How to Get a Transcript of Text Messages on iPhone

A transcript is the conversation as plain, numbered text: who said what, and when. Kept Texts makes one as a PDF on your iPhone, with real text you can search and copy, not a stack of pictures.

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.

What it looks like

Each text on its own row: its number, its time, who sent it and its words.
A heading for each new day.
Page numbers, and a cover saying who's in it and the dates it covers.

Who it's for

An HR complaint, a landlord or contractor dispute, an insurance claim, or a lawyer. For work, choose Work or HR as what it's for. For a court case, choose Court or a Lawyer.

Questions

Can I copy text out of the PDF?

Yes. It's real text, so you can search it, copy a quote, or paste it into an email.

Is it free?

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.

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.

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Updated November 13, 2026.