diff --git a/web/chat/chat-message-list-container.react.js b/web/chat/chat-message-list-container.react.js
--- a/web/chat/chat-message-list-container.react.js
+++ b/web/chat/chat-message-list-container.react.js
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@
 
 import classNames from 'classnames';
 import invariant from 'invariant';
-import _isEqual from 'lodash/fp/isEqual.js';
 import * as React from 'react';
 import { useDrop } from 'react-dnd';
 import { NativeTypes } from 'react-dnd-html5-backend';
@@ -28,46 +27,14 @@
 
 function ChatMessageListContainer(props: Props): React.Node {
   const { activeChatThreadID } = props;
-  const {
-    isChatCreation,
-    selectedUserIDs,
-    otherUserInfos,
-    userInfoInputArray,
-  } = useInfosForPendingThread();
+  const { isChatCreation, selectedUserInfos, otherUserInfos } =
+    useInfosForPendingThread();
 
   const threadInfo = useThreadInfoForPossiblyPendingThread(activeChatThreadID);
   invariant(threadInfo, 'ThreadInfo should be set');
 
   const dispatch = useDispatch();
 
-  // The effect removes members from list in navInfo
-  // if some of the user IDs don't exist in redux store
-  React.useEffect(() => {
-    if (!isChatCreation) {
-      return;
-    }
-    const existingSelectedUsersSet = new Set(
-      userInfoInputArray.map(userInfo => userInfo.id),
-    );
-    if (
-      selectedUserIDs?.length !== existingSelectedUsersSet.size ||
-      !_isEqual(new Set(selectedUserIDs), existingSelectedUsersSet)
-    ) {
-      dispatch({
-        type: updateNavInfoActionType,
-        payload: {
-          selectedUserList: Array.from(existingSelectedUsersSet),
-        },
-      });
-    }
-  }, [
-    dispatch,
-    isChatCreation,
-    otherUserInfos,
-    selectedUserIDs,
-    userInfoInputArray,
-  ]);
-
   React.useEffect(() => {
     if (isChatCreation && activeChatThreadID !== threadInfo?.id) {
       let payload = {
@@ -158,14 +125,14 @@
     }
     const chatUserSelection = (
       <ChatThreadComposer
-        userInfoInputArray={userInfoInputArray}
+        userInfoInputArray={selectedUserInfos}
         otherUserInfos={otherUserInfos}
         threadID={threadInfo.id}
         inputState={inputState}
       />
     );
 
-    if (!userInfoInputArray.length) {
+    if (!selectedUserInfos.length) {
       return chatUserSelection;
     }
     return (
@@ -179,8 +146,8 @@
     inputState,
     isChatCreation,
     otherUserInfos,
+    selectedUserInfos,
     threadInfo,
-    userInfoInputArray,
   ]);
 
   return connectDropTarget(
diff --git a/web/chat/chat-thread-composer.react.js b/web/chat/chat-thread-composer.react.js
--- a/web/chat/chat-thread-composer.react.js
+++ b/web/chat/chat-thread-composer.react.js
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 // @flow
+
 import classNames from 'classnames';
+import _isEqual from 'lodash/fp/isEqual.js';
 import * as React from 'react';
 import { useDispatch } from 'react-redux';
 
@@ -57,12 +59,11 @@
   const userListItemsWithENSNames = useENSNames(userListItems);
 
   const onSelectUserFromSearch = React.useCallback(
-    (id: string) => {
-      const selectedUserIDs = userInfoInputArray.map(user => user.id);
+    (user: AccountUserInfo) => {
       dispatch({
         type: updateNavInfoActionType,
         payload: {
-          selectedUserList: [...selectedUserIDs, id],
+          selectedUserList: [...userInfoInputArray, user],
         },
       });
       setUsernameInputText('');
@@ -71,15 +72,17 @@
   );
 
   const onRemoveUserFromSelected = React.useCallback(
-    (id: string) => {
-      const selectedUserIDs = userInfoInputArray.map(user => user.id);
-      if (!selectedUserIDs.includes(id)) {
+    (userID: string) => {
+      const newSelectedUserList = userInfoInputArray.filter(
+        ({ id }) => userID !== id,
+      );
+      if (_isEqual(userInfoInputArray)(newSelectedUserList)) {
         return;
       }
       dispatch({
         type: updateNavInfoActionType,
         payload: {
-          selectedUserList: selectedUserIDs.filter(userID => userID !== id),
+          selectedUserList: newSelectedUserList,
         },
       });
     },
@@ -102,23 +105,27 @@
     }
 
     const userItems = userListItemsWithENSNames.map(
-      (userSearchResult: UserListItem) => (
-        <li key={userSearchResult.id} className={css.searchResultsItem}>
-          <Button
-            variant="text"
-            onClick={() => onSelectUserFromSearch(userSearchResult.id)}
-            className={css.searchResultsButton}
-          >
-            <div className={css.userContainer}>
-              <UserAvatar size="small" userID={userSearchResult.id} />
-              <div className={css.userName} style={usernameStyle}>
-                {userSearchResult.username}
+      (userSearchResult: UserListItem) => {
+        const { alertTitle, alertText, notice, disabled, ...accountUserInfo } =
+          userSearchResult;
+        return (
+          <li key={userSearchResult.id} className={css.searchResultsItem}>
+            <Button
+              variant="text"
+              onClick={() => onSelectUserFromSearch(accountUserInfo)}
+              className={css.searchResultsButton}
+            >
+              <div className={css.userContainer}>
+                <UserAvatar size="small" userID={userSearchResult.id} />
+                <div className={css.userName} style={usernameStyle}>
+                  {userSearchResult.username}
+                </div>
               </div>
-            </div>
-            <div className={css.userInfo}>{userSearchResult.alertTitle}</div>
-          </Button>
-        </li>
-      ),
+              <div className={css.userInfo}>{userSearchResult.alertTitle}</div>
+            </Button>
+          </li>
+        );
+      },
     );
 
     return <ul className={css.searchResultsContainer}>{userItems}</ul>;
diff --git a/web/types/nav-types.js b/web/types/nav-types.js
--- a/web/types/nav-types.js
+++ b/web/types/nav-types.js
@@ -7,6 +7,10 @@
   type ThreadInfo,
   threadInfoValidator,
 } from 'lib/types/thread-types.js';
+import {
+  type AccountUserInfo,
+  accountUserInfoValidator,
+} from 'lib/types/user-types.js';
 import { tID, tShape } from 'lib/utils/validation-utils.js';
 
 export type NavigationTab = 'calendar' | 'chat' | 'settings';
@@ -27,7 +31,7 @@
   +activeChatThreadID: ?string,
   +pendingThread?: ThreadInfo,
   +settingsSection?: NavigationSettingsSection,
-  +selectedUserList?: $ReadOnlyArray<string>,
+  +selectedUserList?: $ReadOnlyArray<AccountUserInfo>,
   +chatMode?: NavigationChatMode,
   +inviteSecret?: ?string,
 };
@@ -39,7 +43,7 @@
   activeChatThreadID: t.maybe(tID),
   pendingThread: t.maybe(threadInfoValidator),
   settingsSection: t.maybe(navigationSettingsSectionValidator),
-  selectedUserList: t.maybe(t.list(t.String)),
+  selectedUserList: t.maybe(t.list(accountUserInfoValidator)),
   chatMode: t.maybe(navigationChatModeValidator),
   inviteSecret: t.maybe(t.String),
 });
diff --git a/web/url-utils.js b/web/url-utils.js
--- a/web/url-utils.js
+++ b/web/url-utils.js
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 // @flow
 
 import invariant from 'invariant';
+import _keyBy from 'lodash/fp/keyBy.js';
 
 import {
   startDateForYearAndMonth,
@@ -55,7 +56,8 @@
       }
     } else if (navInfo.tab === 'chat') {
       if (navInfo.chatMode === 'create') {
-        const users = navInfo.selectedUserList?.join('+') ?? '';
+        const users =
+          navInfo.selectedUserList?.map(({ id }) => id)?.join('+') ?? '';
         const potentiallyTrailingSlash = users.length > 0 ? '/' : '';
         newURL += `thread/new/${users}${potentiallyTrailingSlash}`;
       } else {
@@ -126,7 +128,10 @@
   };
 
   if (urlInfo.selectedUserList) {
-    newNavInfo.selectedUserList = urlInfo.selectedUserList;
+    const selectedUsers = _keyBy('id')(navInfo?.selectedUserList ?? []);
+    newNavInfo.selectedUserList = urlInfo.selectedUserList
+      ?.map(id => selectedUsers[id])
+      ?.filter(Boolean);
   }
 
   if (urlInfo.settings) {
diff --git a/web/utils/thread-utils.js b/web/utils/thread-utils.js
--- a/web/utils/thread-utils.js
+++ b/web/utils/thread-utils.js
@@ -18,33 +18,29 @@
 
 type InfosForPendingThread = {
   +isChatCreation: boolean,
-  +selectedUserIDs: ?$ReadOnlyArray<string>,
+  +selectedUserInfos: $ReadOnlyArray<AccountUserInfo>,
   +otherUserInfos: { [id: string]: AccountUserInfo },
-  +userInfoInputArray: $ReadOnlyArray<AccountUserInfo>,
 };
 
 function useInfosForPendingThread(): InfosForPendingThread {
   const isChatCreation = useSelector(
     state => state.navInfo.chatMode === 'create',
   );
-  const selectedUserIDs = useSelector(state => state.navInfo.selectedUserList);
-  const otherUserInfos = useSelector(userInfoSelectorForPotentialMembers);
-  const userInfoInputArray: $ReadOnlyArray<AccountUserInfo> = React.useMemo(
-    () => selectedUserIDs?.map(id => otherUserInfos[id]).filter(Boolean) ?? [],
-    [otherUserInfos, selectedUserIDs],
+  const selectedUserInfos = useSelector(
+    state => state.navInfo.selectedUserList ?? [],
   );
+  const otherUserInfos = useSelector(userInfoSelectorForPotentialMembers);
   return {
     isChatCreation,
-    selectedUserIDs,
+    selectedUserInfos,
     otherUserInfos,
-    userInfoInputArray,
   };
 }
 
 function useThreadInfoForPossiblyPendingThread(
   activeChatThreadID: ?string,
 ): ?ThreadInfo {
-  const { isChatCreation, userInfoInputArray } = useInfosForPendingThread();
+  const { isChatCreation, selectedUserInfos } = useInfosForPendingThread();
 
   const loggedInUserInfo = useLoggedInUserInfo();
   invariant(loggedInUserInfo, 'loggedInUserInfo should be set');
@@ -86,13 +82,13 @@
   const existingThreadInfoFinder = useExistingThreadInfoFinder(baseThreadInfo);
   const threadInfo = React.useMemo(() => {
     if (isChatCreation) {
-      if (userInfoInputArray.length === 0) {
+      if (selectedUserInfos.length === 0) {
         return pendingNewThread;
       }
 
       return existingThreadInfoFinderForCreatingThread({
         searching: true,
-        userInfoInputArray,
+        userInfoInputArray: selectedUserInfos,
       });
     }
 
@@ -104,8 +100,8 @@
     existingThreadInfoFinder,
     existingThreadInfoFinderForCreatingThread,
     isChatCreation,
-    userInfoInputArray,
     pendingNewThread,
+    selectedUserInfos,
   ]);
 
   return threadInfo;