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Export and analyze iMessage conversations from macOS SQLite database

Project description

iMessage Wrapped

Export and analyze your iMessage conversations from the macOS SQLite database.

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Quick Start

🖥️ Desktop App (No Terminal Required!)

Download for macOS

  1. Download and open iMessage-Wrapped.dmg
  2. Drag to Applications folder
  3. Launch the app
  4. Click "Analyze My Messages"
  5. Your wrapped opens in browser automatically

See desktop/ for building from source.

💻 Command Line

pip install imessage-wrapped
imexport

That's it! By default, the command will:

  1. 🔄 Auto-export your messages (if not already exported)
  2. 📊 Analyze your messaging patterns
  3. ☁️ Upload anonymized statistics
  4. 🔗 Give you a shareable URL like: https://imessage-wrapped.fly.dev/2025/abc123xyz

Want to see full details in the terminal instead? Use imexport --no-share

Features

Dashboard - Interactive visualizations of your messaging patterns
Easy Sharing - One command to upload and get a shareable link
Secure - HTTPS, encrypted database
Favorite Phrases - Automatically surfaces the sayings you repeat most
Deploy Anywhere - Fly.io ready (free tier available)

🔒 Data Privacy

Your message content NEVER leaves your computer.

By default, we only upload aggregated statistics to create your shareable link. Here's exactly what is and isn't uploaded:

✅ What IS Uploaded (Statistics Only)

  • Counts: Total messages sent/received, tapbacks given/received, attachments, etc.
  • Averages: Message length, response times, punctuation usage
  • Distributions: Hour of day, day of week, month patterns
  • Emojis: Which emojis you used and how often
  • Dates: Your busiest messaging days, streak lengths
  • Anonymized Identifiers: Contact identifiers are SHA256-hashed (e.g., phone_a3b2c1d4e5f6)

❌ What is NOT Uploaded (Stays Private)

  • Message Text: No actual message content is ever sent
  • Contact Names: All names are stripped out before upload
  • Phone Numbers/Emails: Original identifiers are one-way hashed
  • Conversation Content: No snippets, samples, or quotes
  • Attachments: No photos, videos, or file content
  • Personal Info: Nothing that could identify you or your contacts

Usage

As a Library

from imessage_wrapped import MessageService, Exporter

service = MessageService()
data = service.export_year(2025)

exporter = Exporter()
exporter.export_to_file(data, "messages_2025.json")

See example_usage.py for a complete working example.

As a CLI

After installation, use the imexport command:

# Analyze and share (default behavior)
imexport

# Analyze with full terminal output (no sharing)
imexport --no-share

# Export specific year
imexport --year 2024

# Replace cached export
imexport --replace-cache

# Use local dev server
imexport --dev

# Custom database path
imexport --database /path/to/test/chat.db

# Save statistics to file
imexport --output stats.json

# Show help
imexport --help

Alternatively, run without installation:

python -m imessage_wrapped --year 2024

Requirements

  • Python 3.10+
  • macOS with Full Disk Access permission
  • rich library for terminal output

Installation

From PyPI

pip install imessage-wrapped
imexport

From Source (Development)

git clone https://github.com/gtarpenning/imessage-wrapped.git
cd imessage-wrapped
pip install -e .

# Install git hooks (recommended for contributors)
./scripts/install-git-hooks.sh

Git Hooks:

  • pre-commit: Automatically runs linting and type checking on staged Python/web files
  • pre-push: Validates that the web build compiles before pushing to main

macOS Permissions

Requires Full Disk Access to read the iMessage database:

  1. Open System Settings
  2. Go to Privacy & Security → Full Disk Access
  3. Add Terminal (for CLI) or the Desktop App
  4. Restart the application

Deployment

See RELEASE-GUIDE.md for deploying the CLI, Desktop App, or Web App.

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