How to Make Live Stickers on iPhone

Live stickers on iPhone turn your Live Photos into animated stickers that you can send in Messages, add to photos, and use across iOS. This guide walks you through the built-in method (iOS 17 and later) and a workaround for older versions, so you can start making your own moving stickers in minutes.

What You’ll Need

An iPhone running iOS 17 or later (for the native method). If you have iOS 16 or earlier, you’ll need a third-party app like Sticker Maker or PhotoLayers (free with ads).
A Live Photo (a photo taken with Live Photo enabled, or one you’ve converted). To check: open Photos, tap the photo, and look for the LIVE icon at the top.
iMessage enabled (Settings > Messages > iMessage) to send stickers in Messages.

Step-by-Step

Open the Photos app and find the Live Photo you want to turn into a sticker. Tap it to open it full screen.
Press and hold on the subject (the person, pet, or object you want to isolate). After a second, you’ll see a glowing outline around the subject, and a small menu will appear. If the outline doesn’t appear, try a photo with a clear subject against a simple background.
Tap “Add Sticker� from the menu. This creates a static sticker. To make it a live sticker, you need to do one more step.
Tap the sticker thumbnail that appears at the bottom of the screen (it will be added to your sticker drawer). This opens a preview.
Tap “Live� in the top-right corner of the preview. The sticker will now animate when sent or placed. If you don’t see “Live,� your photo may not be a Live Photo, or the subject extraction didn’t capture the motion.
Tap “Done� to save the live sticker to your sticker drawer.
To use it: open Messages, start a conversation, tap the “+� button next to the text field, then tap “Stickers.� Your live sticker will be there. Tap it to send, or drag it onto a message bubble to add it as a reaction.
To add it to a photo: open any photo in Photos, tap “Edit,� then tap the “+� (Markup) icon, then the sticker icon (a square with a folded corner). Choose your live sticker and place it on the photo. It will animate when viewed in Live Photo mode.

Common Mistakes

Using a non-Live Photo: If the photo isn’t a Live Photo, the “Live� button won’t appear. You can convert a regular photo by taking a new Live Photo and then using that.
Subject not lifting: If the outline doesn’t appear, the subject is too similar to the background (e.g., a white dog on snow). Try a photo with more contrast.
Sticker is static: You forgot to tap “Live� in step 5. The sticker is saved as static by default.
Sticker looks cut off: The automatic subject detection may miss parts of the subject (like a raised hand). You can’t manually adjust the cutout in the built-in tool, but you can use a third-party app for fine control.

Tips

Use Live Photos with subtle motion – a waving hand, a bouncing ball, or a nodding head works best. Fast, blurry motion will make the sticker look messy.
Keep the subject centered and filling most of the frame. The extraction works better when the subject is large.
Create a sticker from a video: You can convert a video to a Live Photo using a shortcut or app, then follow the same steps.
Organize your stickers: Long-press a sticker in the drawer to rename it, or tap “Edit� to rearrange or delete.
Use the sticker as a reaction: In Messages, drag the sticker onto a message bubble. It will appear as a large animated overlay.

Troubleshooting

No “Add Sticker� option appears: Make sure you’re on iOS 17 or later (Settings > General > About). If you’re on iOS 16, update your iPhone. If you’re on an older version, use a third-party app: install Sticker Maker, import the Live Photo, and create a sticker (the app will animate it).
Sticker is not animating when sent: Check that the sticker has the “Live� badge in your sticker drawer. If it’s static, delete it and recreate, making sure to tap “Live� before saving.
Sticker appears as a black square: This happens if the Live Photo is too long or corrupted. Try a different Live Photo, or trim the Live Photo in Photos (Edit > Live Photo icon > adjust the start/end points).
Subject detection picks up the background: The built-in tool is automatic. For better results, use a third-party app like PhotoLayers that lets you manually erase the background and then save as a live sticker (export as a Live Photo, then use the built-in method).
Sticker won’t drag onto messages: Make sure you’re in a conversation, not the message list. Also, drag slowly – if you drop it too quickly, it may just send as a regular image.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make a live sticker from a regular photo?

No, the built-in method requires a Live Photo. You can convert a regular photo to a Live Photo using a third-party app (like IntoLive) that adds motion, but the result may look artificial.

Do live stickers work on older iPhones?

Yes, as long as the iPhone supports iOS 17 (iPhone XS and later). The feature doesn’t require special hardware beyond the camera that takes Live Photos.

Can I use live stickers in apps other than Messages?

Yes, you can add them to photos using Markup, and some third-party apps support stickers, but Messages is the primary place they work.

How do I delete a live sticker?

Open the sticker drawer in Messages, tap “Edit� (or long-press the sticker), then tap the minus button to delete it.

Will the sticker work if I send it to an Android phone?

No, live stickers are an Apple feature. Android users will receive a static image of the sticker.

Can I make a live sticker from a video I already have?

Yes, you can convert a video to a Live Photo using a shortcut (e.g., the “Video to Live Photo� shortcut) or an app, then follow the steps above.

General steps for current mainstream versions; menus can differ by device and version. See the disclaimer or report an error.

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