Messages in iOS 10: How to Install and Use Sticker Packs

In iOS 10, the simple Messages app you’re familiar with has transformed from a bare bones texting platform into a fun, interactive communication service that takes advantage of games, apps, drawings, stickers, message effects, and more.

Following in the footsteps of apps like Facebook and Line, Apple is delving into stickers in a big way, giving iOS users new ways of expressing themselves. Like the real thing, Stickers in iOS can be stuck onto messages or images, or sent by themselves, and they can be resized, rotated, and stuck to other stickers for fun layering effects.

Installing Sticker Packs

Sticker packs can be installed as standalone applications through the iMessage App Store or they can be downloaded as add-ons to full iOS apps, but either way, getting them onto your device uses these steps.

Open an existing conversation thread in Messages or start a new conversation.
Tap on the App Store icon next to the conversation box and then tap on the four dots to open your app drawer, which houses all installed apps.
Tap the “+” icon to access the iMessage App Store.
In the “Featured” section, tap “Get” or and then “Install” to download a sticker pack, or tap on the purchase price to buy an pack that costs money. Passwords and Touch ID authentication are required, just as in the standard App Store.
Tap on the “Manage” tab to install sticker packs (or other apps) that are available as iOS add-ons. Installation is done by setting the toggle to on (green), while removing an a sticker pack is done by turning the toggle off.

OPTIONAL: In the “Manage” tab, toggle on “Automatically Add Apps” to let all iOS apps that have an iMessage component install in Messages automatically.
Click “Done.” The newly installed sticker pack is now available in your app drawer. Access it by opening the app drawer (four dots icon) or swiping left or right through your installed apps.

Sticker Basics

Stickers are displayed in place of the iOS keyboard, just like emoji. Sending a sticker to someone is as simple as tapping it, which puts it in the message field. From there, tap the up arrow to send a sticker. It’s simple, and essentially the same process as sending a standard text message or an emoji.

Layering, Resizing, and Rotating Stickers

The neat thing about stickers is that they can be layered over incoming text messages, photos, GIFs, or other stickers, so you can use them to react to content your friends send you.

Stickers must be placed on an incoming chat bubble of some sort and can’t be placed randomly in the messages field, and stickers can only be added to other stickers after the first sticker has been sent, so it’s not possible to layer multiple stickers together when composing a message.

To layer:

Navigate to the sticker pack you want to use.
Select a sticker. Instead of tapping it, place a finger on the sticker and drag it up to the messages window.
Drag the sticker to where you want to place it on a message bubble, photo, or existing sticker.
You can put as many stickers as you like on a photo or an existing sticker, so you and your friends can take turns embellishing photos and creating sticker collages. Stickers from different sticker packs can be mixed together in one field — just swipe between packs to change stickers.

Stickers can be resized or rotated before they’re placed, a feature that’s especially useful when you want to accent a photo. To make stickers bigger or smaller, as you drag them up to the messages field to place them somewhere, add another finger to the screen and use pinch gesture to expand or contract them.

Rotating stickers is done in the same way. As you hold a sticker above the screen before placing it, use two fingers to twist it around, changing its orientation. Make sure not to let go when rotating or resizing, as removing your finger releases the sticker and it can no longer be edited.

Managing and Deleting Stickers

There are several gestures that can be used to manage your stickers. A single tap will display a sticker full screen, as will a 3D Touch press on the iPhone 6s and later.

Use a long press on a sticker to bring up your message reaction menu and a set of management options. This menu displays where a sticker is from so you can download the sticker pack from the iMessage App Store if it’s not already installed, and it has tools for deleting layered stickers. To delete:

Long press on a layered sticker or a sticker that’s been placed on an incoming message or photo.
Choose the “Sticker Detail” option. All stickers that have been placed on a particular photo, message, or initial sticker will be displayed.
On the sticker you want to delete, swipe to the left and choose then tap the “Delete” button.
The sticker is removed from your device and from the device of the person you were communicating with and you’re now free to add additional stickers.

Sticker Compatibility

Stickers are only going to display appropriately on devices running iOS 10 and macOS Sierra, so sending stickers to friends who are using Android devices or older versions of iOS won’t work quite the same. On these devices, stickers are simply displayed as an image or GIF might be displayed and all layering is ignored.

Sticker packs can be created using Xcode with no coding experience required, so not only are developers going to be coming out with sticker packs, but artists can make them too. Expect to see hundreds of available sticker packs in the near future in addition to the built-in Hearts, Smileys, Hands, and Classic Mac stickers made available by Apple.

Related Roundup: iOS 10
Discuss this article in our forums

Must-Have Sticker Packs for Messages in iOS 10

iOS 10 officially launched today, bringing a revamped Messages App with a full Messages App Store and support for all new sticker packs, which are set to replace emojis as the must-have way to express yourself visually while chatting.

There are already several dozen sticker packs available in the Messages App Store and that number will grow to hundreds in a short period of time, so we’ve rounded up some of the best iOS 10 sticker packs that are worth checking out. All app links are links directly to the App Store.

Wondering how to install sticker packs? Make sure to check out our how to.

Sticker Pals (Free, Coming Soon) – Created by Impending, the team behind the adorable Hatch pet app, Sticker Pals features hundreds of animated stickers drawn by artist David Lanham. Focused around several characters, Sticker Pals is the most comprehensive sticker pack I’ve tested over the last several weeks, with an amazing art style and stickers to represent every emotion and action.

Since stickers can be layered, there’s also a wide selection of wigs, glasses, and beards, along with emotive additions like hearts and explosions plus food, every day items, and more. There’s even a built-in gifting feature for unlocking new stickers, along with extra packs available as in-app purchases. Impending has thought of everything, and as a free download, Sticker Pals is worth picking up. Sticker Pals will be available soon and is worth the wait.

IconFactory (Free to $0.99) – IconFactory has created multiple sticker packs for iOS 10, ranging from dinosaurs and marshmallows to pixellated food, magic eight balls, poop, flowers, and chimpanzees. Some of the stickers in IconFactory’s sticker packs are animated, while others are static. All of them have different art styles, but high-quality artwork is a common denominator.

Disney ($1.99) – Disney has multiple sticker packs available, all organized by characters drawn in a cutesy style. Disney stickers are animated and high-quality, but pricy at $1.99 per pack. There are stickers for Frozen, Mickey & Friends, Stitch, Finding Dory, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Inside Out, and Star Wars.

Super Mario Run (Free) – There’s a sticker app available for Nintendo’s upcoming Super Mario Run game, featuring a selection of non-animated Mario-themed stickers. There are different Mario poses, a “?” block, a mushroom, and Mario hat and nose that can be used on pictures.

Slicker Stickers (Free) – From JibJab, Slicker Stickers offers more than 300 animated stickers in simple styles. There are several different characters, each with a selection of animations to express different emotions. Characters include a rabbit, beer bottle, pug, cat, balloon, egg, frog, star, and more. It’s worth picking up just for the variety.

Anitate ($1.99) – Anitate is another sticker pack that I’ve loved using over the beta testing period, mostly because of its clean, slick art style. Anitate features 86 animated stickers that mimic many emoji, along with a few fun additions. It’s one of my most used sticker packs next to Sticker Pals.

Other stickers worth checking out:

– Retro Emoji – Kaomoji-style stickers
– Om Nom – Stickers featuring On Nom from Cut the Rope
– WWF Origami – Origami-style animal stickers from the World Wildlife Fund
– Comic Talk – Comic-style text-based stickers
– Emoji Stickers Pack – Includes stickers based on emoji, which can be combined together right in Messages.
– Pokémon Pixel Art – Pixellated Pokémon stickers from The Pokémon Company.
– Emoji Remix – Another app that lets users mix and match different artwork from classic emoji to create new sticker emoji.

App Stickers

In addition to dedicated sticker packs, many iOS apps and games are being updated with sticker apps that are available as iMessage add-ons. Here’s a list of some of the notable apps that now offer stickers:

– Crossy Road
– Sky Safari 2
– Jetpack Joyride
– Trivia Crack
– Jelly Splash
– Dots & Co
– Alto’s Adventure
– BADLAND

Have a favorite sticker pack you’ve come across? Share it with us in the comments.

Related Roundup: iOS 10
Discuss this article in our forums

Best Verizon phones

Want a new Verizon phone? See the best the largest operator in the United States has to offer.

Whether you’re an existing Verizon subscriber looking to upgrade, or you’re thinking of switching over to Verizon and want to know what phones they offer; we’re here to help.

We have put together our list of the best phones Verizon has to offer. We encourage you to read our reviews to learn more about each device we have featured, but if you are ready to pull the trigger, we have also included links to buy directly from Verizon.

• Samsung Galaxy S7/S7 edge
• LG G5
• HTC 10
• Motorola Moto Z and Z Force
• Samsung Galaxy Note 7

Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge

Samsung’s Galaxy S7 and S7 edge are the newest model of its flagship brand and deserve all the accolades they have been getting. Featuring expandable memory via microSD and a bigger battery, the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge manage to also improve the sleek, one-piece design from its predecessor. On top of that, both phones are water-resistant, making them super appealing to all the accident-prone people of the world.

With a stunning Quad HD Super AMOLED display protected by Gorilla Glass — found on the front and back — these devices look beautiful. Both the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge have a fantastic camera that produces great photos, even in low-light conditions.

The Galaxy S7 edge has a slightly bigger screen and a longer lasting battery.

Verizon has the 32GB Galaxy S7 available in Black Onyx or Gold Platinum, and the 32GB Galaxy S7 edge is also available in Silver Titanium.

Want an in-depth breakdown?

Read: Samsung Galaxy S7 review

Read:Samsung Galaxy S7 edge review

Have you already made up your mind? Buy it right now through the Verizon site:

See the Galaxy S7 at Verizon
See the Galaxy S7 edge at Verizon

LG G5

The newest addition to LG’s G series of phones, the LG G5 proves that high-end phones can still come in a comfortable-sized package. Running on Android Marshmallow with a Snapdragon 820 processor at its core, the user experience on the G5 is as smooth as you could want. It comes with 32GB of storage, with essentially unlimited expandability available via microSD.

The G5 is a statement to the world that LG is trying to think outside the box. The phone is modular by design, meaning that you can remove the bottom of the phone and add in additional hardware modules — which LG has branded as “friends” — with relative ease. An expanded battery, Bang & Olufsen high-quality audio booster, and a camera grip are just some of the modules that LG has announced already. Initial availability has been a little spotty, but in theory, the sky’s the limit.

Verizon offers the LG G5 in both the silver and titan colors.

Read more: LG G5 review

Want to buy it now? Purchase it directly from Verizon:

See the LG G5 at Verizon

HTC 10

Featuring a solid aluminum body, the HTC 10 is a great option if you want your phone to stand out. The camera is solid as it’s quick to launch, fast to capture, and speedy to focus, making it one of the better cameras on today’s Android devices. It also supports microSD cards for extra storage, so you’ll never being starved for space.

The HTC features a decent battery, above-average audio quality, and supports Quick Charge 3.0 — making this device a solid choice for practically anyone.

Verizon carries the HTC 10 in Glacial Silver with 32GB of storage.

Read more: HTC 10 review

Want to own it? Buy it right now from Verizon:

See the HTC 10 at Verizon

Moto Z and Z Force

If you’re curious about wielding a modular smartphone but the LG G5’s pop-out method doesn’t seem like your thing, don’t give up. Both the Moto Z and Moto Z Force utilize magnetic modules that affix easily to the back of the phone, and both smartphones are currently Verizon exclusives.

The Moto Z and Moto Z Force run on the same hardware as the competition, including a Snapdragon 820, 4GB of RAM, and a microSD expansion slot. Both are equipped with 5.5-inch AMOLED displays, though the Z Force features an extra “ShatterShield” layer on top, hence its moniker. And since it’s supposed to be a “force” to recon with, it’s equipped with the better-performing 21-megapixel rear-facing camera, compared to the Z’s 13-megapixel one.

The Moto Z and Moto Z Force also offer more varieties of modules than LG’s G5. Verizon sells most of them, including the Insta-Share Projector Moto Mod and the Kate Spade Power Pack. You can choose between two color combinations: black and lunar grey or white and fine gold.

Read more: Moto Z and Moto Z Force review

Is this the one for you? Buy it today from Verizon:

See the Moto Z at Verizon
See the Moto Z Droid at Verizon

Samsung Galaxy Note 7

Big Red powers one of the biggest networks, so why not equip yourself with a big phone, too? Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 is a phone made for both the productive and the playful smartphone user. It runs on most of the same hardware as the rest of the Galaxy family, including a Snapdragon 820 processor and 4GB of RAM, and it’s equipped with a stellar 12-megapixel rear-facing camera with DSLR-like technology. The Note 7 also features a pop-out pressure sensitive stylus that comes with its own suite of software for the obsessively organized and creatively inclined, and its 5.7-inch Super AMOLED display is stellar for binge-watching YouTube on your commute home.

Verizon offers the Galaxy Note 7 in stunning Blue Coral, Black Onyx, and Silver Titanium.

Read: Samsung Galaxy Note 7 review

Note: Samsung has issued a broad recall for the Galaxy Note 7 due to battery issues. We still recommend the Note 7, but we advise checking with Verizon to ensure that it has received new stock of the phone with batteries from an updated supplier. Follow the link below for more information.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 recall FAQ

Buy it at Verizon’s site:

See the Galaxy Note 7 at Verizon

OnePlus developer exodus forced merger of OxygenOS and HydrogenOS

All isn’t well in the optimistic, upstart world of OnePlus.

In 2014, when the relationship between nascent smartphone maker OnePlus and alternative software maker Cyanogen Inc. was souring, the company began work on a new in-house version of Android, which would eventually become to be called OxygenOS.

The team behind OxygenOS was largely made up of members of the former custom ROM group Paranoid Android, many of whom in early 2015 relocated to Shenzhen to work more closely with the company’s hardware and marketing teams.

The goal was to have OxygenOS, which at first was less feature-rich than the version of CyanogenOS that arrived on the company’s first phone, ship with the OnePlus 2 in early 2015. In the subsequent months, the development team built up what we now know of as the software that ships on the OnePlus 3, the latest unlocked, direct-to-consumer smartphone from the upstart manufacturer.

Long hours and insufficient resources at the company in the run-up to the launch of the OnePlus 3 lead a number of people on the OxygenOS team to leave.

But in mid-August, OnePlus released a community build of an upcoming version of OxygenOS, dubbed OxygenOS 3.5, which confers some big aesthetic changes to the OnePlus 3’s near-stock aesthetic. The changes were not universally lauded, but since the release much of the core community has taken to its new look and updated feature set. In the days following OxygenOS 3.5, OnePlus announced through a series of interviews that it was merging its OxygenOS development team, which has heretofore focused on the North American and European markets, with that of HydrogenOS, a separate version of the software for OnePlus’s growing Chinese audience.

While the messaging from OnePlus depicted a company with a singular goal of building efficiency through consolidation, in order to offer faster software updates for all OnePlus owners, Android Central has learned that prior to the merger, many of the core members of the OxygenOS team left the company, including the Head of Mobile Product, Helen Li. Long hours and insufficient resources in the run-up to OnePlus 3’s launch led to a number of OxygenOS team members striking a deal to terminate their contracts just after the phone’s release, according to people who didn’t want to be named because they signed non-disclosure agreements. As a result, OnePlus CEO Pete Lau had no choice but to merge the remaining members of OxygenOS, some of whom are only signed on until the end of 2016, and HydrogenOS.

According to these people, despite a 3:1 ratio of OxygenOS users to its Chinese market counterpart, OnePlus was disproportionately pouring resources into HydrogenOS, causing strain between the two teams and leading the subsequent talent purge.

In a statement to Android Central, OnePlus said, “We have unified our software platform and team to increase efficiency and speed up our software updates. This has been in the works for a while now because maintaining two separate software platforms is not sustainable for such a small, young company with big ambitions.” The company confirmed that OxygenOS and HydrogenOS will remain separate products aimed at distinct markets for the time being, and that the “back end” change is “an important step in the right direction.”

Read more: OnePlus 3 review

But our sources say that this move was never intentional, and came out of a staff exodus that took the company’s management by surprise. Since the unification, the HydrogenOS team has begun the slow process of merging code from the two projects, the first versions of which have been the OxygenOS 3.5 community build and the subsequent 3.5.1 update, released a week later.

The chief designer responsible for championing and maintaining OxygenOS’s “Nexus-like” aesthetic is no longer with the company.

Projects that uniquely identify OxygenOS, like the Shelf, are currently being tended to by the remaining OxygenOS members, who are assisting in the transition before they, too, leave. Similarly, the chief designer responsible for championing and maintaining OxygenOS’ “Nexus-like” aesthetic, is no longer with the company, so it remains to be seen whether the now-unified product, dubbed OnePlus OS, or OOS, will shift more markedly towards a custom look and feel, similar to Huawei’s EMUI software layer, or Xiaomi’s MIUI, which looks and operates drastically different to what North American Android users expect.

While this news is undoubtedly a setback for fans of the OnePlus 3’s stock-like software experience, it’s unclear how the internal changes will affect the quality of the phone’s release going forward, or whether, under a single team, the company can stick to its promise of more frequent updates without any negative consequences.

OnePlus 3

• OnePlus 3 review: Finally, all grown up
• OnePlus 3 specs
• OnePlus 3 vs. the flagship competition
• Latest OnePlus 3 news
• Discuss OnePlus 3 in the forums

OnePlus

Android users greet iOS 10 with a loud shrug

Yawn.

It’s that time of year again, when Apple releases its latest version of iOS to millions of people on the same day, and Android users get all salty that they’re still waiting for [insert latest version here].

The reality is, as we remind people year after year, you can’t directly compare the two ecosystems as they relate to software updates because Google by design only controls a small number of the phones. On the day Android 7.0 Nougat was released to the world, we shared all the tools on how to update a recent Nexus phone immediately, and those who waited a bit longer should have received their over-the-air update by now. Still, Nexus phones account for less than 1% of the total Android devices in use, and many millions of people will never even catch a whiff of Nougat. That’s by design, whether you like it or not.

Updated my iPhone 5s to iOS 10 while still no Nougat for my Nexus 6p after 20 days. Go fart on a stick Google.

— timmy yong (@timmy_yong) September 13, 2016

But that hasn’t stopped people from complaining — and rightfully so! Updates are fun, and they add exciting new features that more often than not improve the way a phone functions. Because of the way Android updates work, even simultaneous rollouts are issued in stages, so users rarely have a chance to share in the excitement of a simultaneous update.

iOS 10 update temporarily bricked my iPhone 6s Plus … so yeah, I’d hold off on that. pic.twitter.com/qPFU1bpqZs

— Marques Brownlee (@MKBHD) September 13, 2016

Of course, even the world’s biggest tech company can’t get software right all the time, as evidenced by the large number of Tweets complaining that iOS 10 is bricking their devices. As Samsung struggles with its own quality control issues with the Note 7’s battery, it was incumbent on Apple to have a flawless release season, scooping up as many potential Note 7 customers as possible.

Of course, even the world’s biggest tech company can’t get software right all the time.

While it remains to be seen if the iPhone 7 hardware has any showstopping bugs, a widespread issue updating from iOS 9 to 10 on existing hardware is no easy thing to fix, and a potential PR nightmare. Apple says it has corrected the issue, but there are a lot of upset early adopters right now. Except our own Andrew Martonik, who was #blessed with a flawless update on his iPhone 6. Yes, even we AC editors still use iPhones from time to time.

In the meantime, it’s totally possible that you are an Android user with an iPad, or a dual-wielding phone owner excited about what iOS 10 can offer. And it offers a lot, bringing many of the features to the iPhone that Android users have been enjoying for some time. But as Apple tends to do, it approaches things like widgets and homescreen icons and background processes a little bit differently, and — love it or hate it — it continues to keep a grip on the App Store in a way that Google never will. That’s OK, because these days both ecosystems are incredibly powerful, and we’re lucky to have them.

So what do you think of iOS 10 and the iPhone 7? Sound off in the comments!

Read more: iOS 10 review on iMore

LG V20 is the first phone compatible with Wind Mobile’s upcoming LTE network

A new era for Wind Mobile approaches.

Canadians in the large cities like Toronto, Vancouver, and Calgary are used to paying a premium for wireless data. Thanks to a system that limited price-lowering competition to regional markets in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and to a lesser extent, Quebec, many have held out hope that one company in particular, Shaw-owned Wind Mobile, would offer the relief they so desperately need.

Though Wind Mobile has talked about its burgeoning LTE network for over a year, it has been constrained by one major factor: a lack of handsets that support the AWS-3 spectrum it purchased (for a steal) in early 2015. Phones have supported the well-used AWS-1 band for five years now, but AWS-3 uses a different pair of frequencies in the 1700/2100Mhz range. Instead of creating a separate band for that pair, the governing body behind international spectrum allocation, 3GPP, combined AWS-1, AWS-3 and AWS-4 (owned by Dish Network in the U.S. and yet to be auctioned in Canada) into a single Band 66.

Read more: Is Wind Mobile worth it?

Now, the LG V20, which is expected to be released in Canada next month, is confirmed to be the first device approved for use with Band 66, which will let it be tested and ultimately used with Wind Mobile’s LTE network when it is launched either later this year or in early 2017. The company has been overhauling its HSPA+ networks throughout Canada, beginning with the western-most provinces and moving east, in anticipation of its LTE network, partnering with Nokia to replace aging tower equipment.

Not only does the V20 provide Wind Mobile with its first LTE-capable device, but it builds a platform on which the carrier can advertise its new high-speed capabilities.

Not only does the V20 provide Wind Mobile with its first LTE-capable device, it builds a platform on which the carrier can advertise its new high-speed capabilities when it does launch, offering tier one devices that take advantage of the network. And the V20 is likely the first of many products released in the next few months that support Band 66, though notably the iPhone 7 is absent from the list.

For those in the U.S., the LG V20 also supports T-Mobile’s new 256QAM, triple-carrier aggregation LTE network, supporting theoretical speeds of up to 400Mbps on its combination of Band 4, Band 2, and Band 12. Cellular Insights, in their preliminary tests with the V20 in New York City, found T-Mobile spitting out speeds of around 180Mbps, something that Canadians have only recently experienced with Bell’s 3xCA in big cities like Toronto. T-Mobile, which is Wind Mobile’s main roaming partner in the U.S., is also expected to roll out its first sites with AWS-3 support in the next few months.

So this is great news for those anticipating Wind Mobile’s LTE network, and while the company won’t promise a firm launch date, it won’t be long now.

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