Estate and executors
Settle an estate with the texts that record what was promised, and keep them for the family.
The problem
When someone dies, their messages hold both the practical record (who was told what, which accounts, which wishes) and the last conversations the family will want. The phone gets cancelled, the Mac gets wiped, and the messages are gone within weeks.
Why Message Vault helps
- Archives the Messages database on the Mac and every iPhone backup stored there, read-only.
- Merges all of them, so a backup from three years ago and last month’s both contribute what only they hold.
- Search by name or phrase to find the conversations an executor needs.
- The vault is a folder. It can be copied to a drive and handed to the family or the estate’s attorney.
- The manifest lets anyone check later that the copy has not been altered.
How to do it
- Before the Mac is wiped or sold, sign in to the deceased’s account on it and open Message Vault.
- Add the Messages database and every iPhone backup on the Mac as sources, then scan.
- Copy the vault to a drive for safekeeping and seal the manifest.
Message Vault needs the Mac to be unlocked and its user account accessible. It cannot bypass a password or Activation Lock, and it cannot read a phone directly.
$29 per year, per Mac. 14-day free trial. Cancel any time. Requires macOS 14 or later.
Other use cases: Family memories · Corporations · Executive teams · Legal cases · Custody disputes · Journalists and researchers · Switching Macs or phones · macOS deleted my messages · Small business owners