diff --git a/src/status_im/chat/models/loading.cljs b/src/status_im/chat/models/loading.cljs
index 82f01bc9b7..e8aad6e0e7 100644
--- a/src/status_im/chat/models/loading.cljs
+++ b/src/status_im/chat/models/loading.cljs
@@ -41,13 +41,16 @@
 (fx/defn offload-all-messages
   [{:keys [db] :as cofx}]
   (when-let [current-chat-id (:current-chat-id db)]
-    {:db (update-in db [:chats current-chat-id]
+    {:db
+     (-> db
+         (dissoc :loaded-chat-id)
+         (update-in [:chats current-chat-id]
                     assoc
                     :all-loaded? false
                     :cursor nil
                     :messages-initialized? false
                     :messages {}
-                    :message-list nil)}))
+                    :message-list nil))}))
 
 (fx/defn handle-chat-visibility-changed
   {:events [:chat.ui/message-visibility-changed]}
@@ -155,10 +158,18 @@
 (fx/defn load-messages
   [{:keys [db now] :as cofx}]
   (when-let [current-chat-id (:current-chat-id db)]
-    (when-not (get-in db [:chats current-chat-id :messages-initialized?])
-      ; reset chat viewable-items state
-      (chat.state/reset)
-      (fx/merge cofx
-                {:db (assoc-in db [:chats current-chat-id :messages-initialized?] now)}
-                (load-more-messages)))))
+    (if-not (get-in db [:chats current-chat-id :messages-initialized?])
+      (do
+       ; reset chat viewable-items state
+        (chat.state/reset)
+        (fx/merge cofx
+                  {:db (-> db
+                          ;; We keep track of whether there's a loaded chat
+                          ;; which will be reset only if we hit home
+                           (assoc :loaded-chat-id current-chat-id)
+                           (assoc-in [:chats current-chat-id :messages-initialized?] now))}
+                  (chat-model/mark-messages-seen current-chat-id)
+                  (load-more-messages)))
+      ;; We mark messages as seen in case we received them while on a different tab
+      (chat-model/mark-messages-seen cofx current-chat-id))))
 
diff --git a/src/status_im/chat/models/message.cljs b/src/status_im/chat/models/message.cljs
index ced7a237a4..c15bd2ff3a 100644
--- a/src/status_im/chat/models/message.cljs
+++ b/src/status_im/chat/models/message.cljs
@@ -80,11 +80,11 @@
 (fx/defn add-message
   [{:keys [db] :as cofx}
    {{:keys [chat-id message-id replace timestamp from] :as message} :message
-    :keys [current-chat?]}]
+    :keys [seen-by-user?]}]
   (let [current-public-key (multiaccounts.model/current-public-key cofx)
         message-to-be-removed (when replace
                                 (get-in db [:chats chat-id :messages replace]))
-        prepared-message (prepare-message message chat-id current-chat?)]
+        prepared-message (prepare-message message chat-id seen-by-user?)]
     (fx/merge cofx
               (when message-to-be-removed
                 (hide-message chat-id message-to-be-removed))
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@
                                      (update-in [:chats chat-id :messages] assoc message-id prepared-message)
                                      (update-in [:chats chat-id :message-list] message-list/add prepared-message))
 
-                                  (and (not current-chat?)
+                                  (and (not seen-by-user?)
                                        (not= from current-public-key))
                                   (update-in [:chats chat-id :loaded-unviewed-messages-ids]
                                              (fnil conj #{}) message-id))}))))
@@ -109,10 +109,11 @@
            chat-id
            clock-value
            content] :as message}]
-  (let [{:keys [current-chat-id view-id]} db
+  (let [{:keys [loaded-chat-id
+                view-id
+                current-chat-id]} db
         cursor-clock-value             (get-in db [:chats current-chat-id :cursor-clock-value])
-        current-chat?                  (and (= :chat view-id)
-                                            (= current-chat-id chat-id))]
+        current-chat?                  (= chat-id loaded-chat-id)]
     (when (and current-chat?
                (or (not cursor-clock-value)
                    (<= cursor-clock-value clock-value)))
@@ -122,7 +123,8 @@
               (<= (:clock-value @view.state/viewable-item)
                   clock-value))
         (add-message cofx {:message      message
-                           :current-chat? current-chat?})
+                           :seen-by-user? (and current-chat?
+                                               (= view-id :chat))})
         ;; Not in the current view, offload to db and update cursor if necessary
         (when (and (< clock-value
                       cursor-clock-value)
@@ -226,7 +228,7 @@
   {:events [:messages/system-messages-saved]}
   [cofx messages]
   (apply fx/merge cofx (map #(add-message {:message       %
-                                           :current-chat? true})
+                                           :seen-by-user? true})
                             messages)))
 
 (fx/defn send-message
diff --git a/test/cljs/status_im/test/chat/models/message.cljs b/test/cljs/status_im/test/chat/models/message.cljs
index dc0ae7388e..106860ed31 100644
--- a/test/cljs/status_im/test/chat/models/message.cljs
+++ b/test/cljs/status_im/test/chat/models/message.cljs
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@
 (deftest add-own-received-message
   (let [db {:multiaccount {:public-key "me"}
             :view-id :chat
+            :loaded-chat-id "chat-id"
             :current-chat-id "chat-id"
             :chats {"chat-id" {:messages {}}}}]
     (testing "a message coming from you!"
@@ -66,6 +67,7 @@
   (let [cofx                 {:db {:chats {"chat-id" {:contacts #{"present"}
                                                       :members-joined #{"a"}}}
                                    :multiaccount {:public-key "a"}
+                                   :loaded-chat-id "chat-id"
                                    :current-chat-id "chat-id"
                                    :view-id :chat}}
         cofx-without-member  (update-in cofx [:db :chats "chat-id" :members-joined] disj "a")
@@ -102,6 +104,7 @@
 (deftest receive-public-chats
   (let [cofx                 {:db {:chats {"chat-id" {:public? true}}
                                    :multiaccount {:public-key "a"}
+                                   :loaded-chat-id "chat-id"
                                    :current-chat-id "chat-id"
                                    :view-id :chat}}
         valid-message        {:chat-id     "chat-id"
@@ -130,6 +133,7 @@
     (let [cofx                 {:db {:chats {"matching" {}}
                                      :multiaccount {:public-key "me"}
                                      :current-chat-id "matching"
+                                     :loaded-chat-id "matching"
                                      :view-id :chat}}
           valid-message        {:chat-id     "matching"
                                 :from        "matching"