Changelog

> Most recent first. Versions follow semver: MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH.

0.1.0 — Initial public preview (unreleased)

First version. What you get:

• Discovers Finder/iTunes iPhone backups on your Mac
• Reads SMS + iMessage threads (including iOS 16+ message format)
• Resolves contact names directly from the backup's own AddressBook.sqlitedb — no permission prompt for the parent Mac's Contacts app
• Live SwiftUI conversation viewer: click a thread to see iMessage-style bubbles with inline photos, video posters, reactions, replies, and edit/unsent markers. Nothing is rendered to disk.
• Scan on demand: click Scan selected to run a 9-category lexicon scan plus optional on-device LLM rating (macOS 26+). Findings appear in a sidebar next to the conversation. Click any finding to scroll to that message.
• Export on demand: save the conversation as a forensic PDF, a review PDF + CSV, or just the findings as CSV — your choice, your location, nothing written until you ask.
• Customizable wordlist: Settings → Categories lets you enable/disable each category, add custom words and phrases, remove specific defaults, and restore them later
• Distributed via the Mac App Store — updates are delivered automatically by the App Store

Forensic export details (when you do export)

• iMessage-style bubbles (blue for "Me", gray for others)
• Full UTC timestamps + per-message GUIDs + service (iMessage/SMS)
• Reactions (Loved, Liked, etc.) rendered attached to the parent message
• Replies with quoted parent context
• Edit history and unsent-message markers
• Inline images embedded with SHA-256 hashes
• Inline videos with poster frame + embedded .mov attachment
• Forensic manifest page with source backup chain-of-custody

Known limitations

• Only SMS and iMessage. No WhatsApp, Snapchat, Instagram, Discord, etc.
• Encrypted backup support requires you to know the backup password.
• The review-PDF "Jump to message" link works correctly in Adobe Acrobat Reader; in Preview.app it opens the file but doesn't jump to the page (Apple's PDFKit limitation).

Versioning policy

• PATCH (0.1.0 → 0.1.1) — bug fixes only. Free.
• MINOR (0.1.0 → 0.2.0) — new features that don't break compatibility. Free.
• MAJOR (0.x.x → 1.0.0, eventually 2.0.0) — major rework. The jump from 1.x to 2.x may be a separate paid upgrade on the App Store. You'll never be auto-charged; it would be an optional new purchase.

Within a major version, all updates are free for life. The Mac App Store delivers them automatically.

Future plans (not promises)

These are things we're considering. None are committed.

• Image classification for concerning attachments (on-device, opt-in, requires macOS 26) (v0.3)
• Import/export of custom wordlists so you can share a tuned config across Macs (v0.3)
• WhatsApp support if Apple ever makes WhatsApp's backup data accessible (no current ETA)
• Android backup support via ADB on macOS (Phase 2, no current ETA)
• Family Center API integrations (Meta, Snap, etc.) for context that isn't in the iPhone backup (Phase 2+, partnership work)
• Mobile companion app that reads reports from a shared folder on iOS/Android (Phase 2)

See the Peak product roadmap for the full picture.