how to add stickers to imessage

Love them or hate them, message stickers are here to stay for now. Rarely a text message goes by without some kind of sticker being attached to add a bit of color. Unlike emoji, they don't convey anything useful, they are just a bit of fun which is reason enough to use them.

How To Add Stickers to Text Messages on iPhone and Android

Although stickers aren't quite as neat as something like Google Hangout's Easter Eggs, they're still a worthy feature you'll want to know how to use.

What Are Stickers?

Stickers are similar to Emojis except they're larger and slightly more customizable. They can be nearly any image and some have funny sayings.

Stickers arrived on the iPhone in iOS 10 and have made it very easy to download and use them. The range of stickers is pretty diverse these days and while they don't come preloaded with iMessage, once installed from the iMessage App Store they integrate seamlessly into the messaging app.

Stickers arrived on Android in August 2017 with an update to the Gboard, Android's keyboard app. Like Apple, the keyboard doesn't come with many stickers preloaded but you can download a bunch for free from the Google Play Store or from within the keyboard app itself.

Once installed, the sticker packs integrate themselves into your keyboard or message app and will appear as options along with emoji. You can then add them to your messages and send them as you see fit. Some sticker packs are free but most require payment. They aren't expensive but the cost can soon mount up if you're not careful!

Add stickers to text messages on iPhone

To add stickers to text messages on iPhone you first need to download the sticker packs. This is done through the iMessage App Store rather than iTunes. It is accessible through iMessage and involves the same steps as downloading any app.

Open iMessage on your iPhone.
Open a conversation and select the 'A' icon for the iMessage App Store to the left of the chatbox.
Select the four gray circle icon at the bottom of the new window.
Select the '+' icon to go to the iMessage App Store.
Select the stickers you want to add and install them with the toggle.

Some are free while others require payment. iMessage App Store will use the same payment method you set up for iTunes so you shouldn't have to do anything here aside from agreeing to the transaction. Once paid, they install the same as any app and are ready to use.

Open a message and start a conversation.
Select the dropdown menu next to the chatbox and then the 'A' icon.
Select the four gray circle icon at the bottom to access your stickers.
Select a sticker to add to the message and select the blue up arrow to send it to the message.
Complete the message as necessary and send it as usual.

Stickers will fit inline with your message but you can add some of them as an overlay if you like. Tap and hold your sticker and drag and drop where you want it to appear in the message. That way you can overlay a sticker over an image or have it appear anywhere.

Add stickers to text messages on Android

To add stickers to text messages on Android you will also need to install sticker packs. You can do this in one of two ways. You can add the packs from the Google Play Store or through the messaging app as you do on the iPhone. Either way, you end up at the same place.

The sticker option for Android varies depending on your keyboard and default messaging application. If you have a Samsung device, and you're using the default messaging app and the corresponding keyboard getting stickers is simple. Tap the sticker icon located inside the messaging box. From here, you can access stickers as long as your apps and keyboard are up-to-date.

If you don't have a Samsung or you're using another service like Gboard, you may need to download stickers. Visit the Google Play Store and add the sticker packs you want to use.

Gboard

One of the more popular third-party keyboards, Gboard is provided to you free through the Google Play Store and a product of Google. Once you've installed the keyboard on your phone you can go to the 'Settings' and tap on 'Language and Input' (varies depending on make and model so type "keyboard" into the settings search bar) to set it as the default.

Open your message
Tap on the smiley face clip icon
Tap on the sticker you'd like to send to a friend

That's all there is to it on the Gboard.

Or:

Open the Message app in Android and open a conversation.
Select the '+' or Google G icon to the left of the chatbox.
Select the sticker icon on the left and let the stickers load or select the '+' box icon to add more.

You can add those new stickers directly to your message from within the Message app and they will appear within the message box.

Facebook Messenger Stickers

If you love Facebook Messenger, you'll be happy to know it has stickers too! To use the Stickers in Messenger simply tap the smiley face in the message box. You can search or filter the stickers you'd like to send which makes it super simple to find the ones you need fast.

Some of these stickers are animated which is really cool.

Other Keyboards

If you use Swiftkey, Swype, or any of the other keyboard apps, they all have their own sticker packs. Those you download from the Google Play Store should integrate into these keyboards but the stickers you download directly within the Gboard app will not. Fortunately, those other keyboard apps come with their own stickers so you should definitely find something worth using within them.

I use emoji all the time as they can convey meaning in messages in a way that would take much longer with words. If you enjoy emojis, you should certainly try adding stickers to your text messages.

Depending on the sticker pack you have available, you can have animals, funny sayings, and more!