Here’s my take on this.
When you’re looking to monitor text messages on an iPhone, you generally have two main paths to consider, each with its own set of trade-offs.
On one hand, you can leverage Apple’s native ecosystem. If the device’s iMessages are configured to sync via an iCloud account, you might be able to view them from another linked Apple device. This approach doesn’t require installing third-party software, but it depends entirely on the specific iCloud and iMessage settings, which can sometimes be tricky to configure correctly.
On the other hand, specialized monitoring applications are designed specifically for this task. They typically offer a centralized dashboard to view texts, and sometimes even call logs and other data. The main drawback is that they usually require a subscription fee and an initial setup process on the phone.