Kept Texts / Guides

How to Get Text Messages Ready for a Custody Case

What makes texts easier to use

• The whole thread for the dates that matter, not a few cropped screenshots.
• Who sent each text, with both names and phone numbers.
• A date and time on every text.
• Numbers on every text, so you can write "see #214" in a note to your lawyer.

Steps

1. Open Kept Texts and tap Make a Record, then Messages. The first time, tap Add Kept's Shortcut and add it in Apple's Shortcuts app; you only do this once. Then tap Choose a Chat, pick the conversation in Shortcuts, and choose Always Allow when Apple asks (a few times, the first run). Shortcuts hands over every text with its exact words and time, and Kept Texts keeps only the chat you picked. Use Texts From to read only the last 30 days, 6 months or a year.
2. On your PDF, tap Edit to check both names and add phone numbers. The PDF says which ones came from Messages and which you typed.
3. Choose Court or a Lawyer as what it's for, so the cover is set up for a lawyer.
4. Check anything Kept Texts marked, then preview the whole PDF for free.
5. Save, print or share it with a pass. Print sends it straight to a printer.

Keep it private

If someone else might pick up your phone, turn on Face ID Lock and Hide Names in Kept Texts' settings. Records then show initials until you open one, and saved PDFs have plain names like "Record Nov 11 2026.pdf".

Questions

Should I include texts that don't help my side?

Ask your lawyer. In general, a complete thread is harder to question than one with texts left out.

Will the judge accept a PDF?

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.

More guides

• How to Print Text Messages for Court
• What to Look for in an App to Export Texts for Court
• How to Print Text Messages With the Date and Time

Updated November 13, 2026.