diff --git a/src/status_im/chat/styles/message/message.cljs b/src/status_im/chat/styles/message/message.cljs
index b5a1042dda..d761ce5954 100644
--- a/src/status_im/chat/styles/message/message.cljs
+++ b/src/status_im/chat/styles/message/message.cljs
@@ -19,8 +19,9 @@
    :height      16})
 
 (defn message-padding-top
-  [{:keys [first-in-group?]}]
-  (if first-in-group?
+  [{:keys [first-in-group? display-username?]}]
+  (if (and display-username?
+           first-in-group?)
     8
     4))
 
diff --git a/src/status_im/chat/subs.cljs b/src/status_im/chat/subs.cljs
index 02c58e6987..b250df19fd 100644
--- a/src/status_im/chat/subs.cljs
+++ b/src/status_im/chat/subs.cljs
@@ -146,8 +146,15 @@
       (conj messages-with-datemarks {:value (:datemark (peek messages-with-datemarks))
                                      :type  :datemark}))))
 
-(defn- set-previous-message-first-in-group [stream]
-  (conj (pop stream) (assoc (peek stream) :first-in-group? true)))
+(defn- set-previous-message-info [stream]
+  (let [{:keys [display-photo?] :as previous-message} (peek stream)]
+    (conj (pop stream) (assoc previous-message
+                              :display-username? display-photo?
+                              :first-in-group?   true))))
+
+(defn display-photo? [{:keys [outgoing message-type]}]
+  (and (not outgoing)
+       (not= message-type :user-message)))
 
 ; any message that comes after this amount of ms will be grouped separately
 (def ^:private group-ms 60000)
@@ -156,7 +163,7 @@
   "Reduce step which adds positional metadata to a message and conditionally
   update the previous message with :first-in-group?."
   [{:keys [stream last-outgoing-seen]}
-   {:keys [type from datemark outgoing timestamp] :as message}]
+   {:keys [type message-type from datemark outgoing timestamp] :as message}]
   (let [previous-message         (peek stream)
         ; Was the previous message from a different author or this message
         ; comes after x ms
@@ -172,13 +179,14 @@
         previous-first-in-group? (or datemark?
                                      last-in-group?)
         new-message              (assoc message
+                                        :display-photo?  (display-photo? message)
                                         :same-direction? same-direction?
-                                        :last-in-group? last-in-group?
-                                        :last-outgoing? last-outgoing?)]
+                                        :last-in-group?  last-in-group?
+                                        :last-outgoing?  last-outgoing?)]
     {:stream             (cond-> stream
                            previous-first-in-group?
                            ; update previuous message if necessary
-                           set-previous-message-first-in-group
+                           set-previous-message-info
 
                            :always
                            (conj new-message))
@@ -195,6 +203,7 @@
           message-with-metadata (assoc initial-message
                                        :last-in-group? true
                                        :last? true
+                                       :display-photo? (display-photo? initial-message)
                                        :last-outgoing? (:outgoing initial-message))]
       (->> (rest ordered-messages)
            (reduce add-positional-metadata
diff --git a/src/status_im/chat/views/message/message.cljs b/src/status_im/chat/views/message/message.cljs
index a1a0b66a80..281a669f66 100644
--- a/src/status_im/chat/views/message/message.cljs
+++ b/src/status_im/chat/views/message/message.cljs
@@ -304,18 +304,22 @@
                                                        (gfycat/generate-gfy from))])) ; TODO: We defensively generate the name for now, to be revisited when new protocol is defined
 
 (defn message-body
-  [{:keys [last-in-group? first-in-group? group-chat from outgoing username] :as message} content]
+  [{:keys [last-in-group?
+           display-photo?
+           display-username?
+           from
+           outgoing
+           username] :as message} content]
   [react/view (style/group-message-wrapper message)
    [react/view (style/message-body message)
-    (when (and (not outgoing)
-               group-chat)
+    (when display-photo?
       [react/view style/message-author
        (when last-in-group?
          [react/touchable-highlight {:on-press #(re-frame/dispatch [:show-profile from])}
           [react/view
            [photos/member-photo from]]])])
     [react/view (style/group-message-view outgoing)
-     (when first-in-group?
+     (when display-username?
        [message-author-name from username])
      [react/view {:style (style/timestamp-content-wrapper message)}
       content]]]
diff --git a/test/cljs/status_im/test/chat/subs.cljs b/test/cljs/status_im/test/chat/subs.cljs
index 791096632a..56c6a986df 100644
--- a/test/cljs/status_im/test/chat/subs.cljs
+++ b/test/cljs/status_im/test/chat/subs.cljs
@@ -87,6 +87,14 @@
         (is (:first-in-group? actual-m1))
         (is (not (:first-in-group? actual-m2)))
         (is (:first-in-group? actual-m3)))
+      (testing "it marks messages with display-photo? when they are not outgoing and we are in a group chat"
+        (is (:display-photo? actual-m1))
+        (is (not (:display-photo? actual-m2)))
+        (is (not (:display-photo? actual-m3))))
+      (testing "it marks messages with display-username? when we display the photo and are the first in a group"
+        (is (:display-username? actual-m1))
+        (is (not (:display-username? actual-m2)))
+        (is (not (:display-username? actual-m3))))
       (testing "it marks the last message from the same author with :last-in-group?"
         (is (:last-in-group? actual-m1))
         (is (:last-in-group? actual-m2))