How to Screenshot a Long Text Conversation So Nothing Is Missing
Reviewed by Jacob Reed, founder of Verity ·
Short answer
Neither iPhone nor most messaging apps take one screenshot of a whole conversation, so take a series: start at the oldest message you need, and after each screenshot scroll so the last message or two stay on screen. The overlap shows nothing was skipped. Keep the date labels in view, don’t crop or mark up the images, and keep the originals. For a long thread, an export is a stronger record than any number of screenshots.
Screenshots are the only record some apps allow, and the first one most people reach for. Taken carefully, they hold up much better.
On an iPhone
- Open the conversation and scroll up to the start of the part you need.
- Press the side button and volume up together to take a screenshot.
- Scroll down until only the last message or two of that screenshot are still showing, and take the next one.
- Repeat to the end. iPhone’s full-page screenshot works for web pages, not for Messages, so a long thread means many screenshots.
On Android
- Take a screenshot the usual way (power and volume down on most phones).
- If the screenshot toolbar offers “Capture more” or “Scroll capture”, use it: it keeps scrolling and joins the screen into one tall image, in apps that allow it.
- If it doesn’t appear in your messaging app, take overlapping screenshots as on an iPhone.
Five habits that make screenshots hold up
- Overlap every screenshot with the one before, so a gap can’t be mistaken for a missing message.
- Keep the date labels in view; scroll a little further to catch one if needed.
- Include both sides: your replies are part of the record.
- Don’t crop, draw on or edit them. Keep the originals on your phone.
- Keep them in order: don’t delete any, and don’t rename the files.
Read them free, then number them
Verity reads screenshots on your device: it finds each message bubble, reads the words, joins the overlapping screenshots, and shows you every message to check before anything is counted. It can then number every message in date order, with each time marked as approximate. See analyzing text message screenshots and, for hundreds of them, organizing screenshots for your lawyer.
When an export is better
Screenshots lose the exact time of each message and can be questioned more easily. If your app can export the conversation, do that as well: see why screenshots alone are weak evidence and the export steps for each app.
Where does Verity fit?
From screenshots, Verity offers the numbered list ($19) or the Standard report ($99), not the Detailed report, because the times are estimated. Everything is read in your browser; your messages are not uploaded.
This is general information, not legal advice. Rules differ by state and by court; your lawyer or the court’s self-help center can tell you what applies to you. If you or your children are in danger, call 911; the National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-7233.
Read your screenshots free
Try the sample first, or use your own messages. They are read in your browser and are not uploaded.