On Thursday, developer Maurice Kleine launched Mockly, a new web application designed to create realistic-looking fake chat screenshots across popular messaging platforms. Whether you see it as a fun tool for memes or a potential vector for confusion, Mockly is bound to make waves online.
Generating phony direct messages isn’t a new concept—such tools have existed since the early days of messaging apps. However, they’ve typically been clunky, riddled with sketchy ads, or just outright difficult to use. Anyone who has searched online for a “fake iMessage generator” has likely stumbled across sites filled with deceptive download links and potential malware traps.
Mockly aims to change that by simply being clean and accessible. Unlike Postfully, a similar platform that only offers iMessage mockups, Mockly launched with support for 13 different platforms, including iMessage, Instagram, Discord, WhatsApp, Slack, Tinder, and X. This broad compatibility gives users more flexibility to create screenshots that resemble real conversations on nearly any major messaging service.
Of course, the level of realism varies depending on the template you pick. Some designs look impressively authentic—for example, the Instagram chat format comes across as highly convincing. Others, such as the Slack template, still feel a bit sparse or obviously artificial. Another catch is that Mockly mainly reproduces how these conversations appear in web browsers rather than their mobile layouts.
That said, perhaps it’s not such a bad thing that Mockly doesn’t perfectly mirror every detail of a genuine message thread. Even though people have been faking screenshots for years, there’s always a risk someone could fall for a fabricated DM. Still, most internet users these days know to approach screenshots with a healthy dose of skepticism, especially as manipulated media becomes easier to produce.
As synthetic content proliferates—from AI-generated videos to viral deepfakes—fake text chats may feel like a relatively minor threat by comparison. But the existence of user-friendly tools like Mockly is a reminder that verifying the authenticity of any digital content is more important than ever.
Mockly’s straightforward design lowers the barrier to creating these images, for better or worse. Whether you’re making harmless jokes or trying to pass off fiction as fact, it’s now easier than ever to whip up a screenshot that looks surprisingly close to the real thing.
