What to Look for in an App to Export Texts for Court
Pick one that shows every text's date, time and sender, keeps both sides in order with nothing cut out, says how the record was made, and lists anything you changed. It should work on your iPhone without uploading your texts, and let you see the whole PDF before you pay.
The checklist
| What to check | Why it matters | Kept Texts |
|---|---|---|
| A time on every text | Lawyers' most common complaint is texts with no time | Exact times through the shortcut. Otherwise "after 6:12 PM", never a guess |
| Both names and numbers | A contact name alone doesn't show who it was | On the cover, with where each came from |
| Both sides, in order | A one-sided or cropped thread is easy to question | Both sides, numbered. Gaps are marked |
| Numbered texts and pages | So anyone can point to one text | Yes |
| Says how it was made | So a reader knows what the record is | On the cover, with what it can't show |
| Lists your changes | Fixing a misread word shouldn't look like editing | Always, at the end |
| Stays on your iPhone | Your texts are private | No account, nothing uploaded |
| See it before you pay | So you know it works for your chat | Free preview of the whole PDF |
Questions to ask before you pay
- Can I see the whole PDF first?
- Does it renew on its own?
- Does it upload my texts, or need a computer?
- Does it ever add a time it didn't see?
Kept Texts' answers
It's free to make, check and preview your whole PDF. A pass to save, print and share costs $9.99 for 30 days or $29.99 for a year, and never renews. It doesn't need a computer, uploads nothing, and only prints times it saw in Messages.
Questions
Does any app make texts admissible?
No app can promise that. A court decides what it accepts. Every court has its own rules, so ask your lawyer or the court clerk how they want texts. Kept Texts doesn't certify records, and this isn't legal advice.
Kept Texts is coming soon to the App Store, for iPhone with iOS 26 or later. It's free to make, check and preview your whole PDF. A pass to save, print and share costs $9.99 for 30 days or $29.99 for a year, and never renews.
More guides
- How to Print Text Messages for Court
- How to Get Text Messages Ready for a Custody Case
- How to Export iPhone Text Messages to PDF
Updated November 13, 2026.