Court-ready iMessage records,
made calmly.
A small Mac app that turns your iMessage history into a clean PDF you can hand to a lawyer or file with a court — with a documented chain of custody, Bates numbering, and a signed declaration of authenticity.
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Nothing leaves your Mac
SHA-256 chain of custody
Bates-stamped PDF
The app is free to download. Browse, search, and read your messages without paying. A license unlocks the court-ready PDF export — pay what feels fair.
Importing a chat.db, searching, and exporting to PDF.
What it does
A reading and triage tool first — search, filter, and read your full message history in one calm view. When you're ready, export the parts that matter as a clean PDF.
Read your full history
Browse every conversation in your Messages database, with dates, senders, and reactions intact. Attachment images render inline.
Search and filter
Full-text search across hundreds of thousands of messages in seconds. Filter by date, sender, or attachments. Jump straight to a result in context.
Export to a clean PDF
Choose a date range, a single conversation, or a specific selection of messages. Get a paginated, timestamped PDF you can hand to a lawyer.
Chain of custody
Every export records the source database's SHA-256 hash, import and export dates, and a per-page Bates number — the evidence trail courts expect.
Declaration of authenticity
An optional fill-in-and-sign page using the right wording for your jurisdiction — US §1746, Canadian statutory declaration, UK statement of truth, or generic.
Attachment images included
Photos shared in your conversation are embedded inline in the PDF — at full resolution, in context, on the page where they belong.
See exactly what you'll get
A sample export from a fabricated conversation — the same format every real export uses. Five pages: cover, declaration, transcript.
Cover · chain of custody
Declaration of authenticity
Transcript · Bates numbered
Pay what feels fair
The app is free. A license unlocks the court-ready PDF export — one-time, no subscription. Drag the slider to where you are right now.
- $0
- $25
- $99
- $250
- $1,000
Why this exists
A friend of mine was going through a divorce and needed her text messages as part of a custody case. The existing options were either DIY screenshot marathons or forensic suites priced for law firms, not for her.
I built this for her, and then for a few other people who needed it — some in family court, others in ordinary business disputes: a soured partnership, a contractor who wouldn't honor a text, an HR complaint. Anywhere a conversation becomes evidence, the need is the same. I'm releasing it more widely now — and pricing it on a slider — because the people who need court-grade evidence the most are often the ones who can least afford a tool to produce it. If free is where you are, that's the right number. I built the slider so it can be.
Privacy and integrity
A few things worth knowing about how the app handles your data and produces its output.
Your messages never leave your Mac
The app reads your local Messages database, builds its index locally, and writes the PDF locally. Nothing is uploaded anywhere — not to me, not to anyone.
The source is never modified
On import, the app makes a read-only copy of your chat.db, hashes it with SHA-256, and only ever opens the copy. Your original Messages data is untouched.
A documented record, not a claim
The PDF documents its provenance — the source hash, dates, Bates range, and an optional signed declaration. Whether a specific court accepts it is the judge's call; the app helps you produce the strongest possible record.
One quiet license check
If you've paid, the app verifies your license on launch and weekly thereafter. It sends only your license key — no message data, ever. Works offline for 30 days if you're on a flight or have flaky wifi.
Frequently asked
Can I try the app before paying?
Yes — the app is free to download. Browse your messages, search, filter, view attachments, edit contact names. Everything works except the court-ready PDF export, which is what the license unlocks.
If you decide the PDF is what you need, come back, pay what feels fair, and paste the license key into Settings → License. Your work carries over.
How do I activate my license after buying?
Lemon Squeezy emails you a license key the moment your payment goes through. In the app, open Settings → License, paste the key, and click Activate. The Export button lights up immediately.
If you don't see the email, check spam. If it's still missing, email support@appcamp.com with the email address you used at checkout and I'll get you a new one.
Will a court actually accept this PDF?
That's the judge's call, not the app's. What the app produces is the strongest documented record you can reasonably make from a Messages database: the source database's SHA-256 hash, an import and export trail, per-page Bates numbering, and a fill-in-and-sign declaration of authenticity in your jurisdiction's wording.
If you're filing in a contested matter, run the export by your attorney first. They may have a preferred declaration format, or want a different set of metadata on the cover page.
Whose messages can I export?
Your own, on this Mac, via the built-in Messages database. You can also import a chat.db copied from another Mac you have access to — for example, your laptop's database imported on your desktop. The app doesn't read iCloud directly or anyone else's account.
Does the app need Full Disk Access?
To read this Mac's Messages, yes — that's a macOS protection, not a choice the app makes. You'll be walked through enabling it under System Settings → Privacy & Security → Full Disk Access. If you'd rather not grant it, you can copy your chat.db elsewhere first and import that file — no special permission needed.
Why isn't this in the Mac App Store?
Reading your Messages database requires Full Disk Access, which the App Store sandbox doesn't allow. So the app is distributed directly, signed with a Developer ID and notarized by Apple — the same trust model used by most professional Mac apps outside the store.
I can't pay anything right now. Is that really okay?
Yes. The slider goes to $0 on purpose — it's the price, not a guilt trip. Take the app and use it. The people paying more are paying for the people who can't, on purpose.
What if I lie and say I'm a single parent when I'm actually a law firm?
I prefer to sleep well at night. The slider's on the honor system by design.
Can I install it on more than one Mac?
Yes. A paid license works on up to three of your Macs — typically a laptop + a desktop + a backup machine. If you ever hit the limit, you can deactivate an old machine from the receipt page that came with your purchase.
How do refunds work?
Within 14 days of purchase, email support@appcamp.com and I'll refund you, no questions asked.
Can I export messages between two other people?
Only if those messages are in a database you have lawful access to — for example, your own Messages thread where you were a participant. The app doesn't help you read someone else's account, and you should be careful about jurisdictional rules around recording or producing communications you weren't part of.
I'm a lawyer — can my whole firm use it?
Every license works on up to three Macs, whatever you pay — so a small practice running exports on a couple of machines is already covered, at any price on the slider. Paying more doesn't add seats; the higher tiers simply fund free licenses for people who can't afford one. If your firm needs more than three machines, email support@appcamp.com and we'll set up a multi-seat license.
Where can I reach you?
support@appcamp.com. I'm one person — replies usually come within a day.
Ready when you are.
Try the app first. If it does what you need, pay what feels fair to unlock the export.