Have you ever wished you could print out an important text conversation from your Android? Many people want a hard copy before for various reasons. Maybe to submit as evidence in a legal matter, or just to treasure a special memory in physical form. Well, believe it or not, printing texts from an Android can actually be trickier than you might think.
But don't stress, we’re going to share a few different methods to get those messages off your screen and onto paper. Whether you're tech-savvy or a bit challenged with technology, one of these is sure to do the trick. So pull up a seat, get comfy, and let me walk you through some options for printing texts from your Android.
4 Ways to Print Text Messages From Android
Method 1: Use the Built-In Print Feature in Your Default Messaging App
All Android phones come default messaging app. Now many of these apps include a built-in print feature that allows you to quickly print out entire text conversations.
For example, on Android Messages:
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Open the messaging thread you want to print.
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Tap the 3 vertical dots menu icon in the top right corner.
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Select “Print messages” from the menu list.
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You'll get a preview of the conversation thread. Check that all messages are included.
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Tap “Print” at the bottom.
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Choose your printer or print to a PDF file.
The printout will include the full back-and-forth conversation, including names, profile photos, timestamps, and all messages. Having an easy built-in print option makes printing your text messages a breeze.
Method 2: Use a Dedicated Text Message Printing App
If your default messaging app doesn't offer printing, a third-party app can get the job done. An app like "SMS Backup and Restore" can easily print your text messages.
SMS Backup and Restore is a very popular free Android app. To use it to print texts:
1. Download and install the SMS Backup and Restore app.
2. Open the app and grant permissions when prompted. And then on the homepage tap on "Set Up a Backup".
3. Turn on the toggle next to Messages & tap on "Next".
4. Now turn on the toggle next to "Your phone" & again tap on the "Next" button.
5. Here select the "Daily" option & then tap on "Back up Now."
6. Now on your homepage screen, you will get the message "Backup complete". So after that tap on the hamburger icon at the upper left corner.
7. From the menu select the "Print from backups" option.
8. Here select the sms.xml file.
9. Navigate to the conversation you want to print.
10. Tap the "PDF" icon in the upper right corner & save it in the desired location.
11. Now as you go to that location then you'll find that saved file in PDF format. Now from here, you can easily print this file.
The printout will contain the full text-only back-and-forth between you and the other person.
Method 3: Connect Your Phone to a Computer and Print from Your Desktop
You can print text messages by connecting your Android phone to a computer. For this, all you need is an official Google messaging app on your Android. If it's not preinstalled then you can install it from the Play Store & then set this as your default messaging app.
After that follow these steps:
1. On your computer open your browser & open Messages by Google & it'll open the QR code that you have to scan using Messages by Google app.
2. For that open the Messages by Google app on your Android device & Tap the hamburger icon from your conversation list and select the "Device pairing" option.
3. Now Tap "QR code scanner" and scan the code on this device.
4. After that on your computer screen you can see the all messages that you got in the app. Here select the conversation & right click on your screen & tap on the "Print" button. After that, you can print the conversation like any other document.
With this method, you get full access to your phone's stored text messages right on your computer.
Method 4: Take Screenshots of the Conversation
You can also print text messages by taking screenshots of the conversation on your phone and printing the images:
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Open the conversation you want to print.
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Take multiple screenshots to capture the entire back-and-forth.
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Review the screenshots and crop/edit them if needed.
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After that, you can print the conversation like any other document directly from your phone.
While not as clean as the other methods, taking screenshots can work in a pinch.
Which Method Is Right for You?
If you only want a printout of a message or two, just taking a screenshot is easy and breezy - no extra apps or messing around needed.
But if you've got tons of texts you want on paper or need to save them in something other than picture form, using an "SMS Backup and Restore" app made might suit you better. This kind of app usually lets you select multiple texts at once and get them out of your phone smoothly.
And if computer access is what you're after, the Google messaging app syncs up between your phone and PC. That way you can pull everything up on your bigger laptop or desktop screen to print from there. No more squinting at tiny screenshots.
Additional Tips
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First - make sure your phone and printer are linked to the same WiFi network, That way they can connect wirelessly.
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If for whatever reason your printer ain't compatible with printing from your Android, no sweat - just plug in a USB cable from your phone to the printer.
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Now, if you plan to print a lot of text messages from conversations, consider using an app to compress the text first before printing. Text messages contain a lot of unnecessary whitespace that bloats up the size of the print job. Compressing the text will streamline it and make printing much faster.
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Finally, be mindful of any private or sensitive details in your text conversations. If printing copies of messages containing personal info, look for apps that let you redact certain words or numbers before sending them to the printer. That way you protect anyone's privacy if those printouts end up in the wrong hands. You can also redact manually by using a marker to obscure text.
Conclusion
Being able to easily print out important text message conversations can be extremely useful. With the built-in messaging app tool, third-party apps, connecting directly to your computer, or using screenshots, you have several options for printing texts from your Android device. Next time you need a physical record of a text exchange, give one of these handy methods a try.