Your iPhone stores a copy of all your SMS and iMessage text messages in a sqlite database. But, if you want to view them all on your iPhone, it's not so easy. Be prepared to do a lot of scrolling.
Or, you can you use "sms-backup.py" to backup all your messages in text format, CSV format, or JSON, and then view them in the data viewer of your choice.
Plus, "sms-backup.py" cleans up and allows you to transform your data, in order to make your text messages easier to read.
Transformations possible with "sms-backup.py":
Each time you sync/backup your iPhone, the SMS sqlite db file is copied to your computer.
When you run "sms-backup.py", it finds the backup db file, makes a temporary copy of it, selects the text messages you want from the temporary copy, and then exports them.
$ sms-backup.py
2010-01-01 15:31:44 | Me | (555) 555-1212 | I love donuts!!
2010-01-02 16:17:58 | (555) 555-1212 | Me | I love a man who loves donuts!!!
2010-01-02 17:01:19 | Me | (999) 999-1212 | I don't feel so good...
...
$ sms-backup.py --myname Tom \
--alias "555-555-1212=Michele" \
--phone "5555551212" \
--phone "1112223333" \
--date-format "%b %d, %Y at %I:%M %p" \
--format json
[
{
"date": "Jan 01, 2010 at 03:31 PM",
"from": "Tom",
"text": "I love donuts!!",
"to": "Michele"
},
{
"date": "Jan 02, 2010 at 04:17 PM",
"from": "Michele",
"text": "I love a man who loves donuts!!!",
"to": "Tom"
},
{
"date": "Jan 02, 2010 at 06:00 PM",
"from": "Tom",
"text": "Just checking in...where are you?",
"to": "(111) 222-3333"
},
...
$ sms-backup.py --help
usage: sms-backup.py [-h] [-q | -v] [-a ADDRESS=NAME] [-d FORMAT]
[-f {human,csv,json}] [-m NAME] [-o FILE] [-e EMAIL]
[-p PHONE] [--no-header] [-i FILE]
optional arguments:
-h, --help show this help message and exit
-q, --quiet Decrease running commentary.
-v, --verbose Increase running commentary.
Format Options:
-a PHONE=NAME, --alias PHONE=NAME
Key-value pair (.ini style) that maps a phone number
to a name. Name replaces phone number in output. Can
be used multiple times. Optional. If not present,
phone number is used in output.
-d FORMAT, --date-format FORMAT
Date format string. Optional. Default: '%Y-%m-%d
%H:%M:%S'.
-f {human,csv,json}, --format {human,csv,json}
How output is formatted. Valid options: 'human'
(fields separated by pipe), 'csv', or 'json'.
Optional. Default: 'human'.
-m NAME, --myname NAME
Name of iPhone owner in output. Optional. Default
name: 'Me'.
Output Options:
-o FILE, --output FILE
Name of output file. Optional. Default (if not
present): Output to STDOUT.
-e EMAIL, --email EMAIL
Limit output to iMessage messages to/from this email
address. Can be used multiple times. Optional. Default
(if not present): All iMessages included.
-p PHONE, --phone PHONE
Limit output to sms messages to/from this phone
number. Can be used multiple times. Optional. Default
(if not present): All messages from all numbers
included.
--no-header Don't print header row for 'human' or 'csv' formats.
Optional. Default (if not present): Print header row.
Input Options:
-i FILE, --input FILE
Name of SMS db file. Optional. Default: Script will
find and use db in standard backup location.
MIT License.
Tom Offermann (tom@offermann.us)
You can download this project in either zip or tar formats.
You can also clone the project with Git by running:
$ git clone git://github.com/toffer/iphone-sms-backup