diff --git a/lib/shared/message-utils.js b/lib/shared/message-utils.js
--- a/lib/shared/message-utils.js
+++ b/lib/shared/message-utils.js
@@ -349,10 +349,6 @@
   return thread?.messageIDs.find(id => !id.startsWith(localIDPrefix));
 }
 
-export type GetMessageTitleViewerContext =
-  | 'global_viewer'
-  | 'individual_viewer';
-
 function getMessageTitle(
   messageInfo:
     | ComposableMessageInfo
@@ -360,26 +356,20 @@
     | ReactionMessageInfo,
   threadInfo: ThreadInfo,
   markdownRules: ParserRules,
-  viewerContext?: GetMessageTitleViewerContext = 'individual_viewer',
-): string {
-  let entityText;
+): EntityText {
   const { messageTitle } = messageSpecs[messageInfo.type];
-  if (!messageTitle) {
-    invariant(
-      messageInfo.type !== messageTypes.TEXT &&
-        messageInfo.type !== messageTypes.IMAGES &&
-        messageInfo.type !== messageTypes.MULTIMEDIA &&
-        messageInfo.type !== messageTypes.REACTION,
-      'messageTitle can only be auto-generated for RobotextMessageInfo',
-    );
-    entityText = robotextForMessageInfo(messageInfo, threadInfo);
-  } else {
-    entityText = messageTitle({ messageInfo, threadInfo, markdownRules });
+  if (messageTitle) {
+    return messageTitle({ messageInfo, threadInfo, markdownRules });
   }
-  return entityTextToRawString(entityText, {
-    threadID: threadInfo.id,
-    ignoreViewer: viewerContext === 'global_viewer',
-  });
+
+  invariant(
+    messageInfo.type !== messageTypes.TEXT &&
+      messageInfo.type !== messageTypes.IMAGES &&
+      messageInfo.type !== messageTypes.MULTIMEDIA &&
+      messageInfo.type !== messageTypes.REACTION,
+    'messageTitle can only be auto-generated for RobotextMessageInfo',
+  );
+  return robotextForMessageInfo(messageInfo, threadInfo);
 }
 
 function mergeThreadMessageInfos(
@@ -494,11 +484,14 @@
     if (!messageInfo) {
       return messageInfo;
     }
-    const messageTitle = getMessageTitle(
+    const messageTitleEntityText = getMessageTitle(
       messageInfo,
       threadInfo,
       markdownRules,
     );
+    const messageTitle = entityTextToRawString(messageTitleEntityText, {
+      threadID: threadInfo.id,
+    });
 
     let style;
     if (unread) {
diff --git a/lib/shared/thread-utils.js b/lib/shared/thread-utils.js
--- a/lib/shared/thread-utils.js
+++ b/lib/shared/thread-utils.js
@@ -71,6 +71,7 @@
 } from '../types/user-types';
 import { useDispatchActionPromise, useServerCall } from '../utils/action-utils';
 import type { DispatchActionPromise } from '../utils/action-utils';
+import { entityTextToRawString } from '../utils/entity-text';
 import { values } from '../utils/objects';
 import { useSelector } from '../utils/redux-utils';
 import { firstLine } from '../utils/string-utils';
@@ -428,12 +429,14 @@
 ): ThreadInfo {
   const { color, type: parentThreadType } = parentThreadInfo;
 
-  const messageTitle = getMessageTitle(
+  const messageTitleEntityText = getMessageTitle(
     sourceMessageInfo,
     parentThreadInfo,
     markdownRules,
-    'global_viewer',
   );
+  const messageTitle = entityTextToRawString(messageTitleEntityText, {
+    ignoreViewer: true,
+  });
   const threadName = trimText(messageTitle, 30);
 
   const initialMembers = new Map();