Handrolled Apps · 2doc · Guide

Text messages to PDF on Android

2doc turns an SMS or MMS thread into a PDF on the phone itself. No computer, no upload, no account. Pick the conversation and the period, and the document is ready to share or print.

What the PDF contains

A conversation as a document, not a stack of screenshots:

The thread, under the name your phone has for the contact.
A date line for every day, and the time on every message.
Your messages and theirs on their own sides, so who said what stays readable.
MMS photos and attachments in place, when you choose to include them.
Tappable links and link preview cards, both optional.
Page numbers on every page. The free version adds a "Created with 2doc" line in the page footer.

The PDF is built from the phone's own message store, not from what happened to be on screen. That is why it can be complete for the period you choose.

SMS thread exported to PDF with 2doc on Android: title, note, date lines, times and both sides of the conversation — Page one of a finished PDF, made from fixture messages on a test phone: title and note first, then the thread, dated and timed.

Save an SMS thread as a PDF

Install 2doc from Google Play, open it and tap Create Document.
Tap Messages to add a section, and allow 2doc to read your messages. They are read on the phone and stay there.
Select the conversation. If a thread you expect is not listed, tap Missing texts?: it explains why, and on newer Android versions offers to include conversations the system hides from every app that is not the default SMS app.
Pick the period: Today, 7 days, 30 days, or Custom with a start and an end date. Under the period, each selected conversation shows how many of its messages fall inside it, so you can see at once whether the range covers what you need. Longer ranges are a Pro feature.
Tap Generate Document. The PDF is written on the phone.
Open it and tap Share, Share protected to add a password, or Print.

Sections can be edited and reordered, and a section's period can be changed later without starting over. Add a Title or a Note section if the document needs a heading or a few lines of context.

2doc's conversation picker on Android: Alice, Carol and Bob threads with message counts, and the Missing texts? button — Step 3: the conversation picker. Missing texts? sits top right.

2doc's Select period screen: 30 days chosen, a calendar marking the days with messages, and Alice with 4 of 20 in range — Step 4: the period. The calendar marks the days that have messages, and each conversation shows how many fall in range.

2doc import options for text messages: media attachments, link previews and tappable links — Before the import: MMS photos in or out, link previews (off by default), tappable links.

Print text messages from Android

Open the finished document and tap Print. Android's print dialog opens with your printer, or Save as PDF, as the target, and the usual page size and page range options. 2doc hands the file only to the print service you pick there; it does not pass through a server of ours.

If the phone answers "Printing is not available", it has no print service installed. Share the PDF to your email or to Google Drive and print it from a computer, or install your printer maker's app, which adds itself as a print service.

Android's print dialog over a 2doc document: Select a printer, copies, paper size and a preview of page 1 of 5 — Android's own print dialog, opened from the document's Print action.

What is free

Everything on this page. Pro is a single one-time purchase, with no subscription and no ads in either version. It unlocks longer date ranges, several conversations in one document, extra image layouts, and removes the "Created with 2doc" page footer.

What can be missing

Apps that are not your default SMS app do not see everything. 2doc lists these cases on the phone, behind the Missing texts? button, rather than producing a document that looks complete but is not:

Internet chats (RCS "chat features") are not SMS and can show up only partly, or not at all. Texts sent as plain SMS always do. RCS business messages that your phone stores as MMS are included.
Blocked or spam-filtered senders can be kept only in your SMS app's own folders.
Texts deleted in your SMS app, including auto-deleted verification codes, are gone from the phone for every app.
On newer Android versions the system holds back conversations it has flagged, for every app that is not the default SMS app. 2doc can become the default SMS app for a moment to include them, and reminds you to switch your usual app back.

Questions

Does it need a computer?

No. The messages are read on the phone, the PDF is written on the phone, and it goes wherever you share it from there.

Are my messages uploaded anywhere?

No. Nothing is sent to a server. The one optional exception is link previews, off by default: with them on, 2doc fetches the title and image of a linked page from that site while importing.

Does the PDF include my replies as well as their messages?

Yes. A thread is exported as a whole for the period, sent and received messages alike, each on its own side of the page.

Can I put a password on it?

Yes. Share protected encrypts the copy you share with AES-256, on the phone. The password is never stored anywhere, so a lost password means a lost copy. The original document stays in the app.

Is this an SMS to PDF converter?

In effect, yes: it reads SMS and MMS from the phone and writes a PDF. It is an Android app, not a website, so nothing is uploaded to be converted.