Summary
- A new Google Photos app update has rolled out for iPhone and iPad users, which introduces the ability to make stickers.
- The sticker-generating process is automatic and uses machine learning, similar to how sticker creation works within Apple’s native Photos app.
- Curiously, the feature isn’t available for Android or desktop users at this time.
If you happen to be an iPhone or an iPad user with an existing Photos library, then Google has some good news for you: the company has rolled out a fun new sticker creation tool, which is exclusively available on Apple-branded mobile devices.
The sticker generator is built into the latest version of Google Photos, which is available for download on the Apple App Store. The feature works in the same fashion as other sticker tools found on competing services, including Apple’s own Photos app and Microsoft’s Paint app for Windows 11.
In short, the app uses machine learning algorithms to automagically identify subjects in the foreground of an image, separating them from the background and cutting them out into a cute, easily shareable sticker.
It’s unclear whether sticker generation is using in-house Google AI, or whether the tech giant is tapping into APIs provided by Apple for use in mobile apps targeting the iPhone and the iPad.
Curiously, there’s no word whether the feature is expected to roll out to Android or desktop users, despite Google being the owner of the Android OS and the web app-centric ChromeOS. On the official Google Photos Help Center, the availability section simply reads: “this feature isn’t available on Android devices / on computers.”
- Developer
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Google
- Subscription cost
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Free
Google Photos is a cloud-centric digital gallery application that provides sorting and search options, editing tools, and 15GB of free starting storage.
How to create stickers from your photos
All you need is the Google Photos app, an iPhone or an iPad, and some photos with a clearly defined subject
To get started with creating stickers with the iPhone and iPad Google Photos app, follow these steps:
- Ensure you’re running the most up-to-date version of Google Photos for iOS or iPadOS.
- Launch the Google Photos app.
- Select a photo from your gallery that has a clear separation between foreground and background elements.
- A shimmer effect will automatically outline an eligible sticker option.
- Press and hold on the subject, and then tap on Copy or Share.
The ability to create stickers within Google Photos on iPhone and iPad is limited to devices running iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 or newer.
If you select copy, the sticker will be added to your clipboard. From here, you can paste it directly into other apps, allowing you to export the sticker for use within a text message thread, another photo app, or for other contexts. If you select share, the clipboard step is skipped altogether.
It’s worth noting that, at this time, there’s no way to modify a sticker once it’s been created. The process is entirely automatic, and so there’s no real ability to alter the boundaries of a sticker prior to sharing it. In any event, the entire process is non-destructive, which means your original photo won’t be altered in any way while creating stickers.
