What is TextPort? The iPhone message export app explained

TextPort is an iPhone app that converts your text message conversations into downloadable files — PDFs, spreadsheets, or plain text — directly from your phone. No computer, no USB cable, no technical setup required.

The core idea is straightforward: messaging apps like iMessage, WhatsApp, and Instagram DMs don't give you an easy way to save or export conversations. TextPort fills that gap by reading screenshots or screen recordings of your chats and reconstructing them into clean, structured exports you can store, share, search, or present as documentation.

How TextPort actually works

TextPort uses two main workflows depending on how much of a conversation you need to capture.

The first is screen recording. Open any messaging app on your iPhone, hit record in Control Center, and scroll through the conversation at a normal pace. TextPort processes that video, reads each frame, and extracts every message — preserving sender names, timestamps, and the original order. This works well for longer conversations where taking individual screenshots would be tedious.

The second is screenshots. If you already have a series of screenshots from a chat, TextPort can stitch them together into a single continuous conversation. For this to work accurately, consecutive screenshots need to overlap slightly so the app can align them in the right sequence.

Once the conversation is captured, you choose your export format and download the file.

What formats does TextPort export to?

TextPort supports three export formats:

• PDF — formatted, print-ready output that preserves the visual layout of the conversation, including sender names and timestamps. This is the most common format for legal use, sharing with an attorney, or printing.
• CSV — a spreadsheet-compatible format (opens in Excel or Google Sheets). Useful when you need to sort, filter, or analyze message data, or when you're building a record of client correspondence.
• Plain text (.txt) — a simple, lightweight file that's easy to copy, paste, or import into other tools.

There are no limits on the number of messages or conversations you can export.

Which apps does TextPort support?

TextPort's approach — working from screenshots and screen recordings rather than tapping directly into app data — means it can handle virtually any messaging app on your iPhone or iPad. Officially supported apps include:

• iMessage and SMS
• WhatsApp
• Facebook Messenger
• Instagram DMs
• Telegram
• Signal

If it appears on your screen, you can capture and export it. This is a meaningful distinction from desktop tools like iMazing or TouchCopy, which connect directly to your iPhone's backup and work well for iMessage and SMS but often have limited or no support for third-party apps like Instagram DMs or Telegram.

Who uses TextPort?

TextPort is built for a range of situations where having a saved, structured copy of a conversation matters.

Legal and court proceedings. People involved in custody disputes, harassment claims, workplace investigations, or civil litigation often need to present message histories as evidence. TextPort's PDF exports include timestamps and sender names, making them readable and organized for attorneys or court submission. For a deeper look at preparing exports for legal use, see the guide on how to export iPhone messages to PDF.

Business and professional records. Client conversations, contractor agreements made over text, or compliance-related communications can all be documented and archived. The CSV format is particularly useful here for building searchable records.

Personal archiving. Some users simply want to preserve meaningful conversations — family messages, old relationships, milestone exchanges — before switching phones or in case something happens to their device. TextPort's iPhone message archiving guide covers this use case in detail.

Harassment and dispute documentation. When someone needs to document threatening or abusive messages from a neighbor, landlord, coworker, or ex-partner, having a clean export can be more effective than a pile of screenshots.

The desktop app option

For users who need to export an entire message history at once — rather than scrolling through individual conversations — TextPort also offers a desktop app for Mac and Windows. This connects to your iPhone and lets you pull all messages in bulk, which is faster when you're dealing with years of conversations or dozens of threads.

The phone app and desktop app cover different use cases. The phone-based workflow is quicker for specific conversations; the desktop app is better for comprehensive backups.

How TextPort compares to alternatives

Several tools exist for exporting iPhone messages, and each has trade-offs.

iMazing and TouchCopy are desktop-first tools that read directly from your iPhone's backup. They're reliable for iMessage and SMS, but both require a computer and a USB connection, and support for third-party apps (WhatsApp, Instagram, Signal) varies. A March 2026 update to iMazing's export guide confirms it supports iMessage, SMS, and WhatsApp — but not Instagram DMs or most other apps.

Decipher TextMessage is a Mac/Windows desktop program specifically built for creating PDF exports of iPhone text messages. It's well-regarded for iMessage and SMS, but it shares the same computer-dependency limitation.

Manual screenshots work for short conversations but become impractical for anything longer than a few exchanges. They also don't produce a clean, timestamped document — you end up with a folder of image files rather than a structured record.

TextPort's position is as a mobile-first option that works across all apps without requiring a computer. The screenshot/screen recording method is a different trade-off: it requires you to scroll through the conversation manually, but it gives you coverage across every app on your phone.

For a broader comparison, the best apps to export text messages from iPhone in 2026 covers the full landscape.

Getting started

TextPort is available on the Apple App Store. The process for a first export typically takes a few minutes:

1. Download TextPort on your iPhone.
2. Start a screen recording in TextPort, then navigate to the messaging app containing the conversation you want to export.
3. Scroll through the entire conversation while recording, or return to TextPort to process the chat.
4. TextPort transcribes the conversation and lets you export as PDF, CSV, or plain text.

Step-by-step guidance is built into the app, so you don't need prior experience with data export tools.

The bottom line

TextPort addresses a specific, practical problem: iPhones make it genuinely difficult to get your conversations out in a usable format, and most solutions either require a computer or only work with certain apps. TextPort's combination of universal app support, phone-based operation, and multiple export formats covers most of what individuals and professionals need — whether that's a court-ready PDF, a spreadsheet for business records, or a simple archive of important messages.