The complete guide · iPhone and Android
Every way to do it, from free screenshots to a forensic examiner, compared side by side. Plus exactly what the judge needs to see on the page.
Updated · 9 min read
Published by Hearsay, which makes one of the tools compared below. We list the free methods and competing apps too, with their real prices.
The short answer
To print text messages for court, export the full conversation from your phone to a PDF that shows the other person's name and phone number, the date and time of every message, and who sent it, then print it with page numbers. Screenshots work for a few messages. For a long thread, or if the other side may say the messages were edited, use a tool that exports the whole conversation and keeps a record of how it was collected.
Exhibit A
Conversation with Jordan M.
+1 (310) 555-0142 · iMessage / SMS
Jordan M. · 03/14/26 6:02 PM
I'm not bringing her back Sunday. Figure it out.
Me · 03/14/26 6:09 PM
The order says 5pm Sunday. Please confirm you'll be there.
Read 03/15/26 7:12 AM · No reply
Me · 03/16/26 4:55 PM
I'm at the exchange spot. It's 4:55.
Before you print
Whatever method you use, check your printout against this list. These are the gaps the other side looks for first, and the reason a stack of screenshots gets challenged.
Want the legal background? Read are text messages admissible in court and how to authenticate text messages.
The other person's name and phone number
A contact name alone isn't proof of who sent it. The number ties the messages to a person.
The date and time of every message
Not just the first message in a group. Phones hide most timestamps on screen.
Who sent each message
Left and right bubbles don't survive a black-and-white printer. Label the sender.
The whole conversation, in order
Including messages that don't help you. Cherry-picked texts are the easiest to attack.
Page numbers and an exhibit label
So the judge and the other side can find "page 12" when you refer to it.
A way to show nothing was changed
A record of how and when the messages were collected answers "you edited these."
Every option, side by side
Some of these are free and some aren't ours. Pick the one that fits how many messages you have, what phone you use, and how likely the other side is to fight them.
| Option | Cost | iPhone | Android | Time on every message | Proof it wasn't edited | Effort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 HearsayTexts and WhatsApp. Emails and social DMs are add-ons at +$49 each | $49per phone, no annual fee | Yes | Yes | Yes | YesHash-verified collection record | About an hour on a computer, guided step by step. Chat support with Case Prep |
| ScreenshotsYour phone's screenshot button | Free | Yes | Yes | PartlyOnly if you reveal each one | No | Fine for a few messages, slow for long threads |
| Mac Messages appFile › Print › Save as PDF | Freeneeds a Mac | Yesvia Messages in iCloud | No | PartlyGrouped time headers | No | Quick if iCloud sync is already on; prints only what has loaded |
| Decipher TextMessageDesktop app, reads an iPhone backup | $29.99one time | Yes | No | Yes | Not advertised | You run the backup and export yourself |
| iMazingDesktop iPhone manager | ~$30per year, 1 device | Yes | No | Yes | PartlySigned PDF, no collection record | You run the backup and export yourself |
| TouchCopyDesktop iPhone transfer app | $40–70depending on license | Yes | Separate app | Yes | Not advertised | You connect the phone and export yourself |
| Forensic examinerA hired digital forensics expert | Quotedper case | Yes | Yes | Yes | YesReport and testimony | Hand over the phone; days to weeks |
Prices from each vendor's website, checked Oct 2026. On Android, free backup apps such as SMS Backup & Restore save texts as a file that needs another tool to print. Hearsay is not affiliated with the other products listed.
Which one is right for you
You need a handful of messages for a hearing this week
Screenshots can be enough. Reveal the time on each message and include the contact card with the phone number.
Go with: screenshots
The thread is long or goes back months
Screenshotting hundreds of messages invites gaps. Export the whole conversation with a timestamp on every message.
Go with: a desktop export or Hearsay
You expect the other side to say you faked them
You'll want a record of how and when the messages came off the phone, not just a nicer printout.
Go with: Hearsay or a forensic examiner
You have an Android phone, or need WhatsApp too
Most $30 desktop tools are iPhone-only. Hearsay collects iPhone, Android and WhatsApp in one collection, with email and social DMs available as $49 add-ons.
Go with: Hearsay
Step by step
HearsayYou'll need your phone, its charging cable, and a Mac or Windows computer. Most collections finish in about an hour, and you're guided through every step.
Your printout includes
Every conversation on the phone · date and time on every message · sender name and number · page numbers · a hash-verified record of the collection
Don't wait for the week of the hearing
Messages can disappear before you collect them: a phone gets replaced, reset or damaged, or it's set to delete old messages (on iPhone, check Settings › Messages › Keep Messages). Courts also set deadlines for sharing exhibits before the hearing. A collection captures what's on the phone today.
Create your account
Enter your email. You'll get a collection code tied to your phone right away. ~2 min
Install the Hearsay Extractor and plug in your phone
Download the app on your computer, connect your iPhone or Android with its cable, and enter your code. ~5 min
Let the collection run
Keep the phone plugged in. Messages are copied straight from the phone and each file is fingerprinted as it arrives. ~1 hr
Download, print, or send to your lawyer
Download a zip with a PDF of every conversation. Print the pages you need, or send the whole thing to your attorney in one click.
Paid add-ons
Conversations jump apps. An argument that starts in texts often continues in Instagram DMs or an email. Add each source to the same case and Hearsay collects each one alongside your texts, so everything for your case is in one place. Each source downloads as its own set of PDFs.
Not included in the $49 phone price. Each email inbox, social account or extra source is a separate $49 charge, added only if you choose it.
Email inbox
Narrowed to the people, dates and words that matter to your case
Social media DMs
Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Reddit and more, one account at a time
AI chat history
Conversations from an AI assistant account
Another phone
An old phone or a second device with messages you need
Add a source when you start or any time later in your case.
Case download
Communications with Jordan M.
Jan 4, 2026 – Mar 16, 2026 · 4 sources
| Source | Items |
|---|---|
| Text messages · iPhonetexts-iphone.zip | 412 messages |
| WhatsAppwhatsapp.zip | 58 messages |
| Instagram DMsinstagram-dms.zip | 23 messages |
| Emailemail.zip | 9 emails |
Doing it yourself
If you only need a few messages, these work. Here's how to do each one properly, and where each falls short.
Weighing screenshots against an export? Read are screenshots admissible in court.
If you choose Hearsay
Pay once per case. No subscription and no annual fees. Add chat support with Case Prep, or a specialist on the phone with Managed Help. Emails and social accounts are extra, $49 each.
Print my texts
$49 per phone
Case Prep
+$50 per case
Managed Help
+$200 per case
Are you an attorney collecting from a client? See Hearsay for law firms.
Questions
Often, yes, especially when the other side doesn't object. Screenshots become a problem when the other side says they were edited, cropped or taken out of context. A full export with a timestamp on every message, plus a record of how it was collected, answers those objections. See are screenshots admissible in court.
You don't have to file every page, but you should have the full conversation available. If you only print the messages that help you, expect the other side to ask what's missing. Mark the pages you'll rely on and keep the rest ready.
This is called authentication. It's usually your own testimony that it's your phone and the other person's number, plus details in the messages only they would know. A collection record showing when and how the messages came off the phone makes that much harder to dispute. See how to authenticate text messages.
Sometimes. Messages deleted from the conversation view may still exist on the phone or in a backup, but nobody can promise recovery. Collect as soon as possible, and don't delete anything yourself once a case has started.
Usually three: one for the judge, one for the other side, and one for you. Courts set their own rules for exhibits and deadlines, so check your court's website or ask the clerk.
Yes. WhatsApp has its own chat export, but it skips some details. Hearsay collects WhatsApp in the same collection as your texts. See WhatsApp messages as evidence.
No. You pay $49 once per phone, plus any add-ons you choose. There's no subscription and nothing renews each year, unlike desktop tools licensed per year.
The Hearsay Extractor guides you through each step. If you want a real person to help, Case Prep adds chat support, and Managed Help adds a specialist on the phone for your entire collection.
Yes, as paid add-ons. They aren't included in the $49 phone collection: each email inbox or social media account is an extra $49. Hearsay collects them in the same case as your texts, and each source downloads as its own zip of PDFs.
No tool can promise that. The judge decides what evidence comes in. What Hearsay gives you is a complete, dated printout and a record of how it was collected, which answers the most common objections to text message evidence.
Start today and have a dated, page-numbered PDF of every conversation in about an hour. Pay once, no annual fees, and add a real person to help if you want one.