diff --git a/lib/selectors/chat-selectors.js b/lib/selectors/chat-selectors.js
--- a/lib/selectors/chat-selectors.js
+++ b/lib/selectors/chat-selectors.js
@@ -92,32 +92,23 @@
   );
 }
 
-function getMostRecentMessageInfo(
+function getLastUpdatedTime(
   threadInfo: ThreadInfo,
   messageStore: MessageStore,
   messages: { +[id: string]: ?MessageInfo },
-): ?MessageInfo {
+): number {
   const thread = messageStore.threads[threadInfo.id];
   if (!thread) {
-    return null;
+    return threadInfo.creationTime;
   }
   for (const messageID of thread.messageIDs) {
     const messageInfo = messages[messageID];
     if (!messageInfo || isEmptyMediaMessage(messageInfo)) {
       continue;
     }
-    return messageInfo;
+    return messageInfo.time;
   }
-  return null;
-}
-
-function getLastUpdatedTime(
-  threadInfo: ThreadInfo,
-  mostRecentMessageInfo: ?MessageInfo,
-): number {
-  return mostRecentMessageInfo
-    ? mostRecentMessageInfo.time
-    : threadInfo.creationTime;
+  return threadInfo.creationTime;
 }
 
 function useCreateChatThreadItem(): ThreadInfo => ChatThreadItem {
@@ -126,18 +117,14 @@
   const messageStore = useSelector(state => state.messageStore);
   return React.useCallback(
     threadInfo => {
-      const mostRecentMessageInfo = getMostRecentMessageInfo(
-        threadInfo,
-        messageStore,
-        messageInfos,
-      );
       const mostRecentNonLocalMessage = getMostRecentNonLocalMessageID(
         threadInfo.id,
         messageStore,
       );
       const lastUpdatedTime = getLastUpdatedTime(
         threadInfo,
-        mostRecentMessageInfo,
+        messageStore,
+        messageInfos,
       );
 
       const sidebars = sidebarInfos[threadInfo.id] ?? [];