@joshuatj i'm not using whatsapp myself, but friends of friends tells me that on android you can backup on google drive, then extract and view the messages

https://faq.whatsapp.com/en/android/28000019/?category=5245251

https://github.com/EliteAndroidApps/WhatsApp-GD-Extractor

https://andreas-mausch.de/whatsapp-viewer/