# What Story of Us is, plainly.

> Story of Us turns your own iMessage, WhatsApp or Messenger history into a short, private keepsake you read on screen — built from your real pet names, rituals and rhythms, not a template. It costs a small one-time fee. Your chat export is read in your browser; only phrases, counts and a few sample messages are sent to write the captions.

- Canonical: https://storyofus.app/about/
- Last updated: 2026-09-16

## What it does

Story of Us reads a chat export you already have — from iMessage, WhatsApp or Messenger — and turns it into a short keepsake: a page built from patterns it finds in your own history, like pet names, rituals, your busiest hour, and the year you talked the most. It's not a template with your names swapped in.

## Supported platforms

- [iMessage](https://storyofus.app/imessage-chat-keepsake/) — read from a Mac's `chat.db`. Mac only; there's no full export from an iPhone alone. [Export guide →](https://storyofus.app/guides/export-imessage-history/)
- [WhatsApp](https://storyofus.app/whatsapp-chat-book/) — an exported chat file (a text transcript, as `.txt` or `.zip`) straight from your phone. [Export guide →](https://storyofus.app/guides/export-whatsapp-chat/)
- [Messenger](https://storyofus.app/messenger-chat-book/) — a "message storage" or Accounts Center data download from account settings. [Export guide →](https://storyofus.app/guides/export-messenger-chat/)

Each is built for one-on-one message history; a group thread won't parse into a clean two-person story.

## What it costs

A one-time fee. No subscription, nothing recurring. There's nothing to ship — you read the keepsake on your screen, then can download it as a PDF to keep or print yourself.

## Privacy, plainly

The export itself never leaves your device — it's read right there in your browser, the same way a photo opens on your computer. To write the handful of captions that need real words (your busiest year, your first exchange, the phrase you didn't know you repeated), we send a much smaller slice to our server: your most-used words and phrases, counts and rhythms (who texts more, your streaks, your busiest hour), and a very small handful of sample messages — your first few texts and your most recent. Not the export file, not your full conversation. [Read exactly what we send →](https://storyofus.app/privacy)

## Contact

Questions, trouble with an export, or a refund request — email [hello@storyofus.app](mailto:hello@storyofus.app); a real person reads it.

## Questions

### What is a chat keepsake?

A short, private page built from your own message history — pet names, rituals, busiest hours and the words you reach for — that you read on screen with your partner, not a printed or mailed item.

### How do I turn my WhatsApp, iMessage or Messenger history into a keepsake?

Export your chat from that app (WhatsApp and Messenger export from your phone or account settings; iMessage needs a Mac), then drop the file into the matching import screen. It is read in your browser and turned into a keepsake in about a minute.

### What does Story of Us cost?

A one-time fee, paid once. There is no subscription and nothing recurring.

### Is it a physical book?

No. It is a private keepsake you read on screen. You can download it as a PDF afterward and print it yourself if you want a physical copy.

### What leaves my device?

The chat export itself never leaves your device — it is read locally in your browser. A smaller slice of your most-used words and phrases, message counts and rhythms, and a small handful of sample messages is sent to our server to write the captions.

### Which file do I need?

iMessage: the chat.db file from a Mac's ~/Library/Messages folder. WhatsApp: the exported chat file from "Export Chat" (a .txt or a .zip, both work), exported without media. Messenger: the conversation's .json file from a "message storage" or Accounts Center data download.

### How long does it take?

The keepsake itself is ready in about a minute once your export is uploaded. Getting the export file from WhatsApp or iMessage is quick; Messenger's message storage download can take Meta several minutes to prepare.

## Related

- Free message counter: [English](https://storyofus.app/how-many-texts-have-we-sent/) · [Español](https://storyofus.app/es/cuantos-mensajes-whatsapp/) · [Português](https://storyofus.app/pt/contador-de-mensagens-whatsapp/) · [Italiano](https://storyofus.app/it/contatore-messaggi-whatsapp/) · [Français](https://storyofus.app/fr/compteur-messages-whatsapp/) · [Deutsch](https://storyofus.app/de/whatsapp-nachrichten-zaehlen/)
- [WhatsApp export guide](https://storyofus.app/guides/export-whatsapp-chat/)