https://github.com/icculus/imessage_archive

Archive iMessage chats to an email inbox.
https://github.com/icculus/imessage_archive

archives imessage

Last synced: 6 months ago
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Archive iMessage chats to an email inbox.

• Host: GitHub
• URL: https://github.com/icculus/imessage_archive
• Owner: icculus
• License: other
• Created: 2021-06-28T20:25:15.000Z (over 4 years ago)
• Default Branch: main
• Last Pushed: 2021-07-05T23:08:23.000Z (over 4 years ago)
• Last Synced: 2025-01-30T04:41:38.598Z (8 months ago)
• Topics: archives, imessage
• Language: Perl
• Homepage: https://icculus.org/imessage_archive/
• Size: 14.1 MB
• Stars: 4
• Watchers: 3
• Forks: 0
• Open Issues: 0
• Metadata Files:
  • Readme: README.md
  • Funding: .github/FUNDING.yml
  • License: LICENSE.txt

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README

          
# imessage_archive

imessage_archive is a Perl script that converts iMessage's database of 

conversations into an email archive. It can process chat messages 

stored in an unencrypted iPhone backup, or those from the macOS

Messages app. It has been tested with an iOS 9 backup generated with

iTunes 12.4 and a Messages install on Mac OS X 10.11, but it might work

on other similar versions.

Archives can be customized in several ways. They can be simple text emails,

or rich HTML emails. Photos and videos are included in the HTML version and

viewed inline, to simulate the Messages app UI. Videos are converted down

to simple animated .gif files. 

You can optionally also keep the original files as email attachments, for a

complete (but much larger) archive.

Options are available to customize your archive. Want it pretty? Use `--html`.

Want to keep the videos but take less space? Try `--attachment-shrink-percent=50`.

Want to keep audio clips and vcards but not all those bulky pictures and 

movies? `--no-video-attachments`. Just want a simple, small, searchable text

archive? `--no-attachments`.

(I personally do `--html --no-video-attachments`, but do whatever fits your needs!)

Email is generated in either Maildir or mboxrd format, depending on whether you

use the `--maildir` or `--mbox` options (default is Maildir). Most email tools

can import and process at least one of these two formats.

This program presumes you are running on a Mac, but can probably be made to work

on other systems with a little effort (such as providing a replacement ffmpeg

binary, etc).