Whether in child or property proceedings, messages can be useful evidence if they are relevant to the matter. The Court can rely on properly authenticated messages to confirm mutual agreement and the parties' intent. During discovery, our lawyers may request that you provide them with copies of any relevant communications with the other party, including messages.
In most situations there is a substantial number of messages to be provided. In the past, screenshotting messages was the only way to print and share, thankfully there are now alternatives to this time consuming and arduous process. Many programs are now available to install on your computer and allow you to download bulk messages to save as a PDF. This is an effective way to send the messages to your lawyer, or to print for your records.
When downloading or printing text messages, it is critical to consider:
So, where do you start?
Most of the available programs are quite user friendly. The typically process is to download and install the program on your computer, connect your phone and then select the message conversation you wish to download.
Depending on what operating system you use (Microsoft or iOS) some of these recommendations may not be suitable. However, a good starting point is the following programs:
- Decipher, works on android and apple devices and costs around $30.
- iMazing, works on android and apple devices and costs around $50.
- iPhone Messages Transfer, works on apple devices and is free to use.
