Combine multiple chat.db iMessage files

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Combine multiple chat.db iMessage files

Between failing hardware, software bugs and run of the mil upgrades I have gone through multiple devices. I have iPhone strings of messages that are more complete then my iMessage history on my mac's and I have now collected 4 different macs with 4 different chat.db files where message history is stored. Is there a way to sync or combine them all so I can have a seamless message history with attachments on my new mac with each of my contacts. If I have some pics of history like from Jan-2016 through June in one chat.db archived file and July through Aug in another but a iPhone that spans that time can I just use the oldest chat.db and then would the iPhone syncing across fill in the gaps so I am not missing any message history on my mac? If so, then I would only need to get the before Jan-2016 like my 2012-2016 chat.db off my old bricked mac to take care of the message history before 2016. Anyone one got some help or ideas with this?

Posted on Aug 3, 2016 12:12 PM

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Answer 1

Aug 3, 2016 1:27 PM in response to HumaniBank Fan

Hi,

The only thing close to this that I have come across is this article https://gist.github.com/nschum/1cf00aee2f1ac8869df4

It is about the face that sometimes the Databases are not updated on the Mac during either and Upgrade (Yosemite to El Capitan for instance) or and Update (10.11.3 to 10.11.4 for example).

In the example the Darwin version is the same as in the code listed so you have to pay attention to that.

There are also suggested changes as the discussion progresses.

It goes without saying that you should back up everything before embarking on anything like this.

The other option would be to get an app that can deal with the Database files (You can open them in TextEdit but they are almost unreadable).

From reading the piece you need something that deal with sqlite3 files.

You would have to merge all the Chat.db items you have.

You would have to move all the Attachments folders into one on the final computer (They are in ~/Library/Messages/Attachments)

The article/discussion does not seem to indicate how well that side of thing worked.

The iPhone or any other form of "Sync" that you expect iMessages to do will not happen.

Once the iMessages are sent then they are deleted from the Server.

The only place they exist then is on the devices that they arrived on.

9:27 pm Wednesday; August 3, 2016

 iMac 2.5Ghz i5 2011 (El Capitan)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
 iPhone and an iPad (2)

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