What is the difference between text messages and instant-messaging chat when deciding how to retain them as records?

Text messages (SMS/MMS) and instant-messaging (IM) chat can both create records, but they live in different systems and behave differently. Understanding those differences helps you decide how to capture and retain each.

The core principle: content, not channel

A communication is a record based on what it documents, not the tool used to send it. If a message captures a business decision, transaction, obligation, or other organizational activity, it is a record and must be retained according to the same retention schedule that governs the underlying activity. Whether the same conversation happened by email, text, or chat does not change its retention period.

Where the two formats differ

The practical differences matter most for capture and preservation, not the retention period itself.

• Where the data lives. SMS/MMS texts typically reside on a mobile carrier’s network and the device, and are often outside enterprise control. IM chat usually runs through an organizational platform that can log, export, and apply policies centrally.
• Capture difficulty. Texts frequently require device-level or third-party capture and are easy to lose when a phone is replaced. Platform-based chat is generally easier to journal, retain in place, or export with metadata intact.
• Richness and context. Chat threads carry structure (channels, threads, participants, edits, reactions, attachments). Texts are flatter, which can make reconstructing context harder later.
• Personal vs. official accounts. Both are higher-risk when used on personal devices or unmanaged consumer apps, where capturing a complete, authentic record is difficult.

What this means for retention decisions

Apply the same record-status test to both, then choose a capture method that fits each channel:

1. Classify by content against your retention schedule, not by message type.
2. Capture the full record — message text, sender/recipient, date-time, and attachments — so it remains reliable and authentic over time.
3. Address the harder channel first. Because texts are easier to lose, set clear rules for when official business may occur over text and how those messages will be preserved.
4. Avoid duplicate or orphaned copies by defining a single authoritative capture point.

For more guidance on managing these communications, see the Email & Messaging topic hub.

The goal is consistent: treat the record according to its content and value, while accounting for the real-world differences in how each channel can be reliably captured and kept.