diff --git a/lib/hooks/user-identities-hooks.js b/lib/hooks/user-identities-hooks.js
--- a/lib/hooks/user-identities-hooks.js
+++ b/lib/hooks/user-identities-hooks.js
@@ -3,7 +3,10 @@
 import * as React from 'react';
 
 import { useFindUserIdentities } from '../actions/find-user-identities-actions.js';
-import { userHasDeviceList } from '../shared/thread-utils.js';
+import {
+  userHasDeviceList,
+  deviceListCanBeRequestedForUser,
+} from '../shared/thread-utils.js';
 import { useSelector } from '../utils/redux-utils.js';
 
 function useUsersSupportThickThreads(): (
@@ -20,7 +23,7 @@
       for (const userID of userIDs) {
         if (userHasDeviceList(userID, auxUserInfos)) {
           usersSupportingThickThreads.add(userID);
-        } else {
+        } else if (deviceListCanBeRequestedForUser(userID, auxUserInfos)) {
           usersNeedingFetch.push(userID);
         }
       }
diff --git a/lib/shared/dm-ops/dm-op-utils.js b/lib/shared/dm-ops/dm-op-utils.js
--- a/lib/shared/dm-ops/dm-op-utils.js
+++ b/lib/shared/dm-ops/dm-op-utils.js
@@ -47,7 +47,11 @@
 import { getContentSigningKey } from '../../utils/crypto-utils.js';
 import { useSelector, useDispatch } from '../../utils/redux-utils.js';
 import { messageSpecs } from '../messages/message-specs.js';
-import { userHasDeviceList, deviceListIsNonEmpty } from '../thread-utils.js';
+import {
+  userHasDeviceList,
+  deviceListIsNonEmpty,
+  deviceListCanBeRequestedForUser,
+} from '../thread-utils.js';
 
 function generateMessagesToPeers(
   message: DMOperation,
@@ -135,7 +139,11 @@
       const missingDeviceListsUserIDs: Array<string> = [];
       for (const userID of userIDs) {
         const supportsThickThreads = userHasDeviceList(userID, auxUserInfos);
-        if (!supportsThickThreads) {
+        const deviceListCanBeRequested = deviceListCanBeRequestedForUser(
+          userID,
+          auxUserInfos,
+        );
+        if (!supportsThickThreads && deviceListCanBeRequested) {
           missingDeviceListsUserIDs.push(userID);
         }
       }
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
@@ -1832,6 +1832,19 @@
   return !!deviceList && deviceList.devices.length > 0;
 }
 
+const deviceListRequestTimeout = 20 * 1000; // twenty seconds
+
+function deviceListCanBeRequestedForUser(
+  userID: string,
+  auxUserInfos: AuxUserInfos,
+): boolean {
+  return (
+    !auxUserInfos[userID]?.accountMissingStatus ||
+    auxUserInfos[userID].accountMissingStatus.lastChecked <
+      Date.now() - deviceListRequestTimeout
+  );
+}
+
 export {
   threadHasPermission,
   useCommunityRootMembersToRole,
@@ -1901,4 +1914,5 @@
   createThreadTimestamps,
   userHasDeviceList,
   deviceListIsNonEmpty,
+  deviceListCanBeRequestedForUser,
 };