Changelog
> Most recent first. Versions follow semver: MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH.
1.1.0 — Image text scanning
- Scans text inside images. Peak now reads text baked into image attachments — screenshots, memes, shared photos — using on-device OCR (Apple's Vision framework), and flags it with the same 9 categories and optional AI rating it applies to message text. This catches inappropriate content that arrives as a picture instead of a typed message. Fully on-device; no network, no new permission.
- Image-sourced findings are marked with a photo icon and the source image name in the findings sidebar, the review PDF, and the CSV (new
source_imagecolumn). - New toggle: Settings → Images → "Scan text inside images (OCR)" (on by default).
- Free update for all 1.x owners via the Mac App Store.
1.0.0 — First App Store release
Initial public release on the Mac App Store. See the feature list below.
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
.movattachment - 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.