Version 7.78 of Google Photos for Android is quietly rolling out a new Sticker folder, and it’s already changing how we manage the doodles we create on our phones. The update lands just weeks after Google introduced custom stickers in February, and it finally gives Android users the same saved‑sticker experience that iOS users have enjoyed since January.
Key Takeaways
- The new Sticker folder appears in the Collections tab, right after the Places map.
- All stickers you create by long‑pressing an image are saved automatically.
- Tap a sticker to open a bottom sheet where you can preview, copy, or delete it.
- Android gets feature parity with iOS, which launched stickers back in August 2025.
- The change comes as Google phases out Pixel Studio on its devices.
Google Photos stickers folder arrives on Android
When you swipe to the Collections tab, you’ll now see a fresh “Sticker” entry sitting just below the Places map. That placement isn’t random – Google wants you to reach it without scrolling a long way down the screen. A quick tap opens a reverse‑chronological grid that shows every sticker you’ve ever crafted by long‑pressing a photo.
How the folder works
Each tile in the grid represents a sticker you saved earlier. Tapping any tile slides up a bottom sheet that gives you a larger preview. From there you can either delete the sticker or copy it. Hitting copy brings up the corner preview, which then hands off the image to the system share sheet – meaning you can paste it straight into a chat, an email, or any app that accepts images.
Google’s wording in the UI reads, “Stickers you create are automatically saved inside Collections,” which makes the behavior explicit for anyone who’s never used the feature before. The prompt appears the first time the folder loads, so you’ll know it’s native to the app and not a third‑party add‑on.
Why this matters for Android users
Android users have been waiting for a saved‑sticker experience ever since Google rolled out custom stickers in February. Before this update, the only way to keep a sticker was to use it right away or lose it entirely. Now the folder stores everything, giving you a personal library you can pull from at any time.
That shift feels especially relevant as Google prepares to retire Pixel Studio. The studio app let users draw and animate stickers directly on the device, but it’s being phased out across the Pixel lineup. By moving the saved‑sticker logic into Google Photos, Google is consolidating the workflow into a single, universally available app.
- Feature parity with iOS eliminates the last major platform discrepancy.
- Developers can now rely on a consistent stickers API across Android and iOS.
- Users won’t need to juggle multiple apps to create, save, and share stickers.
For developers building chat or social apps, the change means there’s a stable, cross‑platform source for user‑generated stickers. You won’t have to write separate code paths for Android and iOS just to fetch a sticker library – Google Photos handles the heavy lifting.
The timeline: iOS first, Android now
Google first introduced stickers to iPhone and iPad back in August 2025. That rollout gave iOS users several months to get used to creating and sharing doodles before Android caught up. The six months gap might seem long, but it aligns with Google’s typical staggered release strategy.
iOS users have had a dedicated stickers folder since January, and the Android version mirrors that design almost exactly. The only difference is the placement in the Collections tab – a small UI tweak that Android users will quickly adapt to.
Implications for developers and product teams
If you’re building a photo‑editing app or a messaging platform, you’ll want to watch how Google integrates the stickers folder into its broader ecosystem. The bottom‑sheet preview, copy‑to‑share workflow, and automatic saving all happen inside Google Photos, which means you can invoke the share sheet directly from your own app without reinventing the wheel.
Because the feature lands with version 7.78, you can start testing on devices that have already updated. It’s that the rollout is still in progress, so not every Android device will see the folder at the same time. Keep an eye on the Collections tab or the “Stickers you create are automatically saved inside Collections” prompt to confirm the feature is present.
Another angle to consider is the upcoming deprecation of Pixel Studio. If your product relied on that tool for custom sticker creation, you’ll need to migrate users to the Google Photos workflow. The good news is the new folder already supports copying stickers to the system share sheet, so you can embed that step into your own UI.
- Test the bottom‑sheet interaction on devices running version 7.78 or later.
- Plan a migration path for users who previously used Pixel Studio.
- use the shared‑sheet integration to let users paste stickers into your app.
Historical Context
Google’s foray into on‑device doodling began with the Pixel Studio app, which let users sketch, color, and animate stickers directly on their phones. That tool launched as a beta feature on select Pixel models, and it quickly became a favorite for quick visual communication. Over time, Google noticed that users were more interested in the ability to reuse creations than in the animation layer. The decision to retire Pixel Studio reflects that shift in focus.
At the same time, Google was experimenting with a lighter‑weight approach: long‑pressing a photo to pull out a cut‑out that could be dropped into a chat. The February rollout introduced that interaction on Android, but it lacked persistence. iOS, on the other hand, received a full sticker folder in August 2025, followed by an automatic‑save upgrade in January. The Android update now mirrors those two milestones, closing the gap that existed for nearly a year.
From a product standpoint, the move consolidates creative assets under Google Photos, an app that already syncs across devices and platforms. Users who already store their photos in the cloud will find the sticker folder a natural extension of that ecosystem. The transition also reduces the maintenance overhead of keeping a separate studio app alive.
Technical Architecture
The stickers folder lives inside the Collections tab, which is already a hub for location‑based albums, shared albums, and archived items. When you create a sticker, the app captures the cropped bitmap, tags it with a timestamp, and adds it to a hidden album that the UI surfaces as a grid. Because the album is part of Google Photos’ standard media store, the stickers inherit the same sync behavior – they appear on any device signed into the same Google account.
Copying a sticker triggers the Android share intent with a MIME type of image/png. The system then presents the share sheet, allowing the user to pick any compatible target. This path bypasses the need for a custom content provider and makes the sticker behave like any other image on the device.
Deletion removes the bitmap from the hidden album and updates the grid view. The bottom sheet that appears after a tap is built with the same component library Google uses for other media previews, ensuring a consistent look and feel across the app.
What This Means For You
If you’re a developer, you can now rely on a single source of truth for user‑generated stickers across both Android and iOS. That reduces the amount of platform‑specific code you have to maintain, and it gives your users a more smooth experience when they want to drop a doodle into a chat or a document.
For founders and product managers, the move signals that Google is consolidating creative tools into Google Photos. That could free up resources that were previously tied up in Pixel Studio, and it might open the door for new integrations – think AI‑enhanced sticker suggestions or deeper ties with Google’s upcoming “Wardrobe” feature.
Scenario 1 – Messaging app integration
Imagine you run a messaging platform that lets users send images, GIFs, and stickers. Before this update, you had to support two different sticker sources: the iOS‑only saved‑sticker folder and a custom Android picker that only showed stickers created in the current session. With the new folder, you can call the Google Photos share intent, let the user pick a saved sticker, and insert it directly into the chat flow. The same code path works on both platforms, cutting development time in half.
Scenario 2 – Collaborative design tool
Suppose you offer a lightweight design tool where users can drag‑and‑drop elements onto a canvas. Users often sketch quick icons and then want to reuse them across projects. By linking the tool to the Google Photos stickers folder, you give designers a ready‑made library that persists beyond the current session. They can copy a sticker, switch to your app, and paste it without leaving the workflow.
Scenario 3 – Enterprise communication suite
In an enterprise setting, teams frequently share visual cues in internal chat rooms. The new folder lets employees create a quick doodle on their phone, save it instantly, and then paste it into a Slack‑like channel. Because the sticker lives in Google Photos, it’s automatically backed up, ensuring compliance with corporate data‑retention policies.
Competitive Landscape
Apple introduced a comparable sticker system on iOS in August 2025, followed by an auto‑save feature in January. Both ecosystems now offer a native folder where users can browse, copy, and delete stickers. Other messaging platforms have built proprietary sticker marketplaces, but they usually require users to download packs from an app store. Google’s approach leans on the photo library that already exists on every device, giving it a broader reach.
By unifying the experience, Google narrows the functional gap that once gave iOS a clear advantage in visual messaging. Developers who previously had to write separate integrations for each platform can now adopt a single strategy that works wherever Google Photos is present.
Key Questions Remaining
- Will Google extend the folder to support animated stickers, or keep it limited to static PNGs?
- How will the sync latency behave for users with large photo libraries – will stickers appear instantly on a newly added device?
- Will future versions add organization tools, such as folders or tags, inside the sticker grid?
- Can third‑party apps request write access to the hidden album to programmatically add stickers?
Answers to these questions will shape how product teams plan long‑term roadmaps around user‑generated visual content. Keeping an eye on upcoming release notes from Google will be the best way to stay ahead of any shifts.
Sources: 9to5Google, The Verge
