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Comma Compliance Docs

Setting Up iMessage Archiving

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iMessage capture is the hardest channel in compliance, because Apple does not provide a server-side API. Comma supports two approaches: a hosted managed Mac that Comma provisions and operates for individual user iMessage, and Apple Business Chat for organization-to-customer messaging through Apple’s business surface.

How iMessage capture works

Section titled “How iMessage capture works”

Comma runs its iMessage capture agent on a managed Mac that Comma provides, hosts, and operates for you as part of your subscription. You do not buy, build, or maintain any Mac hardware, and there is nothing to install in your own environment. Each hosted capture Mac:

  • Is enrolled with the user’s iCloud account so it receives that user’s messages
  • Receives every SMS and iMessage that user receives
  • Forwards messages, attachments, and metadata to Comma via a secure webhook
  • Validates the link with an end-to-end test message at setup time

No app is installed on the user’s iPhone, and no MDM is required on user devices. The Mac hardware, its management (MDM, disk encryption, endpoint monitoring), networking, and all capture software are handled entirely by Comma.

What Comma provides

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  • The capture Mac hardware, hosted and managed in Comma’s environment
  • Provisioning, the capture-agent installer, and all networking (including Apple Push Notification Service connectivity)
  • Ongoing management, monitoring, and updates

What you provide

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  • iCloud account access for each user whose iMessage should be captured, so Comma’s hosted Mac can be enrolled to receive that user’s messages
  • Comma team admin access to authorize the integration
  • About 10 minutes of a user’s time for a one-time sign-in and verification

Setup steps

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Setup happens in the Comma dashboard - Comma handles the Mac side for you.

  1. Sign in to the Comma Compliance dashboard
  2. Open Integrations in the top navigation
  3. Under Personal Integrations, find the iMessage card and click Connect
  4. Comma provisions a hosted capture Mac and generates the per-user configuration
  5. Comma coordinates a short sign-in with the user: when prompted, the user enters their Apple ID and approves the two-factor prompt on their trusted device so the account can be enrolled on the hosted Mac. This is the ~10 minutes of user time noted above - it is the only step that needs the user.
  6. With the account enrolled, Comma enables Messages in iCloud and fires a test message to verify the round-trip and confirm the connection

Fleet deployment

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If you’re rolling out across many users, Comma provisions and manages the capture Macs as a hosted pool, and can request Apple Device Enrollment Program (DEP) integration for streamlined fleet provisioning. Open the iMessage integration card in Comma and click Request DEP enrollment to start the process with the Comma team.

Apple Business Chat

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For organization-to-customer iMessage through Apple Business Chat (the “Message Business” button on company web and map listings), Comma captures through the Business Chat API. Apple Business Chat support is rare among compliance vendors. Contact us to enable it for your tenant.

What’s next

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