How to turn any image into a WhatsApp sticker pack (2026)

A 4-step guide to importing custom stickers into WhatsApp — works on iPhone and Android, no extra apps if you don't want them.

WhatsApp added an in-app sticker creator in 2024 — you can now drag any PNG into a chat and turn it into a sticker, no developer account or Android Studio required. Combined with the per-sticker pack tools, you can build a full pack of your pet stickers in about five minutes.

what you need

WhatsApp installed (any recent version on iOS or Android)
A folder of transparent PNGs — exactly what stickr exports
About 5 minutes

WhatsApp's sticker rules: each sticker must be a 512×512 PNG or WebP with a transparent background, and weigh ≤100KB (static) or ≤500KB (animated). stickr already saves your pack in the right size — you can skip the resizing dance entirely.

the 4-step flow

download your stickr pack

On the preview screen, tap download all. You'll get a ZIP of transparent PNGs — one per sticker. Save them to your phone (AirDrop from desktop works, or upload to Google Drive and re-download on the phone).

open whatsapp's sticker creator

Open any chat, tap the + button (iOS) or paperclip (Android), then choose Sticker. WhatsApp's built-in editor opens.

add each sticker

Tap Create, pick the first PNG from your library, then Done. WhatsApp asks if you want to save it to your collection — say yes. Repeat for each sticker (the editor remembers your previous picks, so it gets fast after the first one).

send & share

Your stickers now live under the star icon in any chat's sticker tray. To share the pack with a friend, send one sticker — they'll see a "+ Add" button that pulls the whole pack into their collection.

A pet sticker overflowing a green chat bubble while the reply bubble shows a surprised face — this is the moment — your friend sees the sticker, sends back a shocked face, the chat gets weird in a good way.

"can i make a real installable pack like the ones in the store?"

Yes, but it's a separate path. Pack-style stickers (the ones with a tray icon and a publisher name) require a small companion app built with WhatsApp's open-source sample sticker apps on iOS or Android. That's the only way to wire the "Add to WhatsApp" button.

For a personal pack you'll send to friends, the in-app creator route above is faster and ships zero code. For a brand-style pack you want strangers to install, you'll need the native shell.

troubleshooting

"Sticker is too large" — WhatsApp's hard cap is 100KB per static sticker. Stickr's exports are well under this, but if you brought your own PNG, shrink it with Squoosh first.
White edges around the cutout — your source PNG isn't fully transparent. Re-export from stickr (we run background removal automatically) or run it through remove.bg.
iOS only — no "Sticker" option — update WhatsApp. The in-app creator landed in v23+ on iOS.

want truly one-click?

Telegram is the only major chat app with a fully open sticker API — stickr can push your pack straight into Telegram with one tap. Tap "send to telegram" on the preview screen and you'll have a shareable pack URL in about 10 seconds.

how to turn your pet pack into whatsapp stickers