iMessage import
Bring iMessage into the story.
Apple keeps iMessage sealed on your devices — no app can reach in. So we made a tiny Mac helper that reads it right where Apple allows it, and hands the conversation to your phone.
Requires macOS 13 or later · works with iPhone and Android
Download & open
Grab the Subtext Helper below, open the disk image, and drag it into Applications. It’s a tiny, signed Mac app, nothing to configure.
Give it Full Disk Access
macOS keeps Messages locked down, so the first launch walks you to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Full Disk Access. One toggle, then you’re set.
Scan the code from your phone
Open Subtext on your phone, choose iMessage, and scan the code the Mac shows. Pick one person: only that conversation is read and sent. Nothing else leaves your Mac.
The Mac reads the chat; your phone runs the show.
You’ll need the Subtext app on your phone, signed in. It’s the remote control that pairs with the Mac and picks who the story is about. The helper never holds your account, and the pairing only lives for a few minutes.
What it does — and doesn’t
- Reads one conversation you pick. Not your whole message history — just the single thread you choose on your phone.
- Your address book stays on your Mac. Names are matched locally so you can pick a person, not a phone number. Only the short list of conversations you're choosing from is sent to your phone during pairing — briefly, then deleted.
- No account on the Mac. Your phone proves who you are; the helper just forwards the chosen chat.
- Deleted within 3 days. Like every Subtext import, the raw transcript is removed within 3 days — immediately once your deep dive is written — unless you ask us to keep it.