Screenshots and screen recordings
Save visible iPhone messages as a searchable PDF.
Available on the App Store for iPhone and iPad.
Step one: choose the source
Start with the conversation you already have.
TextTrace offers separate routes for supported chat exports, a scrolling screen recording, and selected screenshots or photos. You see the processing boundary before you import.
- TXT or ZIP chat export
- Screen recording
- Screenshots, photos, or scans
What this route is—and is not
This workflow is for visible content you select. It does not access Apple Messages’ private database or recover deleted messages.
Use screenshots for a small set of screens and a screen recording for longer, continuously scrolling content. Keep the reading order clear.
A direct Google Vision workflow
- Select. Add up to 40 images in reading order, or choose a screen recording.
- Minimize. Exact duplicate screenshots and unchanged recording frames are removed without reading text.
- Recognize. Necessary unique full frames are sent through the TextTrace backend to Google Vision.
- Export. Once the conversation record is created, PDF, print, spreadsheet, and text are available without a separate verification state.
Choose the output for the next task
Use searchable PDF for reading and sharing, CSV for rows and filters, HTML for a portable browser view, TXT for plain text, or long PNG for a continuous visual copy.
Questions, answered precisely
Frequently asked questions
Is visual text extraction always accurate?
No OCR system is error-free. Compare important passages with the retained screenshot or recording before relying on them.
Does TextTrace read my entire photo library?
No. It processes only the items you select through the system picker.
Does TextTrace bypass encrypted iPhone backups?
No. The Mac importer reads only unencrypted Finder or iTunes backups. TextTrace does not bypass backup encryption.
Does a checksum make an export legally admissible?
No. A SHA-256 checksum can help you check whether a file changed. It does not establish authenticity, completeness, admissibility, or legal sufficiency.
TextTrace
Turn the conversation into something you can use.
Import it. Check it. Search it. Export the format your next step needs.