Solutions for Government Agencies to Capture, Save, and Print Text Messages
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In recent years, Government agencies on federal, state, and local / city levels have seen a noticeable increase in the amount text messages exchanged in the workplace.
Whether a government employee is using a worked-issued device provided by their department or if they are on a personal BYOD (bring your own device) phone at work, there is an growing need and mandate by governmental agencies to save and retain all work related text messages.
These departmental requirements are happening, albeit slowly, across many departments and agencies including law enforcement, city planning, public works, taxation, finance and more.
The National Archives outlines new rules to preserve government messages
In February 2023, the National Archives issued a bulletin outlining a new set of rules that require federal agencies to preserve all government business communications conducted on electronic messaging systems. This includes include texts, instant messages, and chats.
Federal agencies have been advised by NARA that their policies must include the ability to document "complete electronic messages" which include not only images and videos but also emojis and GIFs.
The previous requirement by the NARA dates back to 2013 where federal agencies were asked to implement a role-based approach to records retention which focused solely on the capturing of emails.
Some state courts rule that work-related text messages on personal cell phones are public record
Over the last several years, various state governments appear to be putting more importance on requiring state agencies to capture work-related text messages.
This subject appears to be gaining importance and rulings like the California Supreme Court decision are a great example of this. This ruling states that text messages in the workplace that relate to public business are in fact considered a public record.
It also doesn’t matter whether or not the text messages are sent or received are on a government issued mobile device or an employee’s personal phone. Furthermore, according to a report by ABC News, more states and courts are ruling that text messages sent on the job fall under the same kinds of laws that apply to both emails and hard copy paper documents under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
Even back in 2015, the Washington State Supreme Court ruled that text messages sent and received on a state prosecutor's personal mobile phone were actually public record since the content of the SMS messages pertained to public business. As more courts pass decisions in favor of open government principles like some of the aforementioned case examples, more governmental agencies will be focusing on implementing text message retention solutions that both complement their department workflow and simultaneously ensure that employee SMS data is seamlessly captured and archived.
How government agencies can best capture and save text messages on any computer
There are various software solutions for government agencies to save, print, and retain text messages and SMS conversations exchanged in the workplace. The choices often depend on what types of devices are being used in an office and also how many employees are in an organization.
Typically, saving text messages from non-iOS devices such as Android, Windows, and Google phones, is a bit more non-uniform compared saving SMS data from iOS devices. The reason for this is the numerous variations of different devices in the non-iOS smartphone market and also how differently the device drivers and backups function on these types of mobile phones.
Today blog focuses on Apple iOS devices and options for governmental departments to export and capture text messages and iMessages on iPhones or iPads.
Screenshots or software - Which is best for capturing government text messages?
Screenshots
For any governmental agency, taking screenshots on an iPhone is a quick and easy way to capture a few text messages. However, this method is best served when an agency only needs to capture a minimal amount of SMS messages. The more messages that need to be saved, the more impractical the screenshot method becomes. If an agency or organization is looking to save and retain text messages ongoing (daily, weekly, monthly) from multiple devices and different employees, the screenshot option is not going to be a realistic long term solution. Also, the screenshot option will not show information like the message date and time on each individual message.
How to take screenshots of iPhone text messages:
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Open the Messages app on any iPhone and select a contact that has government related text message that you need to capture or save.
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Press and release the "side button" and the "volume up" button at the same time. A thumbnail of the screenshot will appear in the bottom left corner of the iPhone and that screenshot has now been saved to your camera roll.
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Repeat the screenshot process for all the text messages that you want to save and capture.
Software for capturing text messages for government agencies
Finding the right software solution to capture and save text messages in a government agency can be a challenge.
One of the most robust and cost-effective solutions currently available is Decipher TextMessage. The desktop program runs on any Windows or Mac computer and enables any user or government agency or employee to save, print, and capture iOS text messages.
The software is a already a proven solution used by many federal and state agencies to save iPhone text messages within the workplace. Decipher TextMessage can be implemented as a stand-alone solution or alongside any enterprise mobile device management system that is already in place in a government office.
When deployed, IT department heads can choose to either include the software as part of their desktop image or simply roll it out to specific employees or departments.
Here's a screenshot example of how Decipher TextMessage looks with iOS contacts and text messages displayed in the program:
Benefits of using Decipher TextMessage to print and save text messages in any government agency
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Privacy - Only the user or organization running the software has access to text messages or SMS data saved with the program. Nothing is stored on servers or in the cloud. The government department running the software controls all their iOS text message data.
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No Apple ID required - Users never have to enter their Apple iTunes ID or log-in or use the software.
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Windows or Mac - Decipher TextMessage runs on any Windows or Mac computer and is fully supported for Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10, and Windows 11. It's also supported for all macOS users including for macOS Sierra and above, including Sonoma and Sequoia
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Direct to PDF export - The program has the ability to save text messages in PDF format so that the government-related messages can be quickly captured, emailed, or printed out.
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Date and time for every message exported - Decipher TextMessage includes the date and time of each message, unlike the display in the iPhone Messages app, which requires swiping to the left to reveal times. Or if you prefer the exported transcript to be more like the Messages app, you can choose to show only the date in the exported text message transcript.
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Contact name and phone number on every message exported - Decipher TextMessage is the only program that includes the contact name and number on every single text message sent and received. This preference is useful for discovery and evidence.
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Search capability - The entire text message history of any government employee's iPhone or iPad is searchable for contacts, phone numbers, and key words or phrases.
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Group Text Message Filtering - Group text messages are displayed and selectable for easy access to see all messages and contacts pertaining to any workplace group chat or message thread.
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Encrypted Backups - Decipher TextMessage is compatible with all of the current iPhone encrypted backup formats.
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Legacy iTunes backups accessibility - Any previous iTunes backups on a computer will automatically be displayed, giving the user immediate access to older text message data.
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Installation on unlimited computers - The program can be installed on as many government office or agency computers as needed, either Windows or Mac.
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Discounted device activation pricing for large numbers of devices - There are licensing discounts and custom options for government organizations to accommodate large numbers of devices.
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iOS 18 compatible - The software is iOS 18 compatible. Supported for Windows 7 and above, including Windows 10 and Windows 11. Supported for macOS Sierra and above, including Sonoma and Sequoia.
Download Decipher Text Message
How are text messages saved and captured?
Decipher TextMessage reads from the iPhone backup on any Windows or Mac computer.
The program keeps a separate history of all the text messages and iMessages that are contained in the backup. This includes all photo and video attachments sent and received by both parties. After backing up a device, text messages can be quickly accessed and saved.
iTunes is no longer required and iOS backups can be made directly from Decipher TextMessage. The software has a unique "text only" backup feature that backups up only the text messages and attachments and not the entire iPhone.
Government agencies can follow these specific steps to save and print text messages:
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Launch Decipher TextMessage.
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Plug in an iPhone and select "Back Up.".
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After the backup completes, restart the software.
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Pick a contact that has government related text messages you need to save or capture.
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Choose "Export" from the menu.
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Double-click to open the saved PDF and choose "Print" to print out the text messages for any government employee or client.
Below is an example of an exported PDF containing iPhone text messages and attachments. Note the contact name and phone number displayed on each individual text message.
For many organizations, there is often not an urgent need or crisis to export specific text messages, but rather more of an ongoing weekly or monthly necessity to preventively back up and capture text message data.
One of the benefits of using Decipher TextMessage is that, should the need ever arise in the future to revisit or access text messages from an employee's backup, the messages will already have been saved and read into software and they will be easily accessible.
Also, each time an iOS device is backed up on a computer, newer messages will be automatically imported into Decipher TextMessage the next time the program is launched.
Video instructions for government agencies to print and save text messages
2024 and beyond - Capturing text messages for federal and state government agencies
With the recent requirements by the National Archives, federal agencies of all types will now need to implement resources to capture and document text message usage. Also, from a state government perspective, there will only be a increasing need in the coming months and years for states to require that work-related messages be archived and saved.
Regardless of what specific solution any government agency or organization implements, the outcome should include a text message retention software program that enables messages to be collected and captured with ease while simultaneously giving the agency the ability to quickly export messages if there is ever a sudden need to provide documents or evidence for litigation or a public records request.
If you have any questions about how best to save text messages and manage iOS backups for your governmental organization or federal agency, feel free to contact us through our support page. We're a San Francisco / Phoenix based software company with an expertise in managing iOS data and backups.