They've been delisted from the Play Store

Playground AR stickers built into the Google Camera app on Pixel phones were first introduced in 2017. With them, you could put fun little characters, figures, and text and overlay them over the real world with your phone's camera. It was a fun feature, but one that has been defunct for a long time, as it was killed off when the Pixel 4a launched in 2020. You can't currently use those stickers on modern Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 phones, for example. Now, Google is putting the final nail in the Playground AR stickers coffin as they've been delisted from the Play Store.

Many AR stickers that were once available on the Google Play Store have now been delisted from the storefront, as spotted by 9to5Google. If you didn't download them already, you won't be able to check them out now, at least through official means. Of course, you can't use them on a modern Pixel, but if you kept around an old Pixel 4 smartphone, or an even older Pixel device, you could still have download them until recently.

This doesn't mean that you can't use them at all. If you previously downloaded them, an official install is still possible even if you uninstalled them by going to the Google Play Store, selecting the "Manage apps & device" option, tapping on the "Manage" tab and scrolling through the "Not installed" list. You'll see them there, like you'll see any other unlisted app you've previously downloaded. If you didn't download them previously, though, you won't find them on this list, which means that you'll need to resort to an unofficial installation.

Arol is a tech journalist and contributor at Android Police. He first began writing online for the short-lived portal of Spanish-language gaming forum Emudesc in 2013. Years later, in 2017, he got his true start in tech journalism working for a small Google-focused site called Pixel Spot. He transitioned to a news and feature writer role at XDA Developers that same year, where he worked until 2021 before making the jump to AP. Arol brings half a decade of writing experience, and the occasional hot take, to his writings. While he's a technology lover at heart, he holds Android phones, and smartphones in general, close to heart. You'll normally find him covering news, although he has also written the occasional deal, buyer's guide, how-to post, and round-up. In addition to his role at AP, Arol is also a staff writer for sister site MakeUseOf, where he writes mostly about computing. He's also a Pharmacy student. When he's not writing, you'll probably find him hitting the gym, trying to ace a new hobby, reading his textbooks, or traveling. You can reach him at arol@androidpolice.com.