Messages
The copy that matters is the one you keep.
Threads get deleted, phones get replaced, and apps lose history. Save the conversation with its dates while it still exists.
Messages are usually the clearest record in a custody case, because they are dated and in the other parent's own words. They are also the easiest thing to lose. A thread gets cleared, an app account is closed, a phone goes in a lake, and the exchange everyone remembers differently is suddenly unverifiable.
Keeping your own copy is not sneaky and it does not require touching their phone. You save what was sent to you, on your own device, with the dates intact. Do it while the thread is still there rather than the week before a hearing.
Ways to save a thread
- Paste the text
- Copy the conversation and paste it in. Dates and senders are read out of the text.
- Import an export
- WhatsApp .txt exports, and CSV or spreadsheet exports from message services.
- Upload a screenshot
- When there is no export option, the image is kept as the exhibit with your caption.
- Review before saving
- You see what was read out of the file and fix it before anything is stored.
- Never their phone
- Only the text you paste or the file you upload. No account access, no phone access.
In the appMessages → Import a thread. You review every row before it is saved.
From a screenshot pile to numbered exhibits
A camera roll of screenshots is hard for anyone to read at ten at night. Saved threads are numbered, dated, and attached to the entry they support, so the packet shows the line "pickup moved by text at 5:52 p.m." next to the message that says so.
Scout is free. We email you a link — no password to invent, and the other parent never gets a login.
Questions parents ask
How do I save custody text messages before they are deleted?
Copy the thread into your own record, or export it from the messaging app and import the file. Once a message is saved with its date on your side, deleting it on their phone does not remove your copy.
Are screenshots enough, or do I need a full export?
Screenshots are useful and often all anyone has. A full export is better because it keeps the whole thread in order with its timestamps, so there is no question about what came before or after.
Can this app read the other parent's phone or messages?
No, and nothing can do that for you legally through this tool. Custody Ninja only reads the text you paste or the file you upload from your own device.
How do messages end up in a packet?
Saved threads become numbered exhibits with dates, referenced from the chronology line they support, so your attorney reads the entry and the message together.
Keep reading
Custody Ninja is a documentation tool. It is not a law firm and this page is not legal advice. Talk to an attorney about your order and your case.
Custody Ninja is a documentation tool. It is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.