How to take a long screenshot of a text conversation on iPhone?

Capture the conversation in order

1. Open the conversation and scroll to the first message you want to keep. Dismiss the keyboard so it does not cover the messages.
2. Take a screenshot. On a Face ID iPhone, quickly press and release the side and volume-up buttons together. On a Home button model, use Home with the side or top button for that model.
3. Scroll down less than one screen. Keep a few complete messages from the previous capture visible, then take the next screenshot.
4. Repeat without changing text size, orientation, or zoom. Wait for moving content and message animations to settle before each capture.
5. Send the captures to a screenshot stitcher in reading order, or run your prepared stitching shortcut. Keep screenshots from other conversations out of this batch.
6. Inspect the long image from top to bottom. Check the messages on both sides of every join, then save or share the result. Keep your original screenshots until you have checked it.

What does useful overlap look like?

As a simple example, imagine the messages numbered in reading order: capture 1 contains messages 1–6, capture 2 contains 4–9, and capture 3 contains 7–12. The shared messages connect the sequence. This is an illustration, not a required number of messages or a fixed scrolling distance.

Choose recognizable text rather than a blank area or a single clipped line. Repeated “OK” bubbles, stickers, and large images can make two captures look alike. More overlap helps only when it includes content that identifies where the screenshots connect.

Make the next capture a gesture

1. Add a stitching shortcut to your own Shortcuts library. Open its app once to finish setup, then run the shortcut manually and handle any photo-permission prompts.
2. In Settings → Accessibility → Touch → Back Tap → Double Tap, select that shortcut. Choose the stitching shortcut from the Shortcuts section, rather than the built-in Screenshot action.
3. Take two or three overlapping screenshots while the iPhone is unlocked. Double-tap the back, let the shortcut finish, and open Photos to check the saved long image.

Fix missing messages, repeated text, or a failed join

1. Missing messages: compare the two original captures around the gap. If the missing text is in neither image, take that section again with a smaller scroll. A stitcher cannot recover content you never captured.
2. Repeated text or ghosting: check whether the shared messages appear in both originals at the same size. Retake moving content or an ambiguous transition with more distinctive shared text.
3. No result: run the shortcut manually, check photo access and the selected batch, then try a fresh pair from one conversation. A large batch or an unresolved match may need the app.

Before sharing a conversation

Read the finished image at full size and check its first and last messages. Crop or redact names, phone numbers, and anything you do not intend to share. If another app recompresses the image until text becomes hard to read, send it as a file or split it into shorter sections.

A long screenshot preserves a view of the conversation. It is not a backup of the original chat and does not replace the messaging service’s own export or backup options.