How to make a text message story video for TikTok

A text story video is a fake chat that plays out on a phone screen. You write the messages, a tool animates them, and you post the MP4. This guide uses txtreel, which is free, needs no account and adds no watermark.

Updated 2026-09-29

How to make a text message story video for TikTok

1. 1Open txtreel and pick iMessage or WhatsApp. Set the contact name and choose light or dark mode.
2. 2Write the script. One line per message, starting with me: or them:. Or start from a template.
3. 3Add timing: [pause 1.5] waits 1.5 seconds, [them reacts ❤️] adds a reaction, [read] shows the read receipt.
4. 4Press play and watch the whole video. Cut anything that does not move the story.
5. 5Click render and download the 1080×1920 MP4. Upload it to TikTok, or add a voiceover or music in an editing app first.

How do you make a texting story on TikTok?

You need a script and a tool that turns it into video. Write the conversation first. Then render it as a screen recording of a phone. Then post the MP4.

In txtreel the five steps are below. The whole process runs in the browser. Nothing is installed.

1. Pick the app: iMessage, WhatsApp or Instagram DM.
2. Write the script as me: and them: lines.
3. Add pauses, reactions and the read receipt.
4. Preview the video.
5. Render and download the MP4.

What app do you use to make a text story video?

You can use a phone app or a website. Phone apps such as TextingStory work on your device. Websites run in the browser and export an MP4 you then download.

txtreel is a website. It exports a 1080×1920 H.264 MP4 at 30 fps, which is the vertical size TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts use. It does not watermark the file, and it does not ask for an account.

The limits are 30 videos per hour per IP address and 180 seconds per video.

What does the video look like?

It looks like a screen recording of an iPhone. The editor shows the full iPhone 17 Pro screen. The export crops it to 9:16: the status bar is cut at the top and part of the keyboard and toolbar at the bottom. The contact name is never cut.

The video includes:

• a typing indicator before each incoming message
• the iOS keyboard, with your message appearing letter by letter
• key clicks and send and receive sounds
• read receipts (Read 9:41 PM on iMessage, blue ticks on WhatsApp, Seen on Instagram)
• reactions, photos in bubbles, date labels and pauses
• light and dark mode, a contact name and photo

How long should a text story be?

txtreel videos can run up to 180 seconds. That is a limit, not a target. The sample on this page is 15 seconds and has one reveal.

A short script is easier to write well. Aim for one setup, one turn and one last message. If your story needs more, split it into parts and post them in order.

How do you write a text story people watch to the end?

These are writing habits, not rules from TikTok.

• Open with the odd message. The first line should raise a question.
• Keep messages short. Short bubbles read fast on a small screen.
• Use [pause 1.5] before the twist. The typing indicator builds the wait.
• Use one reaction on the message that lands the joke or the shock.
• End on a message, not an explanation.

How do you add a voiceover or music?

txtreel has no AI voice and no narration. The MP4 has typing clicks and message sounds only.

To add a voice, record it on your phone and lay it over the MP4 in CapCut or another editor. Add music the same way.

What can txtreel not do?

It makes one-to-one iPhone chats. It does not support:

• group chats
• AI voice or narration
• gameplay backgrounds
• Android-style chats
• Snapchat, Messenger or Tinder looks

Can I make one on my iPhone?

Open txtreel in your phone's browser. There is nothing to install. Your draft is saved in that browser, and the rendered file is deleted from the server after 24 hours, so download it right away.

Questions

Make your text story video with the iMessage video generator