# Twenty five freaking dollars to save text messages?!? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 24, 2012, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twenty-five-freaking-dollars-to-save-text-messages/635640 "2012-09-24T00:44:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twenty-five-freaking-dollars-to-save-text-messages/635640/1 "2012-09-24T00:44:57Z")
I was trying to figure out if there was a way to save messages in iOS’s Messages (I discovered that my iCloud backup has them, but cannot read them separately). I found two apps that could do so, PhoneView and Touch Copy. But one is $25, and the other is _$30!_ I must be out of touch with the pricing of apps these days! Is there something uniquely difficult about this feature that commands that kind of price, or is it just the standard “expected” layout for such things? ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twenty-five-freaking-dollars-to-save-text-messages/635640/2 "2012-09-24T01:50:46Z")
How about this? Open text message. Place finger on text message for several seconds until magnifying glass appears Select all Hit copy Open Notes Place finger on note until magnifying glass appears Select paste Close notes You may now send me $30. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twenty-five-freaking-dollars-to-save-text-messages/635640/3 "2012-09-24T17:57:51Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > I must be out of touch with the pricing of apps these days! Is there something uniquely difficult about this feature that commands that kind of price, or is it just the standard “expected” layout for such things? Here’s my guess: This is a niche product. Most people don’t want to save all their text messages, so there are few buyers. One group that might want to save them all are people involved in legal battles where the contents are evidence, and they’re willing to pay high prices. People who want to just save a few here and there use _Rick_’s method. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twenty-five-freaking-dollars-to-save-text-messages/635640/4 "2012-09-25T05:37:53Z")
Androids have numerous free apps to back up and restore all texts, including an app that uses a folder in your gmail account as a repository. Aren’t there any other options in the i-world? ---
**Author:** ![tellyworth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twenty-five-freaking-dollars-to-save-text-messages/635640/5 "2012-09-25T07:12:53Z")
If you just want to save a record of certain messages: 1. Go into the Messages app in your phone. 2. Select the conversation. 3. Top right, Edit. 4. Check the boxes for the messages you want. 5. Bottom right, Forward. ---
**Author:** ![tellyworth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twenty-five-freaking-dollars-to-save-text-messages/635640/6 "2012-09-25T07:20:39Z")
If you’re on a Mac, and you’ve synced a backup, this will get more detail than you could possibly want: ```auto find ~/Library/Application\ Support/MobileSync/Backup/ -name 3d0d7e5fb2ce288813306e4d4636395e047a3d28 -exec sqlite3 {} .dump \; ``` (all on one line in Terminal) ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twenty-five-freaking-dollars-to-save-text-messages/635640/7 "2012-09-25T07:49:50Z")
I think if you jailbreak you can do it for free? Does anyone know? ---
**Author:** ![tellyworth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twenty-five-freaking-dollars-to-save-text-messages/635640/8 "2012-09-25T07:58:20Z")
The two methods I posted above work without jailbreaking. Someone with more knowledge of sqlite3 than I, and time to dig into the schema, could construct a SELECT query for the second to just display the main fields. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twenty-five-freaking-dollars-to-save-text-messages/635640/9 "2012-09-25T14:57:08Z")
> [@tellyworth](#): > > If you’re on a Mac, and you’ve synced a backup, this will get more detail than you could possibly want: > > ```auto > > find ~/Library/Application\ Support/MobileSync/Backup/ -name 3d0d7e5fb2ce288813306e4d4636395e047a3d28 -exec sqlite3 {} .dump \; > > ``` > > (all on one line in Terminal) I’ve recommend this in the past, and it works perfectly.