Show HN: WhatsApp Backup Reader – Offline Viewer

  • Posted 9 hours ago by rodrigogs
  • 2 points
https://github.com/rodrigogs/whats-reader
Built this after a business partnership went bad and I needed WhatsApp conversations for legal proceedings.

My lawyer had me screenshotting hundreds of messages, trying to keep them in order, then having opposing counsel question if anything was tampered with. I looked at existing tools but they choke on large chats and have no way to bookmark or search efficiently - useless when you're digging through years of conversation for specific evidence.

So I made this. Drop in your WhatsApp export zip, get a proper chat interface with all media. The original export stays untouched (important for evidence), bookmarks and annotations layer on top. Voice messages get transcribed locally via Whisper/WebGPU - nothing leaves your machine.

Tested with 18k+ messages, no issues. Runs in browser or as an Electron app for all desktop platforms (Android and iOS coming soon).

Feedback welcome, especially from anyone who's dealt with digital evidence.

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