diff --git a/lib/shared/device-list-utils.js b/lib/shared/device-list-utils.js
--- a/lib/shared/device-list-utils.js
+++ b/lib/shared/device-list-utils.js
@@ -6,7 +6,10 @@
   SignedDeviceList,
 } from '../types/identity-service-types.js';
 import { getConfig } from '../utils/config.js';
-import { rawDeviceListFromSignedList } from '../utils/device-list-utils.js';
+import {
+  composeRawDeviceList,
+  rawDeviceListFromSignedList,
+} from '../utils/device-list-utils.js';
 
 export type DeviceListVerificationResult =
   | { +valid: true, +deviceList: RawDeviceList }
@@ -118,4 +121,17 @@
   return { valid: true, deviceList };
 }
 
-export { verifyAndGetDeviceList };
+async function createAndSignInitialDeviceList(
+  primaryDeviceID: string,
+): Promise<SignedDeviceList> {
+  const initialDeviceList = composeRawDeviceList([primaryDeviceID]);
+  const rawDeviceList = JSON.stringify(initialDeviceList);
+  const { olmAPI } = getConfig();
+  const curPrimarySignature = await olmAPI.signMessage(rawDeviceList);
+  return {
+    rawDeviceList,
+    curPrimarySignature,
+  };
+}
+
+export { verifyAndGetDeviceList, createAndSignInitialDeviceList };
diff --git a/lib/shared/device-list-utils.test.js b/lib/shared/device-list-utils.test.js
--- a/lib/shared/device-list-utils.test.js
+++ b/lib/shared/device-list-utils.test.js
@@ -1,12 +1,16 @@
 // @flow
 
-import { verifyAndGetDeviceList } from './device-list-utils.js';
+import {
+  createAndSignInitialDeviceList,
+  verifyAndGetDeviceList,
+} from './device-list-utils.js';
 import type {
   RawDeviceList,
   SignedDeviceList,
   IdentityServiceClient,
 } from '../types/identity-service-types.js';
 import * as config from '../utils/config.js';
+import { rawDeviceListFromSignedList } from '../utils/device-list-utils.js';
 
 // mockOlmAPIVerification replaces OlmAPI with a mock
 // save original to avoid affecting other test suites
@@ -146,6 +150,21 @@
   });
 });
 
+describe(createAndSignInitialDeviceList, () => {
+  it('creates initial device list', async () => {
+    const signMessage = jest
+      .fn<[string], string>()
+      .mockResolvedValue('mock_signature');
+    mockOlmAPISign(signMessage);
+
+    const payload = await createAndSignInitialDeviceList('device1');
+    expect(payload.curPrimarySignature).toStrictEqual('mock_signature');
+
+    const raw = rawDeviceListFromSignedList(payload);
+    expect(raw.devices).toStrictEqual(['device1']);
+  });
+});
+
 function createDeviceList(
   rawList: RawDeviceList,
   curPrimarySignature?: string,
@@ -176,3 +195,11 @@
   const cfg: any = { olmAPI };
   config.registerConfig(cfg);
 }
+
+function mockOlmAPISign(func: JestMockFn<[string], Promise<string>>) {
+  const olmAPI: any = {
+    signMessage: func,
+  };
+  const cfg: any = { olmAPI };
+  config.registerConfig(cfg);
+}
diff --git a/lib/utils/device-list-utils.js b/lib/utils/device-list-utils.js
--- a/lib/utils/device-list-utils.js
+++ b/lib/utils/device-list-utils.js
@@ -9,6 +9,13 @@
 } from '../types/identity-service-types.js';
 import { rawDeviceListValidator } from '../types/identity-service-types.js';
 
+function composeRawDeviceList(devices: $ReadOnlyArray<string>): RawDeviceList {
+  return {
+    devices,
+    timestamp: Date.now(),
+  };
+}
+
 function convertSignedDeviceListsToRawDeviceLists(
   signedDeviceLists: UsersSignedDeviceLists,
 ): UsersRawDeviceLists {
@@ -34,4 +41,5 @@
 export {
   convertSignedDeviceListsToRawDeviceLists,
   rawDeviceListFromSignedList,
+  composeRawDeviceList,
 };
diff --git a/native/identity-service/identity-service-context-provider.react.js b/native/identity-service/identity-service-context-provider.react.js
--- a/native/identity-service/identity-service-context-provider.react.js
+++ b/native/identity-service/identity-service-context-provider.react.js
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 import * as React from 'react';
 
 import { getOneTimeKeyValues } from 'lib/shared/crypto-utils.js';
+import { createAndSignInitialDeviceList } from 'lib/shared/device-list-utils.js';
 import { IdentityClientContext } from 'lib/shared/identity-client-context.js';
 import {
   type IdentityKeysBlob,
@@ -325,6 +326,9 @@
           commCoreModule.getOneTimeKeys(ONE_TIME_KEYS_NUMBER),
           commCoreModule.validateAndGetPrekeys(),
         ]);
+        const initialDeviceList = await createAndSignInitialDeviceList(
+          primaryIdentityPublicKeys.ed25519,
+        );
         const registrationResult = await commRustModule.registerPasswordUser(
           username,
           password,
@@ -337,7 +341,7 @@
           getOneTimeKeyValues(contentOneTimeKeys),
           getOneTimeKeyValues(notificationsOneTimeKeys),
           fid ?? '',
-          '', // initialDeviceList
+          JSON.stringify(initialDeviceList),
         );
         const { userID, accessToken: token } = JSON.parse(registrationResult);
         const identityAuthResult = { accessToken: token, userID, username };
@@ -404,6 +408,9 @@
           commCoreModule.getOneTimeKeys(ONE_TIME_KEYS_NUMBER),
           commCoreModule.validateAndGetPrekeys(),
         ]);
+        const initialDeviceList = await createAndSignInitialDeviceList(
+          primaryIdentityPublicKeys.ed25519,
+        );
         const registrationResult = await commRustModule.registerWalletUser(
           siweMessage,
           siweSignature,
@@ -416,7 +423,7 @@
           getOneTimeKeyValues(contentOneTimeKeys),
           getOneTimeKeyValues(notificationsOneTimeKeys),
           fid ?? '',
-          '', // initialDeviceList
+          JSON.stringify(initialDeviceList),
         );
         const { userID, accessToken: token } = JSON.parse(registrationResult);
         const identityAuthResult = {
diff --git a/native/profile/secondary-device-qr-code-scanner.react.js b/native/profile/secondary-device-qr-code-scanner.react.js
--- a/native/profile/secondary-device-qr-code-scanner.react.js
+++ b/native/profile/secondary-device-qr-code-scanner.react.js
@@ -13,7 +13,6 @@
   backupKeysValidator,
   type BackupKeys,
 } from 'lib/types/backup-types.js';
-import type { RawDeviceList } from 'lib/types/identity-service-types.js';
 import {
   tunnelbrokerMessageTypes,
   type TunnelbrokerMessage,
@@ -24,6 +23,10 @@
   type PeerToPeerMessage,
 } from 'lib/types/tunnelbroker/peer-to-peer-message-types.js';
 import { qrCodeAuthMessageTypes } from 'lib/types/tunnelbroker/qr-code-auth-message-types.js';
+import {
+  composeRawDeviceList,
+  rawDeviceListFromSignedList,
+} from 'lib/utils/device-list-utils.js';
 import { assertWithValidator } from 'lib/utils/validation-utils.js';
 
 import type { ProfileNavigationProp } from './profile.react.js';
@@ -72,9 +75,7 @@
     invariant(deviceLists.length > 0, 'received empty device list history');
 
     const lastSignedDeviceList = deviceLists[deviceLists.length - 1];
-    const deviceList: RawDeviceList = JSON.parse(
-      lastSignedDeviceList.rawDeviceList,
-    );
+    const deviceList = rawDeviceListFromSignedList(lastSignedDeviceList);
 
     const promises = deviceList.devices.map(recipient =>
       tunnelbrokerContext.sendMessage({
@@ -109,19 +110,14 @@
       invariant(deviceLists.length > 0, 'received empty device list history');
 
       const lastSignedDeviceList = deviceLists[deviceLists.length - 1];
-      const deviceList: RawDeviceList = JSON.parse(
-        lastSignedDeviceList.rawDeviceList,
-      );
+      const deviceList = rawDeviceListFromSignedList(lastSignedDeviceList);
 
       const { devices } = deviceList;
       if (devices.includes(newDeviceID)) {
         return;
       }
 
-      const newDeviceList: RawDeviceList = {
-        devices: [...devices, newDeviceID],
-        timestamp: Date.now(),
-      };
+      const newDeviceList = composeRawDeviceList([...devices, newDeviceID]);
       const signedDeviceList = await signDeviceListUpdate(newDeviceList);
       await updateDeviceList(signedDeviceList);
     },