diff --git a/lib/hooks/ens-cache.js b/lib/hooks/ens-cache.js
--- a/lib/hooks/ens-cache.js
+++ b/lib/hooks/ens-cache.js
@@ -4,8 +4,8 @@
 import * as React from 'react';
 
 import { ENSCacheContext } from '../components/ens-cache-provider.react.js';
-import { userIdentifiedByETHAddress } from '../shared/account-utils.js';
 import { stringForUser } from '../shared/user-utils.js';
+import { getEthAddressForUserInfo } from '../utils/ens-helpers.js';
 
 type BaseUserInfo = { +username?: ?string, ... };
 function useENSNames<T: ?BaseUserInfo>(users: $ReadOnlyArray<T>): T[] {
@@ -18,9 +18,7 @@
         if (!user) {
           return user;
         }
-        const { username } = user;
-        const ethAddress =
-          username && userIdentifiedByETHAddress(user) ? username : null;
+        const ethAddress = getEthAddressForUserInfo(user);
         const cachedResult =
           ethAddress && ensCache
             ? ensCache.getCachedNameForAddress(ethAddress)
diff --git a/lib/shared/avatar-utils.js b/lib/shared/avatar-utils.js
--- a/lib/shared/avatar-utils.js
+++ b/lib/shared/avatar-utils.js
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@
 import * as React from 'react';
 import stringHash from 'string-hash';
 
-import { userIdentifiedByETHAddress } from './account-utils.js';
 import { selectedThreadColors } from './color-utils.js';
 import { threadOtherMembers } from './thread-utils.js';
 import genesis from '../facts/genesis.js';
@@ -21,6 +20,7 @@
   threadTypes,
 } from '../types/thread-types.js';
 import type { UserInfos, UserInfo } from '../types/user-types.js';
+import { getEthAddressForUserInfo } from '../utils/ens-helpers.js';
 import { useSelector } from '../utils/redux-utils.js';
 
 const defaultAnonymousUserEmojiAvatar: ClientEmojiAvatar = {
@@ -136,15 +136,10 @@
   avatarInfo: ClientAvatar,
   userInfo: ?UserInfo,
 ): ResolvedClientAvatar {
-  const ethAddress = React.useMemo(() => {
-    let address = null;
-    if (userInfo && avatarInfo.type === 'ens') {
-      const { username } = userInfo;
-      address =
-        username && userIdentifiedByETHAddress(userInfo) ? username : null;
-    }
-    return address;
-  }, [avatarInfo.type, userInfo]);
+  const ethAddress = React.useMemo(
+    () => getEthAddressForUserInfo(userInfo),
+    [userInfo],
+  );
 
   const ensAvatarURI = useENSAvatar(ethAddress);
 
diff --git a/lib/utils/ens-helpers.js b/lib/utils/ens-helpers.js
--- a/lib/utils/ens-helpers.js
+++ b/lib/utils/ens-helpers.js
@@ -8,6 +8,17 @@
   users: $ReadOnlyArray<T>,
 ) => Promise<T[]>;
 
+function getEthAddressForUserInfo(userInfo: ?BaseUserInfo): ?string {
+  if (!userInfo) {
+    return null;
+  }
+  const { username } = userInfo;
+  const ethAddress =
+    username && userIdentifiedByETHAddress(userInfo) ? username : null;
+
+  return ethAddress;
+}
+
 async function getENSNames<T: ?BaseUserInfo>(
   ensCache: ENSCache,
   users: $ReadOnlyArray<T>,
@@ -16,9 +27,7 @@
     if (!user) {
       return user;
     }
-    const { username } = user;
-    const ethAddress =
-      username && userIdentifiedByETHAddress(user) ? username : null;
+    const ethAddress = getEthAddressForUserInfo(user);
     const cachedResult = ethAddress
       ? ensCache.getCachedNameForAddress(ethAddress)
       : null;
@@ -72,4 +81,4 @@
   });
 }
 
-export { getENSNames };
+export { getEthAddressForUserInfo, getENSNames };