Google is testing a highly anticipated feature in Photos for Android that lets you easily “lift” the subject from any image and turn it into a sticker—perfect for enhancing your social media presence. This new feature mirrors the popular tap-and-hold cutout capability introduced with iOS 17, providing Android users with a quick and intuitive way to create background-free stickers from their own photos.
Recent Google Photos builds for Android suggest that this feature is nearing release. The long-press interaction closely resembles Apple’s approach but taps into Google’s own clipboard and editing workflows, indicating a smart adaptation rather than a direct copy.
How the New Sticker Lift Works in Google Photos
The process is simple: tap and hold the main subject in a photo, and Photos highlights the object with a subtle glow to confirm your selection. Then, a Copy option appears, creating a cutout preview you can quickly edit or trim using the Photos editor. If you skip editing, the cutout can be pasted directly into supported apps via Gboard’s clipboard.
Unlike Apple’s system, which automatically offers stickers in Messages, Google’s method currently requires manual saving and pasting. However, app strings hint that Google is developing a dedicated Stickers section within the Collections tab to manage and remove saved items, suggesting that the saving workflow is advancing, though not fully polished yet.
Practically, this feature will make it easier to create custom reactions, memes, or fun overlays for conversations on platforms like Messages, WhatsApp, or Telegram. It lowers the barrier for casual creativity—no need for secondary editors or design apps like Canva—just a long press and a paste.
What Powers the Cutouts in Google Photos
Behind the scenes, Google likely employs modern on-device segmentation models—the same technology behind Magic Eraser and other object-aware editing tools in Photos. These models identify people, pets, and common objects, generating a clean alpha mask that isolates the subject as a transparent overlay.
Apple’s lift-a-subject feature relies on its Visual Look Up system, while Google offers similar capabilities through ML Kit and Photos’ established editing stack. The masks are excellent on clear, well-lit images and are improving on complex scenes involving hair, motion blur, or overlapping objects. On-device processing ensures fast performance and enhances privacy since photos never leave your phone during cutout creation.
Comparison to OEM Gallery Features on Android
Some Android manufacturers—like Samsung, Xiaomi, and OnePlus—already offer similar cutout tools in their gallery apps. What sets Google Photos apart is reach and consistency: Photos comes preinstalled on millions of devices and serves as the default photo library for many users. Integrating this feature into Google Photos means a wider audience can access it seamlessly without needing brand-specific apps or additional downloads.
Moreover, the integration with Gboard’s clipboard and Photos’ editing tools offers a smooth, familiar experience across diverse device brands.
Why This Matters for Messaging and Everyday Sharing
Stickers have become a vital language of modern messaging. When users can create their own stickers effortlessly, it sparks viral sharing on apps like WhatsApp and Telegram. Turning any photo into a sticker in just a few taps shortens the gap between thought and expression. Instead of relying on generic emojis or sticker packs, you can react with your dog’s face, your exact expression, or a product image straight from your camera roll.
If Google adds automatic syncing of these cutouts to a Stickers library, creation and reuse will become even more seamless. A searchable, backed-up, device-independent catalog inside Photos would complement OEM-specific galleries and prevent reliance on scattered sticker apps.
What to Expect Next in Google Photos
As with many Google features, the rollout of this function will likely be gradual, controlled by server-side flags. Availability may vary by device, region, and Photos version. The best experience will probably require a recent Photos update and Gboard with clipboard support.
The final feature might include a dedicated “Save to Stickers” button, unified sticker management in Collections, and deeper integration with messaging apps supporting large transparent PNG or WebP stickers.
If broadly released, this feature will close a longstanding gap with iOS while leveraging Google’s expertise in on-device AI and integration across its ecosystem. For users, it promises a high-quality cutout at the touch of a button—ready to paste wherever your conversations take you.
