How to Make Telegram Video Stickers on iPhone
8 min read · By Feral Online · Updated 31 October 2026
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To make Telegram video stickers on iPhone, you need a WEBM file with VP9 video and a transparent background, no longer than 3 seconds, no bigger than 256 KB, at 30 frames a second or less and with no sound, per Telegram's sticker documentation. Apple's video tools do not write VP9, so on an iPhone the practical route is a sticker app that encodes the clip and sends the set to Telegram. Telegram's own editor starts from photos.
This page is written by Feral Online, the one-person studio that makes Pixtide Sticker and Pixtide Swipe. We name where the other app wins.
Telegram's rules for video stickers
Telegram sets tighter limits on video stickers than WhatsApp sets on animated ones, and a file that breaks any one of them is refused. Telegram has three sticker types, and a set holds one type only: still images, animated TGS stickers drawn in vector, and video stickers. For your own clips, only the video type fits, because TGS files are built with an After Effects plugin and cannot practically be made from camera footage. The numbers below come from core.telegram.org/stickers and the third-party import page, checked on 23 Oct 2026.
| Rule | Telegram video sticker | Telegram still sticker | WhatsApp animated sticker |
|---|---|---|---|
| Format | WEBM, VP9, with transparency | PNG or WEBP | WebP |
| Length | 3 seconds or less | n/a | 10 seconds or less |
| File size | 256 KB or less | 512 KB or less | 500 KB or less |
| Size in pixels | one side exactly 512 | one side exactly 512 | exactly 512 x 512 |
| Frame rate | 30 frames a second or less | n/a | each frame 8 ms or longer |
| Sound | no audio stream | n/a | not covered in the rules |
| Stickers per set | up to 120 on import | up to 120 on import | 3 to 30 |
| Emoji per sticker | at least 1, required | at least 1, required | 0 to 3 on iOS |
Video stickers need Telegram 8.5 or later. The WhatsApp column comes from WhatsApp's sticker repository on GitHub; our WhatsApp sticker pack rules page covers it in full.
The free routes and where they stop
Telegram and Apple both give you free sticker tools, but neither turns an iPhone video into a Telegram video sticker on its own. Telegram's sticker editor, announced on 14 Apr 2024, starts from "any photo": "It takes just one tap to cut out objects and remove the background", with manual erase, an outline option, text, drawings and existing animated stickers placed on top. You can then build sets and share them with a t.me link. That is a strong free option for still stickers. A video as the source is not mentioned in the post.
The second free route is Telegram's @Stickers bot, which accepts video stickers, but only as a WEBM file that already meets every rule in the table. Most how-to guides that reach this step move to a desktop video editor.
Apple's Photos app can lift a subject from a photo, or from a video paused on one frame, and offer Add Sticker. The result is a still image: one frame, not a moving sticker.
Why the WEBM step is hard on iPhone
The hard part on an iPhone is the file format, not the editing. Apple's video frameworks write H.264 and HEVC, including HEVC with transparency, but they do not write VP9, and Telegram accepts only VP9 inside WEBM for video stickers. Telegram does not take HEVC with transparency as a sticker, and neither does WhatsApp. So the iPhone's own export options, Save Video, screen recordings and Live Photos, all produce files Telegram will not take as a video sticker.
An app that makes Telegram video stickers has to bring its own VP9 encoder, then squeeze the clip into 256 KB with a transparent background, at 30 frames a second, with the audio track removed. Our October 2026 research into the web results for "telegram sticker maker iPhone" found App Store listings and a Russian guide that pairs a sticker app with the @Stickers bot, and a follow-up search for video stickers found no article naming an iPhone app that writes WEBM. The App Store itself does list a few, covered below.
Step by step with a sticker app
Whatever app you use, making a Telegram video sticker on iPhone follows the same six steps. They come from Telegram's import rules, so they also tell you what to look for in an app.
- Start from your clip. A video from Photos, a GIF you saved, a Live Photo or a screen recording.
- Pick the 3 seconds. Telegram plays 3 seconds at most, so choose the moment rather than letting the app cut the start.
- Remove the background, or keep a shape. A cut-out has to be applied to every frame, not just the first, or the subject ends up on a still background.
- Add an emoji. Telegram requires at least one emoji per sticker; it is how the sticker appears when someone types that emoji.
- Send the set to Telegram. Third-party apps hand the set to the Telegram app through Telegram's official import, which arrived in Telegram 7.8. You name the set inside Telegram and get a
t.me/addstickerslink to share. - Add new stickers inside Telegram, not by sending again. Telegram says "each time a user imports stickers, a new sticker pack is created", so a second send makes a duplicate set.
iPhone apps that list Telegram export
Several App Store sticker makers name Telegram, but few say which Telegram sticker type they produce. The table covers apps whose listings mention Telegram, from our dossiers, checked on the App Store on 23 Oct 2026.
| App | US ratings | Telegram, per the listing | Telegram sticker type | Price notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top Sticker Maker - WaSticker | 4.73 from 98,822 | "Send to Telegram" | not stated | ads; Plus Version $2.99 or $4.99 once; weekly from $2.99; yearly $29.99 |
| Sticker Maker + Stickers | 4.54 from 48,321 | "Export also to Telegram" | not stated | ads; weekly plans in the list; last update 1 Oct 2023 |
| Sticker Maker: Photo Stickers (Mobivalley) | 4.59 from 366 | "Send packs to Telegram" | not stated | ads; Pro $9.99 a year; Remove Ads $3.99; iOS 26 |
| Weejistick: Sticker Maker | 0 ratings | "Make real Telegram VIDEO stickers... from your own clips" | video, per the listing | not checked |
Top Sticker Maker has the broadest track record of the four: a US reviewer wrote "I love how this app can make stickers and send them to whatsapp, telegram, and iMessage (I use them all)." (13 Oct 2022). For Sticker Maker + Stickers, a US reviewer wrote "Tried it out and made a sticker for my Telegram group in just a couple minutes." (29 Dec 2022). Mobivalley's app is cheaper than ours at $9.99 a year, checked on the App Store on 23 Oct 2026. Whether any of the first three sends Telegram video stickers rather than still ones is not mentioned in the listing. Weejistick is the only listing we found that says video stickers outright, and it had no ratings yet. Sticker Maker Studio, one of the most recommended iPhone sticker apps, does not list Telegram, and reviewers have asked for it since 2022.
Our own app, coming soon
Pixtide Sticker is an iPhone app that turns your own videos, GIFs, Live Photos and photos into stickers for Telegram, WhatsApp and Messages, and it is coming soon to the App Store (not released yet). For Telegram it makes still sets and video stickers. Because Telegram plays 3 seconds, the app asks you which 3 seconds to use rather than cutting the start. The cut-out removes the background on every frame of the clip, using Apple's on-device Vision, and you can refine the edge with a brush. Each sticker gets emoji tags, which Telegram requires, plus a VoiceOver description. Stickers are made on your iPhone; videos, photos and stickers are never uploaded to us.
The free version keeps two packs for good, one still and one animated, with up to 30 stickers each, every way in and every destination, and 3 animated cut-outs to start plus one a week. There are no ads, no watermark and no account. Pro costs $19.99 a year (£19.99 in the UK), $3.99 a month (£3.99 in the UK) or $39.99 once (£39.99 in the UK), with no weekly plan; Top Sticker Maker's yearly plan was $29.99, checked on the App Store on 23 Oct 2026. Details on the Pixtide Sticker page and its privacy page.
Honest limits: it is not released and has no ratings, it needs iOS 18 or later on iPhone, and its packs hold 30 stickers, below the 120 that Telegram's import allows.
Common mistakes
Most failed Telegram video stickers break one of five rules, and each is easy to check before you send.
- A clip longer than 3 seconds. Telegram refuses it, and an app that trims it for you may keep the wrong moment.
- A sound track left in the file. Telegram wants no audio stream at all, not a muted one.
- A missing emoji. Telegram's importer stops with an error when a sticker has no emoji.
- Mixing types in one set. A set is still, animated or video, never a mix. WhatsApp has the same rule for still and animated packs.
- Sending the same pack twice. Every import creates a new set, so update the set inside Telegram instead.
For the same clip in WhatsApp, where the limits are 10 seconds and 500 KB, see how to turn a video into a WhatsApp sticker, and for GIFs, GIF to WhatsApp sticker on iPhone. For clips from your screen, see screen recording to sticker on iPhone. The other Pixtide apps are on the apps page.
Pixtide is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Telegram, Top Sticker Maker, Sticker Maker + Stickers, Mobivalley's Sticker Maker, Weejistick or Sticker Maker Studio. All product names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. This comparison reflects publicly available information as of October 2026; pricing and features change, so please check each app's store listing for the latest details.
Frequently asked questions
Can you make Telegram video stickers on an iPhone?
Yes, with an app that writes Telegram's format. A Telegram video sticker is a WEBM file with VP9 video and transparency, up to 3 seconds, 256 KB and 30 frames a second, with no audio. Apple's own video tools do not write VP9, so the iPhone needs a sticker app that encodes it and hands the set to Telegram through Telegram's official sticker import.
How long can a Telegram video sticker be?
Three seconds at most. Telegram's sticker documentation sets 3 seconds, 256 KB and 30 frames a second for video stickers, and one side must be exactly 512 pixels. Longer clips have to be trimmed. WhatsApp is more generous: its animated stickers can run up to 10 seconds and 500 KB, so the same clip often needs a tighter cut for Telegram.
Does Telegram's built-in sticker editor make video stickers?
Not from your own video, as far as Telegram has described it. Telegram's blog post of 14 Apr 2024 says the editor starts from any photo, cuts out the background in one tap and lets you add text, drawings and existing animated stickers on top. Turning a video clip into a sticker is not mentioned. The @Stickers bot takes video stickers, but only as a finished WEBM file.
Can Telegram video stickers have sound?
No. Telegram's rules require the WEBM file to have no audio stream at all, not just a silent one. Any sticker app that sends video stickers to Telegram has to strip the sound when it encodes the clip. If you want a clip with sound in a chat, send it as a video or a GIF-style message instead of a sticker.
Why does a sticker set from an app show up twice in Telegram?
Because Telegram does not update imported sets. Its import documentation says each time a user imports stickers, a new sticker pack is created. If you send the same pack again from a sticker app after adding stickers, you get a second set. Delete the old one in Telegram's sticker settings, or add new stickers to the existing set inside Telegram.