diff --git a/protocol/communities/manager.go b/protocol/communities/manager.go
index d61642b97..f4a1b4a4e 100644
--- a/protocol/communities/manager.go
+++ b/protocol/communities/manager.go
@@ -431,7 +431,7 @@ func (m *Manager) runOwnerVerificationLoop() {
 					m.logger.Info("validating communities", zap.String("id", id), zap.Int("count", len(communities)))
 
 					for _, communityToValidate := range communities {
-						signer, description, err := m.unwrapCommunityDescriptionMessage(communityToValidate.payload)
+						signer, description, err := UnwrapCommunityDescriptionMessage(communityToValidate.payload)
 						if err != nil {
 							m.logger.Error("failed to unwrap community", zap.Error(err))
 							continue
@@ -2856,7 +2856,7 @@ func (m *Manager) HandleCommunityRequestToLeave(signer *ecdsa.PublicKey, proto *
 	return nil
 }
 
-func (m *Manager) unwrapCommunityDescriptionMessage(payload []byte) (*ecdsa.PublicKey, *protobuf.CommunityDescription, error) {
+func UnwrapCommunityDescriptionMessage(payload []byte) (*ecdsa.PublicKey, *protobuf.CommunityDescription, error) {
 
 	applicationMetadataMessage := &protobuf.ApplicationMetadataMessage{}
 	err := proto.Unmarshal(payload, applicationMetadataMessage)
@@ -2881,16 +2881,6 @@ func (m *Manager) unwrapCommunityDescriptionMessage(payload []byte) (*ecdsa.Publ
 	return signer, description, nil
 }
 
-func (m *Manager) HandleWrappedCommunityDescriptionMessage(payload []byte, shard *common.Shard) (*CommunityResponse, error) {
-	m.logger.Debug("Handling wrapped community description message")
-	signer, description, err := m.unwrapCommunityDescriptionMessage(payload)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-
-	return m.HandleCommunityDescriptionMessage(signer, description, payload, shard, nil)
-}
-
 func (m *Manager) JoinCommunity(id types.HexBytes, forceJoin bool) (*Community, error) {
 	community, err := m.GetByID(id)
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/protocol/messenger_handler.go b/protocol/messenger_handler.go
index 8b92bbb3b..2dfabb1b7 100644
--- a/protocol/messenger_handler.go
+++ b/protocol/messenger_handler.go
@@ -1689,11 +1689,6 @@ func (m *Messenger) HandleCommunityRequestToLeave(state *ReceivedMessageState, r
 	return nil
 }
 
-// handleWrappedCommunityDescriptionMessage handles a wrapped community description
-func (m *Messenger) handleWrappedCommunityDescriptionMessage(payload []byte, shard *common.Shard) (*communities.CommunityResponse, error) {
-	return m.communitiesManager.HandleWrappedCommunityDescriptionMessage(payload, shard)
-}
-
 func (m *Messenger) handleEditMessage(state *ReceivedMessageState, editMessage EditMessage) error {
 	if err := ValidateEditMessage(editMessage.EditMessage); err != nil {
 		return err
@@ -2282,20 +2277,22 @@ func (m *Messenger) handleChatMessage(state *ReceivedMessageState, forceSeen boo
 	if receivedMessage.ContentType == protobuf.ChatMessage_COMMUNITY {
 		m.logger.Debug("Handling community content type")
 
-		communityResponse, err := m.handleWrappedCommunityDescriptionMessage(receivedMessage.GetCommunity(), common.ShardFromProtobuff(receivedMessage.Shard))
+		signer, description, err := communities.UnwrapCommunityDescriptionMessage(receivedMessage.GetCommunity())
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
 
-		if communityResponse == nil {
-			return nil
+		err = m.handleCommunityDescription(state, signer, description, receivedMessage.GetCommunity())
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
 		}
 
-		community := communityResponse.Community
-		receivedMessage.CommunityID = community.IDString()
-
-		state.Response.AddCommunity(community)
-		state.Response.CommunityChanges = append(state.Response.CommunityChanges, communityResponse.Changes)
+		if len(description.ID) != 0 {
+			receivedMessage.CommunityID = description.ID
+		} else {
+			// Backward compatibility
+			receivedMessage.CommunityID = types.EncodeHex(crypto.CompressPubkey(signer))
+		}
 	}
 
 	receivedMessage.New = true