Can you print text messages for court?
Yes, you can print texts for court, but not with us. read receipts makes keepsake books and is not an evidence service. What a court usually needs is plainer and free: a clear copy that shows who sent each message and when, and someone who can say it is real.
Can printed text messages be used in court?
Often, if the court accepts that they are what you say they are. In US federal courts that is Rule 901 of the Federal Rules of Evidence: the person offering an item must produce evidence sufficient to support a finding that it is what they claim it is. State courts have their own rules.
This page is general information. It is not legal advice.
What do courts usually want to see?
It differs by court, so ask the clerk or your lawyer what yours expects before you print anything. In general a copy is more useful when it shows the other person's name or number, the date and time of each message, and the messages in order with nothing cut from the middle.
Rule 901 lists testimony from a witness with knowledge as one way to show an item is real, so expect to be asked how the copy was made. Keep the phone. The messages on it are the original.
How do I print texts for court?
For a short exchange, take screenshots with the contact's name or number showing and print them. For a long one, a computer can save a whole conversation at once. Our guides to an iPhone and an Android phone list the ways.
Should I use read receipts for court?
We would not. Our books are typeset for reading. The Unabridged leaves photos out and marks where one was sent, you can take messages out before it prints, and a printed book takes about two weeks to arrive. We do not certify or authenticate anything.
What if the messages were deleted?
An iPhone keeps deleted messages for a limited time, and the other person's phone has its own copy of the conversation. Our guide to deleted texts says where they may still be. A lawyer can tell you what else can be asked for.
When does a book make sense?
Later, and for another reason: when the conversation is one you want to keep and read again.
Related Guides
- How To Print Text Messages From An iPhoneScreenshots for a short exchange, a computer for the whole conversation.
- How To Print Text Messages From An Android PhoneA free backup app saves your texts as one file.
- Can you recover and print deleted texts?For about a month, yes. After that, mostly no.
If You Want It As A Book
read receipts prints the conversations people want to keep: a relationship, a friendship, a parent's messages. If that is what you have, you look through every page before anything prints. Or start with the free receipt.