Message Album

Keep Your Conversations Forever

Message Album is a macOS application that exports individual iMessage threads into self-contained, searchable offline archives. Unlike traditional backups that restore devices, Message Album creates permanent, human-readable records of your conversations that survive platform changes, deleted accounts, and decades of technological evolution.

What It Does

Message Album transforms a single Messages thread into a complete archival folder containing:

• Searchable offline website – An iMessage-style reader that works in any browser, no server required • Both sides of the conversation – Every message sent and received, with timestamps and sender names • Original-quality attachments – Photos, videos, voice notes, stickers, and documents copied untouched • Multiple data formats – JSON for structured data, Markdown for readability, optional CSV for analysis • Cryptographic verification – SHA-256 checksums in every manifest to prove authenticity years later • Contact resolution – Phone numbers become names and photos from your Mac's Contacts app

Who It's For

Message Album serves anyone who needs permanent records of important conversations: parents preserving family memories, professionals archiving business communications, individuals documenting relationships, or anyone preparing to switch platforms, retire an Apple ID, or hand down a device without losing irreplaceable conversations.

Key Capabilities

• Reads the Mac's own Messages library or iPhone/iPad Finder backups (encrypted or not) • Three beautiful themes (Classic, Paper, Nocturne) in light and dark modes • Framework-free HTML reader with no external dependencies that could break over time • Incremental exports that clone duplicate attachments on APFS, minimizing disk usage • Explicit warnings for missing iCloud attachments rather than silent gaps • Complete privacy: no accounts, no telemetry, everything stays on your Mac

What Makes It Different

Unlike screenshots or cloud backups, Message Album creates archives you actually own. The exported folder works without the app, without Apple's platform, and without an internet connection. Every archive is immutable and timestamped, so re-exporting never overwrites earlier versions. The free version exports the last 7 days of any thread in full format, letting you verify exactly what your library contains before purchasing.

Message Album cannot pull content from iCloud that isn't already on your Mac, cannot recover deleted conversations, and exports one thread at a time rather than entire libraries. These limitations are stated clearly because transparency matters when archiving irreplaceable memories.