diff --git a/native/avatars/edit-thread-avatar-provider.react.js b/native/avatars/edit-thread-avatar-provider.react.js
--- a/native/avatars/edit-thread-avatar-provider.react.js
+++ b/native/avatars/edit-thread-avatar-provider.react.js
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
   changeThreadSettingsActionTypes,
 } from 'lib/actions/thread-actions.js';
 import { createLoadingStatusSelector } from 'lib/selectors/loading-selectors.js';
-import type { UpdateUserAvatarRemoveRequest } from 'lib/types/avatar-types.js';
+import type { UpdateUserAvatarRequest } from 'lib/types/avatar-types.js';
 import type { LoadingStatus } from 'lib/types/loading-types.js';
 import type {
   MediaLibrarySelection,
@@ -32,7 +32,10 @@
     selection: NativeMediaSelection,
     threadID: string,
   ) => Promise<void>,
-  +removeThreadAvatar: (threadID: string) => void,
+  +setThreadAvatar: (
+    threadID: string,
+    avatarRequest: UpdateUserAvatarRequest,
+  ) => Promise<void>,
 };
 
 const EditThreadAvatarContext: React.Context<?EditThreadAvatarContextType> =
@@ -138,32 +141,27 @@
     [updateImageThreadAvatar],
   );
 
-  const removeThreadAvatar = React.useCallback(
-    (threadID: string) => {
-      const removeAvatarRequest: UpdateUserAvatarRemoveRequest = {
-        type: 'remove',
-      };
-
+  const setThreadAvatar = React.useCallback(
+    async (threadID: string, avatarRequest: UpdateUserAvatarRequest) => {
       const updateThreadRequest: UpdateThreadRequest = {
         threadID,
         changes: {
-          avatar: removeAvatarRequest,
+          avatar: avatarRequest,
         },
       };
-
       const action = changeThreadSettingsActionTypes.started;
-      dispatchActionPromise(
-        changeThreadSettingsActionTypes,
-        (async () => {
-          try {
-            return await changeThreadSettingsCall(updateThreadRequest);
-          } catch (e) {
-            Alert.alert('Avatar update failed', 'Unable to update avatar.');
-            throw e;
-          }
-        })(),
-        { customKeyName: `${action}:${threadID}:avatar` },
-      );
+      const promise = (async () => {
+        try {
+          return await changeThreadSettingsCall(updateThreadRequest);
+        } catch (e) {
+          Alert.alert('Avatar update failed', 'Unable to update avatar.');
+          throw e;
+        }
+      })();
+      dispatchActionPromise(changeThreadSettingsActionTypes, promise, {
+        customKeyName: `${action}:${threadID}:avatar`,
+      });
+      await promise;
     },
     [changeThreadSettingsCall, dispatchActionPromise],
   );
@@ -173,13 +171,13 @@
       threadAvatarSaveInProgress,
       selectFromGalleryAndUpdateThreadAvatar,
       updateImageThreadAvatar,
-      removeThreadAvatar,
+      setThreadAvatar,
     }),
     [
-      removeThreadAvatar,
+      threadAvatarSaveInProgress,
       selectFromGalleryAndUpdateThreadAvatar,
       updateImageThreadAvatar,
-      threadAvatarSaveInProgress,
+      setThreadAvatar,
     ],
   );
 
diff --git a/native/avatars/edit-thread-avatar.react.js b/native/avatars/edit-thread-avatar.react.js
--- a/native/avatars/edit-thread-avatar.react.js
+++ b/native/avatars/edit-thread-avatar.react.js
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@
   const {
     threadAvatarSaveInProgress,
     selectFromGalleryAndUpdateThreadAvatar,
-    removeThreadAvatar,
+    setThreadAvatar,
   } = editThreadAvatarContext;
 
   const { navigate } = useNavigation();
@@ -58,8 +58,8 @@
   }, [navigate, threadInfo.id]);
 
   const removeAvatar = React.useCallback(
-    () => removeThreadAvatar(threadInfo.id),
-    [removeThreadAvatar, threadInfo.id],
+    () => setThreadAvatar(threadInfo.id, { type: 'remove' }),
+    [setThreadAvatar, threadInfo.id],
   );
 
   const actionSheetConfig = React.useMemo(() => {