ChatGPT Turns Photos and Prompts Into Stickers for iMessage and WhatsApp

SAN FRANCISCO — OpenAI has expanded the feature set of its mobile ChatGPT application with dedicated image-to-sticker workflows that export directly to major consumer messaging services, including Apple’s iMessage and Meta’s WhatsApp.

The tool is available in the mobile edition of ChatGPT on iOS and Android. In the application’s sidebar, users can open the “Images” tab and find the “Stickers” module under the “Trending” section.

The creation sequence asks users to select visual styles, upload reference photos, and designate emoji inputs that guide the underlying AI model’s stylistic parameters. The system then synthesizes a cohesive grid of nine customized stickers from standard photographic inputs or text descriptions.

OpenAI’s San Francisco-based artificial intelligence firm is presenting the feature as part of a broader effort to turn generative image capabilities into everyday software utilities. Instead of restricting AI-generated imagery to standalone prompts or digital artwork, the application produces segmented, transparent-style graphical stickers for routine mobile messaging.

Users can also create customized sticker packs from scratch by entering direct text prompts rather than using the preset templates. After generation, selecting an individual sticker opens a prompt dialog, where conversational instructions can change expressions, lighting, or background elements.

On Meta’s WhatsApp, which is available on both Android and iOS, a created set becomes a dedicated sticker pack after the user supplies a pack title. In Apple’s iMessage ecosystem, which is exclusive to iOS devices, exported stickers sync to the application drawer under the OpenAI brand icon.

For Apple iMessage, users open a conversation thread, tap the app integration button, navigate to the OpenAI icon, and choose an asset from the synced sticker menu. For Meta WhatsApp, users open the conversation compose field, tap the sticker icon in the message bar, select the designated pack name, and choose an asset.

The feature places OpenAI in closer competition with native mobile operating system utilities and social media platforms. Apple Inc. introduced cut-out sticker creation tools in September 2023 with iOS 17, allowing iPhone owners to press and hold subjects in the native Photos app to isolate them into stickers.

Apple’s native feature relies primarily on subject separation rather than generative style transformation. Meta Platforms Inc. has likewise integrated generative AI creation tools into WhatsApp and Instagram through its Meta AI models, while OpenAI’s implementation emphasizes exporting batch-generated assets directly into host messaging drawers.

The image generation processes use compute-intensive generative vision pipelines tied to standard account usage allocations. Each generated sticker batch and every iterative edit counts against a user’s daily and weekly interaction limits.

Paid subscribers, including ChatGPT Plus users on the $20 monthly subscription plan, receive higher rate ceilings. Free-tier accounts have tighter prompt caps, so users must pause generation after reaching those caps until the rate limits reset.