diff --git a/native/account/registration/registration-server-call.js b/native/account/registration/registration-server-call.js
--- a/native/account/registration/registration-server-call.js
+++ b/native/account/registration/registration-server-call.js
@@ -567,7 +567,10 @@
           ({ updateUserAvatarRequest } = avatarData);
         } else {
           const { mediaSelection } = avatarData;
-          updateUserAvatarRequest = await uploadSelectedMedia(mediaSelection);
+          updateUserAvatarRequest = await uploadSelectedMedia(
+            mediaSelection,
+            true,
+          );
           if (!updateUserAvatarRequest) {
             return;
           }
diff --git a/native/avatars/avatar-hooks.js b/native/avatars/avatar-hooks.js
--- a/native/avatars/avatar-hooks.js
+++ b/native/avatars/avatar-hooks.js
@@ -19,10 +19,7 @@
   extensionFromFilename,
   filenameFromPathOrURI,
 } from 'lib/media/file-utils.js';
-import type {
-  AvatarDBContent,
-  UpdateUserAvatarRequest,
-} from 'lib/types/avatar-types.js';
+import type { UpdateUserAvatarRequest } from 'lib/types/avatar-types.js';
 import type {
   NativeMediaSelection,
   MediaLibrarySelection,
@@ -54,13 +51,18 @@
   );
 }
 
-function useUploadProcessedMedia(): MediaResult => Promise<?AvatarDBContent> {
+function useUploadProcessedMedia(): (
+  media: MediaResult,
+  shouldUploadMetadataToKeyserver: boolean,
+) => Promise<?UpdateUserAvatarRequest> {
   const callUploadMultimedia = useLegacyAshoatKeyserverCall(uploadMultimedia);
   const callBlobServiceUpload = useBlobServiceUpload();
-  const uploadProcessedMultimedia: MediaResult => Promise<?AvatarDBContent> =
+  const uploadProcessedMultimedia: MediaResult => Promise<?UpdateUserAvatarRequest> =
     React.useCallback(
-      async processedMedia => {
-        if (!useBlobServiceUploads) {
+      async (processedMedia, shouldUploadMetadataToKeyserver) => {
+        const useBlobService =
+          !shouldUploadMetadataToKeyserver || useBlobServiceUploads;
+        if (!useBlobService) {
           const { uploadURI, filename, mime, dimensions } = processedMedia;
           const { id } = await callUploadMultimedia(
             {
@@ -94,7 +96,7 @@
           dimensions,
           thumbHash,
         } = encryptionResult;
-        const { id } = await callBlobServiceUpload({
+        const { id, uri } = await callBlobServiceUpload({
           uploadInput: {
             blobInput: {
               type: 'uri',
@@ -108,9 +110,19 @@
             thumbHash,
             loop: false,
           },
-          keyserverOrThreadID: authoritativeKeyserverID,
+          keyserverOrThreadID: shouldUploadMetadataToKeyserver
+            ? authoritativeKeyserverID
+            : null,
           callbacks: { blobServiceUploadHandler },
         });
+        if (!shouldUploadMetadataToKeyserver) {
+          return {
+            type: 'thick_thread_image',
+            blobURI: uri,
+            thumbHash,
+            encryptionKey,
+          };
+        }
         if (!id) {
           return undefined;
         }
@@ -185,12 +197,18 @@
 
 function useUploadSelectedMedia(
   setProcessingOrUploadInProgress?: (inProgress: boolean) => mixed,
-): (selection: NativeMediaSelection) => Promise<?AvatarDBContent> {
+): (
+  selection: NativeMediaSelection,
+  shouldUploadMetadataToKeyserver: boolean,
+) => Promise<?UpdateUserAvatarRequest> {
   const processSelectedMedia = useProcessSelectedMedia();
   const uploadProcessedMedia = useUploadProcessedMedia();
 
   return React.useCallback(
-    async (selection: NativeMediaSelection) => {
+    async (
+      selection: NativeMediaSelection,
+      shouldUploadMetadataToKeyserver,
+    ) => {
       setProcessingOrUploadInProgress?.(true);
       const urisToBeDisposed: Set<string> = new Set([selection.uri]);
 
@@ -220,10 +238,14 @@
         return undefined;
       }
 
-      let uploadedMedia: ?AvatarDBContent;
+      let uploadedMedia: ?UpdateUserAvatarRequest;
       try {
-        uploadedMedia = await uploadProcessedMedia(processedMedia);
+        uploadedMedia = await uploadProcessedMedia(
+          processedMedia,
+          shouldUploadMetadataToKeyserver,
+        );
         urisToBeDisposed.forEach(filesystem.unlink);
+        setProcessingOrUploadInProgress?.(false);
       } catch {
         urisToBeDisposed.forEach(filesystem.unlink);
         Alert.alert(
@@ -319,7 +341,10 @@
         return;
       }
 
-      const imageAvatarUpdateRequest = await uploadSelectedMedia(selection);
+      const imageAvatarUpdateRequest = await uploadSelectedMedia(
+        selection,
+        true,
+      );
       if (!imageAvatarUpdateRequest) {
         return;
       }
@@ -400,7 +425,10 @@
       selection: NativeMediaSelection,
       threadID: string,
     ): Promise<void> => {
-      const imageAvatarUpdateRequest = await uploadSelectedMedia(selection);
+      const imageAvatarUpdateRequest = await uploadSelectedMedia(
+        selection,
+        true,
+      );
       if (!imageAvatarUpdateRequest) {
         return;
       }