How to Print Text Messages for Court, on iPhone and Android
Reviewed by Jacob Reed, founder of Verity ·
Short answer
Neither iPhone nor Android has a button that prints a whole conversation. For a short exchange, take screenshots that show the name, dates and times, and save them as one PDF with Print. For a long one, export the conversation (chat.db for iPhone, SMS Backup & Restore for Android, or the app's own export) and print it as a list with every message dated and numbered. Keep the original file and the phone.
When a lawyer or a court asks for “printouts of the texts,” what they need is a copy that shows who said what, and when, in order, without gaps. Here is what a good printout shows and how to make one from each kind of phone.
What should a printout of texts show?
Who sent each message
The other person’s name or number on the page, and a clear way to tell their messages from yours.
The date and time of each message
Screenshots show times only where the phone displays them, so scroll slowly enough that every date header is captured.
The whole stretch, in order
Not just the worst messages. A judge or the other side will ask what came before and after, and a gap invites the question of what was left out.
A way to point at one message
Page numbers at least; better, a number on every message, so everyone in the room can find “message 412” at once.
How do you print text messages for court?
1.Short exchange on iPhone: screenshots into one PDF
Take overlapping screenshots from the top of the stretch to the bottom, with the name and times showing. Select them in Photos, tap Share, then Print; in the print preview, tap Share again and choose Save to Files to get one PDF.
2.Short exchange on Android: screenshots into one PDF
Take scrolling screenshots that show the name and dates. Select them, tap Share or the three-dot menu, choose Print, and pick Save as PDF as the printer.
3.Long conversation on iPhone: export the record
Apple’s Messages app has no export button. The full record is a file called chat.db, on a Mac at ~/Library/Messages/chat.db or inside a computer backup of the iPhone. Copy it, leave the original untouched, and turn it into a dated list.
4.Long conversation on Android: back it up first
Install the free SMS Backup & Restore app, back up your messages, and use that file to make a dated list of the one conversation that matters.
5.Chat apps: use the app’s own export
WhatsApp and Telegram have an Export chat button; Facebook, Instagram and others offer a download of your data. Print from that file, not from the screen.
6.Number every message and keep the original
Print the list with a number on each message and its date and time, and keep the original file and the phone. Ask your lawyer whether they want every page or only the dates in dispute.
Step by step for each phone: saving an iPhone conversation without a computer, exporting iMessages for court, reading a chat.db file and printing Android text messages. For every app in one place, use the export steps.
How does Verity print a conversation?
Verity reads an exported conversation or a set of screenshots in your browser, without uploading it, and shows every message numbered in date order, free on screen. The printable version is a PDF with every message numbered and dated, for every date or only the dates you need, with the numbers of the whole conversation kept: $19 on its own, or included with the reports.
Common questions
Can I print a whole text conversation from my phone?
Not with a single button on iPhone or Android. Screenshots work for a short exchange; for months of messages, export the conversation as a file and print that as a list.
Are screenshots enough for court?
They are often used, especially for a few messages. For a long or disputed conversation, a complete export with every date and sender is harder to question. Your lawyer will know what your court expects.
Can my phone company print my texts?
Not the words. Your carrier keeps a log of texts (date, time, number, direction) that you can usually download, but not what they said, and it leaves out iMessages and chat apps.
How do I print a very long conversation?
Print only the dates your lawyer needs, but keep the numbers from the whole conversation so message 1,482 is the same message on every page anyone prints.
Related: what your phone carrier can give you, how many text messages is too many for court and organizing a custody evidence binder.
This is general information, not legal advice. Verity is not a law firm. Ask your attorney what your court expects. If you are in danger, call 911; the National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-7233.
Have the conversation as a file?
Verity reads it in your browser, without uploading it, and numbers every message for your lawyer.
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