Why Are My iPhone Stickers So Annoying and How Do I Delete Them Forever?

What's the Fastest Way to Remove Stubborn iPhone Stickers That Won't Disappear?

I understand you want to clean up those pesky stickers cluttering your iPhone. Trust me, I've been there too. Your phone feels messy when stickers pile up everywhere - in Messages, your keyboard, and WhatsApp. Let me walk you through exactly how to get rid of them.

Understanding Your Sticker Problem

Your iPhone collects stickers from many places. Apps add them automatically. You download sticker packs. Some appear when you create Memoji. Before you know it, your Messages app and keyboard overflow with stickers you never use.

The good news? I'll show you how to delete every type of sticker on your iPhone. This works for iOS 17, iOS 18, and newer versions including iPhone 16 and iPhone 15.

Cleaning Up iMessage Stickers

Your Messages app probably has the most stickers. Some come from apps you downloaded. Others appear when you create custom stickers. Here's how I remove them:

For Single Stickers

I open Messages and tap the plus (+) button next to where I type. Then I select Stickers from the menu. I make sure I'm on the Live or Custom Stickers tab - not Recent, because you can't delete from there. I tap and hold the sticker I want gone, but I don't drag it anywhere. When the menu pops up, I tap Delete.

For Multiple Sticker Packs

When I need to delete lots of stickers at once, I open the Stickers drawer and tap and hold any sticker. From the menu, I select Rearrange. Now I can tap the minus (–) icon next to each sticker pack I want to remove. When I'm done, I tap the background to exit editing mode.

Removing Stickers from Your Emoji Keyboard

Starting with iOS 17, Apple puts sticker suggestions right in your emoji keyboard. These include Memoji, saved stickers, and custom packs that appear as you type. Many people find this feature cluttered and distracting.

Here's how I clean up my emoji keyboard:

I open my keyboard in any app that supports stickers - Messages or WhatsApp work great. I tap the Emoji icon to access the emoji panel. Then I tap the Stickers icon, which looks like a folded sticker or small square. I avoid the "Recent" tab and switch to the tab showing my custom stickers. I tap and hold the sticker I want to remove, then release my finger. From the menu that appears, I tap Delete.

Turning Off Stickers Completely

Sometimes you don't want stickers appearing on your keyboard at all. I get it - they can be distracting when you're trying to type quickly. Here's how I disable them entirely:

I go to Settings, then tap General, then Keyboard. I scroll down and turn off the Stickers toggle. Now my keyboard stays clean and focused on text and emojis only.

Managing WhatsApp Stickers

WhatsApp has its own sticker system separate from your iPhone's built-in stickers. If you've downloaded multiple sticker packs or saved favorites, your WhatsApp might feel cluttered too.

Here's my process for cleaning up WhatsApp stickers:

I open WhatsApp and go to any chat. I tap the sticker icon to open my sticker collection. I find the sticker I want to delete and tap and hold it. A menu appears from the bottom of the screen. I tap "Remove", then choose "Remove from Recent" to delete the sticker from my list.

For entire sticker packs, I go to WhatsApp Settings, then Chats, then Stickers. Here I can see all my downloaded sticker packs and remove the ones I don't want anymore.

Why This Matters for Your iPhone Experience

Cleaning up stickers isn't just about organization - it actually improves how your iPhone works. Fewer stickers mean:

• Faster keyboard loading times
• Less storage space used
• Cleaner, more focused messaging
• Easier access to stickers you actually use

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Sometimes stickers won't delete even when you follow these steps. This usually happens when:

• The sticker came from an app that's still installed
• You're trying to delete from the "Recent" tab instead of custom tabs
• The sticker is part of a system pack that can't be removed

If a sticker won't delete, try restarting your iPhone first. If that doesn't work, check if you can remove the app that added the sticker originally.

Keeping Your Stickers Organized

Once you've cleaned up your stickers, here's how I keep them organized:

I only download sticker packs I'll actually use regularly. I review my stickers monthly and delete ones I haven't used. I keep my most-used stickers in easily accessible spots.

Your iPhone should work for you, not against you. By taking control of your stickers, you'll have a cleaner, faster, and more enjoyable messaging experience. The steps I've shared work across all recent iPhone models and iOS versions, so you can use them whether you have the latest iPhone 16 or an older model running iOS 17 or 18.