PlainThread lays out a chat export or a text-message backup as a PDF: each message has its sender, date, and time, with day headings and page numbers. People use that when someone else has to read the conversation, such as a landlord dispute, an HR complaint, small claims, a family matter, or a personal record.

The step-by-step is how to turn a WhatsApp chat or SMS backup into a PDF.

How a file gets in

For a chat app, the listing walks through WhatsApp: open the chat, tap ⋮ › More › Export chat, then share the .txt or .zip to PlainThread or open the saved file. You check what was read, pick the dates, and tap Create PDF.

For SMS and MMS, back up with an app that writes an .xml file (the listing gives SMS Backup & Restore as an example). Open that file, pick the conversation, and create the PDF. Both sides are included, with times, and photos are listed where they were sent.

PlainThread does not ask for permission to read your messages. It only reads the file you hand it.

What you can check before printing

The preview shows participants, message counts, and the first and last dates. A completeness check calls out, in plain language:

  • a chat where only one person’s messages were found
  • attachments that are named but were not included in the export
  • media and deleted messages the export left out
  • long gaps, and exports that may have hit a size limit
  • any line that is not part of a message (nothing is dropped quietly)

If a date could be read as day/month or month/day, you confirm which one before anything is printed. For SMS backups, unsent drafts are counted, and you are reminded that RCS (chat-feature) messages are often missing from an SMS backup.

The PDF

Every message shows the sender, date, and time, and pages are numbered (“Page 3 of 12”). You can print the whole chat or a date range. “All” means all. Paper size is A4 or Letter. Right-to-left scripts, accents, and emoji are kept. Attachments are listed by file name at the time they were sent. You can share, print, or save the PDF wherever you like.

Every feature is included, with no message cap: an exhibit or case label on every page, and an export-record page with the source file names, SHA-256 fingerprints, counts, date settings, time zone, and app version. There is no subscription, no in-app purchase, and no watermark.

Read this before you rely on a printout

PlainThread is a formatting tool. It is not legal advice. Whether a printout is accepted depends on the court or agency, and you should keep the original messages and files.

The PDF can only contain what is in the file you provide. Deleted messages, media left out of an export, and RCS messages missing from an SMS backup cannot be added back. PlainThread cannot prove that a file was never edited. Use it for conversations you are part of.

It works with chats exported from WhatsApp and with SMS backup files. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by WhatsApp, Meta, or any SMS backup app.

The app has no internet permission, so the chat stays on the phone unless you share the PDF. There are no ads, no analytics, and no account. Working copies are deleted when you close the chat.

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