WhatsApp has become one of the most popular messaging apps, with over 2 billion users worldwide. One of the fun features of WhatsApp is the ability to send stickers to liven up your chats. While WhatsApp has a default set of stickers, you can add new sticker packs by downloading them as zip files from the internet or third-party apps.
What are WhatsApp stickers?
WhatsApp stickers are larger images that you can send in chats on the app. They often feature characters, animals, emoji, or other fun designs. When you tap on a sticker in a chat, it appears larger than a standard emoji or image file you might send.
Sticker packs contain multiple related stickers, sort of like an emoji pack. But while emoji are built into WhatsApp and your phone’s keyboard, stickers must be downloaded separately as add-ons. The sticker packs are then easily accessible right in your WhatsApp chats.
Why use WhatsApp stickers?
Stickers are a great way to make your chats more dynamic and expressive. Some of the benefits of using WhatsApp stickers include:
- More visual options – Stickers provide more illustrated images to convey emotions and reactions.
- Large size – The bigger sticker size makes them more prominent in chats.
- Fun and creative designs – You can find a diverse range of artistic styles for stickers.
- Themed packs – Sticker packs center around particular themes like movies, shows, characters, holidays, and more.
- Animated stickers – Some stickers are animated for an extra lively effect.
In short, stickers help add some fun and color to your daily messaging. The visuals can sometimes express emotions better than words. With thousands of sticker packs available, you’re sure to find great options to enhance your chats.
How to find and add WhatsApp sticker packs
Adding new WhatsApp sticker packs is easy and just takes a few steps:
- Find sticker packs online – Search on Google, the Play/App Store, or WhatsApp fan sites and blogs.
- Download the sticker pack – They are available as zip files that you download to your phone’s storage.
- Open WhatsApp – Go into the app and select the chat where you want to use new stickers.
- Tap the emoji icon – This opens up your phone’s keyboard and sticker tray.
- Tap the plus icon – You’ll see a plus icon at the top of the sticker tray.
- Tap “Add new sticker pack” – This opens your phone’s files.
- Select the downloaded zip file – Choose the sticker pack zip you downloaded.
- Tap Add – WhatsApp will now unpack and add the sticker pack!
And that’s it! The new sticker pack will now show up in your WhatsApp sticker tray for you to use in all your chats. Most packs have 10-30 individual stickers on a certain theme. Feel free to add as many packs as you want to build up your WhatsApp sticker library!
Where to find good WhatsApp stickers
There are lots of great places to find fun, creative WhatsApp stickers online. Here are some top options:
- WhatsApp’s built-in sticker store – Open WhatsApp, tap the sticker icon, then tap the plus and select “Get more stickers.” This opens the official sticker store where you can browse and download packs.
- Play Store and App Store – Search for “WhatsApp stickers” to find sticker packs optimized for Android and iOS.
- WhatsApp fan sites – Sites like Sticker.ly and StickerPipe offer curated sticker packs.
- Third-party apps – Some apps like Sticker Maker have big sticker shops built-in.
- Individual artists – Many artists sell custom WhatsApp sticker packs through stores like Gumroad.
- Social media – Follow hashtag #whatsappstickers to find people sharing sticker packs.
It helps to take some time browsing the options to find sticker packs that appeal to your personal tastes. You can preview packs before downloading to get a feel for the art style and themes.
Tips for adding stickers to WhatsApp
Here are some handy tips when it comes to getting and using WhatsApp stickers:
- Zoom in on stickers – You can pinch to zoom in on a sticker after sending to make it even larger.
- Favorite packs – Star your favorite packs so they’re easier to access in your tray.
- Use recent stickers – Tap the plus icon in your tray to quickly find and reuse your most recent stickers.
- Make your own – Use apps like Sticker Maker to create DIY sticker packs from your own photos.
- Edit sticker order – In your tray, press and hold on a pack and drag to customize the order.
- Delete unused packs – To de-clutter your tray, press and hold on a pack then tap Delete.
- Send as a file – If someone wants your sticker pack, press and hold on the pack then tap Send as file to pass it along.
How to add stickers to a zip file for WhatsApp
To share your own custom sticker pack on WhatsApp, you need to package the individual sticker PNG files into a specific zip file format. Here is a step-by-step guide to creating a WhatsApp sticker zip file:
- Design sticker PNG files – Create each desired sticker design and export as a 512×512 PNG image with transparency. Give them sequential names like sticker1.png, sticker2.png, etc.
- Create a stickers folder – Make a new folder on your computer called “Stickers”. This is where you’ll put the PNG files.
- Add sticker PNG files – Put each exported sticker PNG image file into the Stickers folder.
- Create info.json file – In the Stickers folder, create a new file called info.json. This will hold the pack info.
- Add JSON data – Open info.json and add the following, replacing details:
{ "name": "Pack Name", "publisher": "Your Name", "tray_image": "tray_image.png", "stickers": [ { "image_file": "sticker1.png", "emojis": ["😀"] }, { "image_file": "sticker2.png", "emojis": ["😂"] } ] } - Add tray icon PNG – Export a small PNG icon for the sticker tray and put in the Stickers folder as tray_image.png.
- Zip the folder – Select the Stickers folder and compress into a .zip file.
- Share the zip – Share the completed .zip sticker pack with others to import into WhatsApp.
Following this process correctly packages your custom stickers into a WhatsApp-compatible zip file that you can distribute or import yourself. The info.json file provides the metadata so WhatsApp knows how to display the pack.
Troubleshooting tips
Here are some troubleshooting tips if you have any issues getting your WhatsApp stickers working properly:
- Use 512×512 PNGs – Sticker images must be exported at the correct 512×512 pixel size to work.
- Check file names – Make sure all file names have the .png extension and no special characters.
- Validate JSON format – Use a JSON validator to check for errors in the info.json file structure.
- Restart WhatsApp – Sometimes restarting the app fixes issues with new stickers not appearing.
- Re-add zip file – Try deleting the sticker pack and re-adding the zip file from your phone’s storage.
- Update WhatsApp – Make sure you’re on the latest version of WhatsApp which supports stickers.
- Clear WhatsApp cache – Wipe the app cache and try adding stickers again if all else fails.
With a bit of trial and error, you should be able to get your sticker pack working properly on WhatsApp. Stickers are a fun way to add some personalized flair to your chats!
Conclusion
WhatsApp stickers provide a great way to make chats more engaging and expressive. While the app comes with some default stickers, you can further enhance your messaging by downloading and adding new sticker packs. Just search for WhatsApp stickers online, download the zip files, and import them into your app. You can also create custom stickers by putting PNG images into a specific WhatsApp-compatible zip format. With so many stickers available, you can truly customize your WhatsApp chats with fun art styles and themes.