How to Add Custom Emojis and Stickers to iMessage
iMessage has had a proper sticker system since iOS 17: a drawer that collects stickers from every app you use, stickers you can peel and drop onto a message bubble, even stickers as Tapback reactions. Once you know where the drawer is, adding your own custom emojis takes a minute. This guide shows how to get Pixmoji stickers into iMessage, how to send them three different ways, and how to keep the drawer tidy.
The short version
- Make an emoji in Pixmoji and save it. It appears in the iMessage sticker drawer through the built-in sticker integration.
- In a chat, tap the plus button, then Stickers, then your Pixmoji stickers.
- Tap to send, or touch and hold and drag the sticker onto a bubble.
How iMessage stickers work
Stickers are small transparent images that live in a shared drawer inside Messages. The drawer has a few sections: Live Stickers you made from photos, Memoji stickers, and stickers from apps you have installed, including Pixmoji. You can send a sticker as its own message, stick it onto any bubble in the conversation, or use it as a reaction. The drawer syncs through iCloud, so the same stickers are on your iPad and Mac.
Step 1: Make a sticker in Pixmoji
- Open Pixmoji and choose how to start: Text to Emoji or Image to Emoji.
- Add your words or your picture and generate.
- Save the result to your library. Saved stickers are what iMessage shows.
Not sure what to make first? A selfie in the cute or cartoon style is the usual start; see how to make your own emoji on iPhone.
Step 2: Find your stickers in iMessage
- Open a conversation in Messages.
- Tap the plus button to the left of the text field.
- Tap Stickers. If you do not see it, tap More at the bottom of the list.
- Swipe across the top row of the drawer to your Pixmoji stickers.
The first time, iMessage may need a moment to pick up a newly installed app's stickers. If Pixmoji is missing, tap the sticker icon with the three dots at the end of the row and make sure it is enabled, or close and reopen Messages.
Step 3: Send it three ways
- As a message: tap the sticker, then tap send. It arrives at emoji size in its own bubble.
- Stuck on a bubble: touch and hold the sticker, drag it onto any message in the conversation, and let go. It stays there for everyone in the chat.
- As a reaction: touch and hold a message, tap the sticker icon in the Tapback bar, and pick your sticker. Custom reactions are the fastest way to answer a group chat without typing.
Sending to Android and other apps
iMessage stickers are iMessage only, but the sticker itself is not. Add the same Pixmoji stickers to a pack and tap Install Pack, and the pack lands in your WhatsApp sticker tab for every chat. Friends on Android receive it as a sticker in WhatsApp or as a small image in Messages, so the joke still arrives. Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat take it as an image you paste into a story or a comment.
Build a reaction set
One sticker gets used once. A set gets used every day. The classic eight: yes, no, laughing, shocked, eye roll, thumbs up, crying, celebrating. Make them from the same selfie or the same pet photo with the expression in the prompt, keep one style so they look like a family, and save all eight. In the iMessage drawer they sit side by side, and as Tapbacks they replace the standard heart and thumbs up with your own face.
Keeping the drawer tidy
- Reorder: touch and hold a sticker in the drawer and drag it to the front so favorites are first.
- Delete: touch and hold a sticker and choose Delete. This removes it from the drawer, not from your Pixmoji library.
- Recently used appears as the first section, so the stickers you actually send stay one tap away.
- Too many apps in the row? Tap the three dots at the end and switch off the sticker packs you never use.
Quick answers
How do I add custom stickers to iMessage?
Make and save a sticker in Pixmoji, then in Messages tap the plus button, choose Stickers, and swipe to the Pixmoji section. Tap to send, or drag the sticker onto a message.
Can I use a custom emoji as a reaction in iMessage?
Yes. On iOS 17 and later, touch and hold a message, tap the sticker icon in the Tapback bar, and choose any sticker, including your Pixmoji ones.
Why do my Pixmoji stickers not show up in iMessage?
Make sure the sticker is saved to your Pixmoji library, then close and reopen Messages. If the Pixmoji section is still missing, tap the three dots at the end of the sticker row and enable it.
Can Android users see iMessage stickers?
They receive them as small images. To send a real sticker to Android friends, install the same Pixmoji pack in WhatsApp instead.
Do custom stickers cost anything?
Pixmoji is free to download, and the iMessage sticker drawer is built into iOS 17 and later.
Put your face in the drawer
The next group chat reaction can be you, not a yellow circle. Download Pixmoji, make one sticker, and it is in your iMessage drawer a minute later.