stickers from the menu that appears.
4. You'll see your sticker library — including emoji stickers, Live Stickers, and any packs you've downloaded.

On iOS 16 and earlier, the path is slightly different:

1. Tap the App Store icon (the small "A" icon) next to the text field.
2. Tap the four-dot grid icon to browse installed iMessage apps, including sticker packs.

The redesigned interface in iOS 17 unified these options under the plus menu, so the exact layout you see depends on your iOS version.

Using Stickers in the Tapback / Reactions Feature

Starting with iOS 17, Apple expanded how stickers interact with messages. You can now react to any iMessage with a sticker — not just the standard heart, thumbs up, or exclamation reactions.

To do this:

• Long-press a message bubble.
• In the reaction panel that appears, scroll right past the standard emoji reactions.
• Tap the plus (+) icon to open your sticker library and choose one to place as a reaction.

This works on top of received messages and sits visually on the message bubble, similar to a classic Tapback.

How to Create Live Stickers from Your Photos ✨

Live Stickers are one of the more impressive additions to iOS 17. They let you lift the subject from any photo and turn it into a sticker — with optional animated effects.

Here's how to make one:

1. Open Messages and tap the + icon, then select Stickers.
2. Tap the yellow star / add (+) icon at the top of your sticker tray.
3. Choose a photo from your library. iPhone will automatically isolate the subject.
4. Optionally, tap Add Effect to apply styles like Shiny, Puffy, Comic, or Outline.
5. Tap Add Sticker to save it to your library.

This feature relies on the subject lift capability introduced in iOS 16 for photo isolation, but the sticker creation and effects require iOS 17. Devices running A12 Bionic or later generally support this — though performance and availability of specific effects can vary.

Downloading Sticker Packs from the App Store

Beyond built-in options, there's a large ecosystem of third-party sticker packs available as iMessage apps.

To browse and install:

1. In Messages, tap + → More → the App Store icon.
2. Search for "stickers" or browse curated categories.
3. Tap Get to install — the sticker pack will appear in your Messages sticker drawer automatically.

Using Stickers Outside of Messages

A lesser-known capability on iOS 17+ is using stickers in other apps. If an app supports the system keyboard or emoji picker — such as Notes, Mail, or some third-party apps — you may be able to access stickers through the emoji keyboard.

Tap the emoji icon on your keyboard, then look for the Stickers section that appears below the standard emoji grid. This gives you access to your personal sticker library without being inside Messages.

Not all apps expose this interface equally. Some will show the full sticker tray; others may only display standard emoji. The app's level of support for iOS keyboard extensions determines what you'll see.

Variables That Affect Your Experience

The sticker system on iPhone isn't one-size-fits-all. Several factors shape what you'll actually have access to:

• iOS version — iOS 17 significantly expanded sticker features; iOS 16 and below have a more limited interface
• Device chip — Live Sticker effects and subject lift work best on A12 Bionic and newer chips
• Whether iMessage is enabled — sticker packs and reactions are iMessage-specific features; they don't apply to SMS
• Installed apps — your sticker library only contains what you've downloaded or created
• App compatibility — not every third-party app surfaces the sticker keyboard the same way

Someone on an older iPhone running iOS 15 is working with a fundamentally different sticker experience than someone on a current model running the latest iOS. The gap between those two setups — in terms of available features, interface layout, and creative options — is significant enough that the steps that work for one user may not match what another sees on their screen.