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There are several reasons why someone wants a PDF version of iMessage’s history, but it’s not entirely easy to create it yourself. Here’s what you need to know:
The messaging app hosts text from iPhone and Android users via iMessage and SMS, respectively. Users may need more than screenshots in the event of personal or legal issues that require evidence from these text chats.
Searching for “export iMessage” or “iMessage to PDF” on the web usually yields dozens of results that tell you to download a third-party tool. Messages contain very private details, so it’s important to find a tool that respects your privacy.
Most of the tools we investigated for the iPhone seemed to take screenshots or videos of chat and convert them to PDF. While this method works, it can pose a privacy risk when processing such personal data.
One of the ways anyone can do it is to guarantee your privacy, but to do that you’ll need to sign in to your personal iCloud.
Export iMessage and SMS chat using Mac
The messaging app on your Mac can sync conversations from your iPhone or iPad. This is enabled as an iMessage feature by default, but users can also sync their SMS history to a Mac and easily export it.
Before exporting your chat, make sure your messaging app is set to sync conversations from other devices.
iMessage and SMS sync settings
First, on your iPhone or iPad[設定]Make sure iMessage is turned on in.[設定]Open and[メッセージ]Scroll down to[iMessage]Make sure that is turned on.
Sync iMessage and SMS texts to Mac for easy export
Then make sure iCloud message synchronization is turned on. At the top of the Settings app, tap your name, tap iCloud, tap Show All, tap Messages, then make sure Sync this iPhone is turned on. To do.
Finally, turn on SMS text message forwarding to sync text other than iMessage to other devices.[設定]and,[メッセージ]Scroll down to[テキストメッセージの転送]Tap, then select the device to sync your SMS messages with.
On your Mac, open the settings in the Messages app and make sure iCloud Messages is turned on. Select “iMessage” from the tab bar and check “Enable messages in iCloud”.
Export message chat to PDF and email
Once the Mac Messages app is synced with other devices, all you have to do is export the conversation you want. This works for iMessage and SMS chat. To start a chat, make sure the chat is fully synced.
- Open the conversation with the message you need to export.
- Scroll up to sync your chat details. Conversations with a long chat history require a lot of scrolling.
- Stop scrolling when you reach the desired chat date required for the export, or when the history is over.
- From the menu bar[ファイル],[印刷]Select in the order of.
- Users can print the document from here.
- To ensure that your document is saved, use the selection menu at the bottom to export it to PDF or email.
This is the safest way to collect your message history in a PDF or printed document. There are third-party tools on the web, but we recommend that you avoid using them and use the official method created by Apple.
Images are not included when using the message print option. Instead, a black box is placed where the image is displayed. However, users can get all the images from the chat in chronological order from the chat info window.
Get all images from chat using info window
To get a chat image, just select the “i” icon in the upper right corner of the chat window. Scroll down and use the “Shift + click” method to select a photo. Once you have selected all the images, just drag them into the Finder.
You can use Finder’s Get Info to combine this image and text collection with the image’s time stamp to see where it will appear in the chat. This may be a time consuming way to export a conversation, but it’s the safest.
Exporting messages from iPhone and iPad
There are apps that promise to export message conversations to PDF on your iPhone or iPad, but we recommend using a Mac if possible. If your Mac isn’t available, look for a screenshot stitching tool like Picsew that doesn’t collect personal data.
Stitching app Picsew can turn screen recordings into screenshots
For example, Picsew can use screen recording to create a PDF. Just start recording the screen from the control center and scroll up the iMessage conversation. To prevent video sync errors, make sure the chat is scrolled to the oldest date needed to print, then record and scroll.
You can open the saved recording in Picsew and save it as a stitch image of the conversation.Use the save button in the upper right corner[PDFを共有]Select to save the PDF to a file, email, or another location.
Picsew is a powerful tool that you can use to quickly create large PDF images for message chats. This tool is faster than using the Mac method, but it relies on a third-party tool that uses algorithms to stitch photos. We trust the privacy policy of this app and expect that your data will be kept securely on your device, but you must make your own judgment.
Talk to a lawyer if needed
For legal issues, make sure the tool you are using is sufficient for the burden of proof. Our suggestion to you is to talk to your lawyer about what they and the court expect and proceed accordingly.