Dispute Buddy needs some free space on your computer to run properly. Here's how to clear space on your system:
On Mac:
On Windows:
Once you've freed up space, restart Dispute Buddy and it should run smoothly.
I've connected my iPhone but I'm stuck on a screen that says "Connect your iPhone"
Try these steps:
1) Try a different port in your computer
2) Change the cord (make sure it's an Apple one)
3) Check your iPhone for software updates
4) Restart your iPhone (very 90s advice but it works)
Sorry you hit this. I know how frustrating it is when you're right at the end and then boots you back to the start!
Here's what's happening: the encryption process needs a bit of free space on your phone right at the very last step. If your phone's storage is nearly full, it gets to 99%, realises there's no room left, and crashes. There's nothing broken, it's just very likely a storage issue.
Good news: it's an easy fix. Here's exactly what to do:
You're so close. Nearly there.
No. Dispute Buddy cannot import notes from a note-taking or AI note-taking app.
It can use:
WhatsApp is read from the iPhone alongside SMS and iMessage. It is not a separate file upload.
Dispute Buddy works on computers that have MacOS 13 or later installed.
If your computer doesn't give the option of updating MacOS to 13, you'll need to find another laptop of computer.
Just enter www.disputebuddy.co/download on any computer enter your email and you can connect your iPhone and use the app.
Dispute Buddy is a desktop app, so you download and run it on your computer then connect your iPhone to analyse and export messages.
You can use Dispute Buddy with one iPhone (or iPad).
You can download the desktop app onto as many computers as you like.
If you need to export messages from more than one phone, contact us at support@disputebuddy.co or click "Talk to a human" in the app.
1) Check you've entered the same email address as the one you used to buy the app
2) Try from different internet (eg hotspot your phone)
3) Restart the PC
4) Check for Windows updates (very common with new computers)
5) Disable antivirus scanning if you have AV on your computer. Follow these instructions
It finds patterns that show::
Coercive control
Gaslighting
Emotional abuse
Financial abuse
Child welfare concerns
If you're looking for specific things that happened eg
When your child broke their leg
An argument about an engagement ring
When the children went to swimming lessons
You can do that after you've downloaded the Dispute Buddy Report to your desktop
This is how you search for these themes, ideas and events in your texts:
Download and save your Dispute Buddy report to your computer
Open the PDF in your usual program (eg Preview or Adobe or similar)
Hit ctrl-f on your keyboard
You'll be able to search for keywords and themes in the PDF
Our system needs enough storage on both your iPhone and your laptop, to be able to 'encrypt' your messages.
Your iPhone + computer need around 20GB free on each device. It could be more, depending on how big your message files are.
Our system needs space on your phone to do processing, and space on your computer to temporarily save your messages.
Before we start that process, the system checks to see if you have enough space.
Solutions to free up space on your computer
1. Delete some files on your computer.
2. Empty the bin
3. Search for some big files that you may have downloaded that could be taking up a lot of space
4. If you can't delete enough files, connect an external drive. This could be a thumb drive or a bigger hard drive.
Solutions to free up space on your iPhone
1. Delete files on your phone
2. Make sure you delete them on your actual device, not your iCloud
If you don't have enough storage on your phone, it'll get to 99% erncrypted, then crash and go back to the start.
Close the Dispute Buddy app and restart it.
Don't forget to restart your phone!
WhatsApp message history does show when video calls and voice calls took place and when voice notes were sent although you can't see or read any of the content
This is not true for iMessage though. You can only see text message history
Sometimes it looks like the encryption looks like its stuck (e.g., on 32%).
If you haven't got any error messages, just leave it. Keep everything plugged in; it could just be an unusually large file that's taking a long time to process!
If you want to check with us that it's still running fine, ask to speak to a human.
We have very little information on you. We do that on purpose because one of our company values is 'good for all'. We make decisions that are good for you, good for us, good for everybody. Keeping your data is not good for anyone.
What we can see:
Your email address: so we can contact you if you need suppport, and also so that we can match you up with your subscription.
The name you enter on the first screen in the app: this is the name that we put on your message report at the end
Date ranges: we can see the date range that you enter to do the message export. This is useful for us to give technical support
The number of texts our system is processing for you
Which screen you are progressing through in-app
What we can't see is:
Your contact that you search for
Any of your texts, messages, videos, images
Nothing at all from your iPhone
Basically we don't know anything personal about you apart from your name and your email address
No. You can change the selected contacts or date range and generate another report in the same session.
If encrypted messages from an earlier session are still on this computer, Dispute Buddy skips How it works. Connect the iPhone to unlock and decrypt the existing index; this is much quicker than indexing it again.
You can then unplug the phone and continue. Choose re-index only when you need newer messages that are not in the existing index. Re-indexing takes about an hour.
Check your phone for software updates
Restart your phone and computer (I know, very 90s. It does sort things out though!)
Check you are using an Apple cable
Try a different port
Don't use your phone or your computer while the app is running
I'm sorry, we don't do discount codes!
However, depending on your country, we offer Klarna so you can split your payments.
Just select the option at checkout.
Your Dispute Buddy account allows you to download text messages from one iPhone.
You can download your texts to as many computers as you want.
If you want to download messages from more than one iPhone, just message us at support@disputebuddy.co or click "Talk to a human" in the app.
We'll ask you a few questions and if that goes well, we can up your limit for you.
To connect a second iPhone:
Just go to www.disputebuddy.co/download on your second (or third or fourth!) computer
Once downloaded, launch the app
Enter the email address you used to buy the app
You can download messages from one iPhone onto as many computers as you like
These are the most common solutions
Sometimes the issue is that your computer is too old and has a slow processing speed. The best solution is to borrow a friend's computer and do it on theirs. It won't get any easier, if you have an old laptop!
These are the most common solutions:
Be patient though; sometimes large files can take a while to process.
If you want to check to see if it's stuck or if it's continuing as normal, click Talk to a Human in the app and we can let you know
We chose something to make it easy to explain away to anyone.
Your bank statement will show BUDDY APP
This is a really common question and I can tell you the answer is no.
When you run Dispute Buddy on your computer, the only place that activity occurs is on your computer.
No one on your phone gets notified that you're downloading texts.
Dispute Buddy can be used in any country.
Message history PDFs can include texts in any language.
Messages of Interest and Full Behaviour Analysis currently work with English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Polish, Turkish, Swedish and Czech.
The Dispute Buddy report's message history will look exactly how it looks on your phone when the message was deleted.
Apple changes how deleted messages are shown from time-to-time.
It might say 'this message was deleted' in the thread.
But Dispute Buddy can't recover the content of the deleted message.
Similarly, if you want to export older messages that are in your iCloud, you'll need to see the messages on your iPhone for them to be exported by Dispute Buddy.
Dispute Buddy is an app that you download onto your computer desktop.
You can still pay for it on your iphone and then go on to your computer.
On your computer, go to www.disputebuddy.co/download
Launch the app from there
This usually happens when the email you typed in the app doesn't match the email you used to buy the app.
Go back and check the email that you used to buy the app on the Dispute Buddy website and then enter that same email address when you launch the app.
The longest step is encrypting and indexing messages from an iPhone. Set aside about an hour for that.
Keep the iPhone connected to your computer and keep the computer connected to power until Dispute Buddy tells you it is safe to unplug the phone.
If you are using OurFamilyWizard Messages Reports without iPhone messages, you skip the phone and encryption step.
If encrypted messages from an earlier session are still on this computer, reconnecting the iPhone is a short unlock and decrypt step. You only need to re-index for about an hour if you need newer messages.
After that, select your contacts and dates, choose a report type, and generate the PDF.
1. Make sure your iPhone is connected to your PC.
2. Unlock your iPhone. You may need to enter your passcode to "Trust this Computer."
3. Open the Apple Devices app on your computer. (If you don't have it, download it from the Microsoft Store — search for "Apple Devices".)
4. Click the iPhone device icon (it can take several minutes to appear while Windows sets up the connection).
5. Untick "Encrypt local backup."
6. Type the password you used when you first set up encryption. If you don't know the password, see steps at the bottom of this page in 'How to delete your encryption password'
7. Click "Don't Encrypt," then stop the backup that automatically starts.
1. Make sure your iPhone is connected to your Mac.
2. Open Finder.
3. Click your iPhone under "Locations" in the left sidebar.
4. On your iPhone, tap "Trust This Computer" (if prompted) and enter your passcode.
5. On your Mac, click "Trust" or "Continue."
6. Go to the "General" tab in the Finder window of your computer
7. Under Backups, select: "Back up all of the data on your iPhone to this Mac."
8. Make sure "Encrypt local backup" is unchecked.
9. Type the password you used when you first set up encryption
10. If you can't remember setting up that password, follow the instructions below to delete it
If you don't know this password, you'll need to reset it.
On your iPhone, go to
Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset All Settings.
This clears the backup encryption setting.
It wont delete apps, or photos or messages. They're all safe.
What It DOES NOT Delete
What It DOES Reset
Dispute Buddy runs on any modern Windows PC or Mac. If your computer is really old or has a very slow processing speed, this can impact the time taken to encrypt the data or generate reports.
If you bought Dispute Buddy on your iPhone, then you'll need to open your computer and enter www.disputebuddy.co/download and follow the instructions to launch it
If you bought Dispute Buddy on your computer but you can't find it, just go to www.disputebuddy.co/download and you can download the app again
Whether you're on a Mac or a PC, it'll download to your downloads folder. Double click, and follow the launch instructions.
When you see an alert that says "USB Accessories Disabled. Unplug the accessory using too much power to re-enable USB devices," what's happened is your Mac has temporarily shut down that port. It feels the connected device or cable is drawing more power than the port can safely provide.
Your iPhone may still be charging if it's connected, but the Mac won't properly "see" it. And Finder won't recognise the iPhone, so Dispute Buddy can't run.
How to fix it:
1. Disconnect your iPhone cable from both the Mac and the iPhone. Wait 10 seconds, then re-connect it firmly.
2. Connect your Mac to power.
3. Use an Apple cable, not a cheap one.
4. Try a different port.
5. Remove any USB hubs, docks, adapters, or extensions. Plug the iPhone directly into a port on the Mac.
6. Disconnect other USB devices, external drives, webcams, any other phones.
7. Restart your Mac, then restart your iPhone. Temporary power glitches often clear after a reboot.
8. Inspect and clean the ports. Check the cable ends and the iPhone/Mac ports for dust, debris, or bent pins. Gently remove lint with a soft, dry brush.
9. Check your Mac and iPhone for software updates.
First, make sure you have a genuine Apple cable. This is the most common issue. Some cables only charge the phone, they don't pass data.
Windows is missing the Apple USB driver Dispute Buddy needs to talk to your iPhone. This usually takes a couple of minutes.
1. Install Apple’s free Apple Devices app
Open this link on the same Windows PC:
https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9np83lwlpz9k
Click Get / Install, wait until it finishes, then you can close the app. You don’t need to keep it open, and you don’t need iTunes.
2. Restart the computer
3. Connect the iPhone
Use an Apple (or MFi) USB cable. Unlock the phone and tap Trust if it asks. Then open Dispute Buddy and continue.
If that doesn’t work
Check Apple Mobile Device Service: press the Windows key → type Services → open Services. Look for Apple Mobile Device Service.
Still stuck? On that PC, paste this into File Explorer’s address bar and send the file to support@disputebuddy.co
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Dispute Buddy\apple_drivers_install.log
If Apple Devices and a service restart aren’t enough: Settings → Apps, uninstall Apple Mobile Device Support, then re-run the Dispute Buddy installer as administrator.
Most common fix: check you selected the right contact.
If results seem to stop at a certain date (for example, there's nothing after December), it's often because the WhatsApp contact was selected instead of the iPhone one.
This happens when the person has both a phone number and a WhatsApp contact, and the wrong one is chosen.
Or it could be the contact is saved under different names: You might have the same person saved as "John Smith" in one place and "John" in another. Re-export and include all name variations.
The conversation is in a different group chat: You exported one group, but the messages you need live in another. Check which groups the person is in and export each one separately.
iMessage switched between phone and email (iPhone users only): The other person's iMessages may have switched between their phone number and email. When selecting contacts, include both the phone number and the email address for that person.
Remove filters and try one more time:
There are three report types to choose from.
A chronological, searchable PDF of the messages from the contacts and dates you selected.
Everything in Messages only, plus a timeline of flagged messages. This report does not include an analysis write-up.
Everything above, plus an analysis of patterns including coercion, manipulation, bullying and harassment.
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The last two reports use your behaviour-analysis allowance.
Before a behaviour-analysis report starts, the app warns that the findings can be hard to read. You can choose to analyse both sides of the conversation or only messages you received.
If your selection is over the message or size limit, the app warns you that older messages will be dropped.
Your finished report is a PDF that you download to your computer.
Dispute Buddy encrypts and indexes the messages on your iPhone so you can choose which contacts and dates to include in a report.
This takes about an hour. Keep your iPhone connected to your computer, keep the computer connected to power, and watch the phone for passcode prompts. You may need to enter the passcode on the iPhone once or twice.
First-time users see three optional onboarding questions while encryption starts. You can skip them.
Dispute Buddy tells you when encryption has finished and it is safe to unplug the phone.
If encrypted messages from an earlier session are already on this computer, reconnecting the iPhone is a short unlock and decrypt step. Choose re-index only if you need messages newer than the existing index.
Once the messages are ready, select contacts and a date range, then choose one of the three PDF report types.
Download Dispute Buddy on your Mac or Windows computer from www.disputebuddy.co/download.
When the app opens, enter the same email address you used to buy it. Then choose whether you want to use iPhone messages, one or more OurFamilyWizard Messages Report PDFs, or both.
If you choose iPhone messages, restart the phone first, connect it with an Apple or good-quality USB cable, and watch the phone for passcode prompts. Keep it connected until Dispute Buddy says it is safe to unplug.
Here's what you'll need to download your texts for court when you are downloading texts from an iPhone to Windows/PC
- Connect your phone
Use an Apple (or good quality) cable to connect your iPhone to your PC. Drivers are installed automatically when you set up the Dispute Buddy app.
- Go to www.disputebuddy.co/download
- Launch disputebuddy.exe from the downloads folder
- Follow instructions to install the Dispute Buddy app
- Open Dispute Buddy from your Windows Start menu
Here's what you'll need to download your texts for court from an iPhone to a Mac
You'll need an Apple cord to connect your iPhone to your computer. You need to use an Apple cord, cheap ones don't work.
Go to www.disputebuddy.co/download
Open DisputeBuddy.dmg from the downloads folder
Drag Dispute Buddy icon into Applications folder
Open Applications folder
Launch the Dispute Buddy app
Dispute Buddy automatically saves your report in your downloads folder
Open your downloads folder and look for the file name
message_timeline1.pdf
Open by double-clicking or right-clicking and selecting Open
It's possible that when you saved your report, you selected a different folder
If all else fails go back to the app and download another report
If you discover that you have paid for Dispute Buddy twice, or if you have an Android phone, or something else, please email us at support@disputebuddy.co
We judge each case on its own merits and make a decision quickly
If we agree the refund, the payment should appear back in your account within a few days
We cannot tell you what monitoring or security policies apply to your work computer, so check whether using it is safe for your situation.
For iPhone messages, Dispute Buddy creates an encrypted index on the computer. That index can remain there after you close the app, so you can reconnect the iPhone for a short unlock and create more reports without another hour-long index.
OurFamilyWizard imports are stored for the current session only.
If you choose Full Behaviour Analysis, the selected messages are sent to Dispute Buddy's secure cloud for analysis and deleted when the analysis is complete.
The PDF is downloaded to your computer. Delete the PDF and any locally stored Dispute Buddy data yourself if you do not want them left on a work computer.
You do not need to create an account or password to use Dispute Buddy.
We take the email address that you used when you purchased the app and register you as a subscriber with that email address.
That's why, when you launch the app you need to enter the same email address that you used to purchase the app.
If you've forgotten which email you used, just email us at support@disputebuddy.co and we can have a look for you.
Dispute Buddy cannot read messages from an Android phone.
Phone-message encryption currently supports iPhone only. There is no Android release date.
If the messages you need are in OurFamilyWizard Messages Report PDFs, you can import one or more in the Mac or Windows app without connecting an iPhone.