How to Print Text Messages With the Date and Time

Messages shows only one time above each group of texts, so screenshots leave most texts without a time. Kept Texts gets every text's exact time from Messages itself, through Apple's Shortcuts app, and prints it beside each text with who sent it.

Why screenshots miss the times

In a conversation, Messages puts a date and time above each stretch of texts. Each text has its own time, but you only see it while you hold a swipe to the left. A screenshot of the normal view shows a few times at most.

How Kept Texts handles times

Through the shortcut, every text comes with its exact time from Messages.
From a screen recording or screenshots, a text without its own time says "after 6:12 PM": the time Messages showed above it. Kept Texts never guesses a time.
To fill those in, record that part again while holding a swipe to the left.
Times can't be typed in, and any other change you make is listed in the PDF.

Sender and number

Every text says who sent it. The cover lists both names and phone numbers, and says which came from Messages and which you typed, so nobody has to wonder.

Steps

Open Kept Texts, tap New Record, then Messages › Choose a Chat. Pick the conversation and allow it: Apple's Shortcuts app hands over every text with its exact words and time. Kept Texts keeps only the chat you picked. The first time, it asks you to add its shortcut, which takes one tap.
On Your PDF, check both names and add phone numbers. The PDF says which ones came from Messages and which you typed.
Check anything Kept Texts marked, then preview the whole PDF for free.
Save, print or share it with a pass. Print sends it straight to a printer.

Questions

How do I see the exact time of a text on iPhone?

Open the conversation and slowly swipe left on it. Each text's time appears at the right for as long as you hold.

Can I add a time by hand?

No. Kept Texts only prints times it saw in Messages, so nobody can question where a time came from.

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

Updated November 13, 2026.