diff --git a/lib/shared/messages/text-message-spec.js b/lib/shared/messages/text-message-spec.js
index 6ea1c8262..066d8ea6f 100644
--- a/lib/shared/messages/text-message-spec.js
+++ b/lib/shared/messages/text-message-spec.js
@@ -1,203 +1,201 @@
 // @flow
 
 import invariant from 'invariant';
 import * as SimpleMarkdown from 'simple-markdown';
 
 import { messageTypes } from '../../types/message-types';
 import type {
   MessageInfo,
   ClientDBMessageInfo,
 } from '../../types/message-types';
 import type {
   RawTextMessageInfo,
   TextMessageData,
   TextMessageInfo,
 } from '../../types/messages/text';
 import type { NotifTexts } from '../../types/notif-types';
 import type { ThreadInfo } from '../../types/thread-types';
 import type { RelativeUserInfo } from '../../types/user-types';
 import { ET } from '../../utils/entity-text';
 import {
   type ASTNode,
   type SingleASTNode,
   stripSpoilersFromNotifications,
   stripSpoilersFromMarkdownAST,
 } from '../markdown';
 import { threadIsGroupChat } from '../thread-utils';
-import { stringForUser } from '../user-utils';
 import {
   pushTypes,
   type MessageSpec,
-  type NotificationTextsParams,
   type RawMessageInfoFromServerDBRowParams,
 } from './message-spec';
 import { assertSingleMessageInfo } from './utils';
 
 /**
  * most of the markdown leaves contain `content` field
  * (it is an array or a string) apart from lists,
  * which have `items` field (that holds an array)
  */
 const rawTextFromMarkdownAST = (node: ASTNode): string => {
   if (Array.isArray(node)) {
     return node.map(rawTextFromMarkdownAST).join('');
   }
   const { content, items } = node;
   if (content && typeof content === 'string') {
     return content;
   } else if (items) {
     return rawTextFromMarkdownAST(items);
   } else if (content) {
     return rawTextFromMarkdownAST(content);
   }
   return '';
 };
 
 const getFirstNonQuotedRawLine = (
   nodes: $ReadOnlyArray<SingleASTNode>,
 ): string => {
   let result = 'message';
   for (const node of nodes) {
     if (node.type === 'blockQuote') {
       result = 'quoted message';
     } else {
       const rawText = rawTextFromMarkdownAST(node);
       if (!rawText || !rawText.replace(/\s/g, '')) {
         // handles the case of an empty(or containing only white spaces)
         // new line that usually occurs between a quote and the rest
         // of the message(we don't want it as a title, thus continue)
         continue;
       }
       return rawText;
     }
   }
   return result;
 };
 
 export const textMessageSpec: MessageSpec<
   TextMessageData,
   RawTextMessageInfo,
   TextMessageInfo,
 > = Object.freeze({
   messageContentForServerDB(
     data: TextMessageData | RawTextMessageInfo,
   ): string {
     return data.text;
   },
 
   messageContentForClientDB(data: RawTextMessageInfo): string {
     return this.messageContentForServerDB(data);
   },
 
   messageTitle({ messageInfo, markdownRules }) {
     const { text } = messageInfo;
     const parser = SimpleMarkdown.parserFor(markdownRules);
     const ast = stripSpoilersFromMarkdownAST(
       parser(text, { disableAutoBlockNewlines: true }),
     );
     return ET`${getFirstNonQuotedRawLine(ast).trim()}`;
   },
 
   rawMessageInfoFromServerDBRow(
     row: Object,
     params: RawMessageInfoFromServerDBRowParams,
   ): RawTextMessageInfo {
     const rawTextMessageInfo: RawTextMessageInfo = {
       type: messageTypes.TEXT,
       id: row.id.toString(),
       threadID: row.threadID.toString(),
       time: row.time,
       creatorID: row.creatorID.toString(),
       text: row.content,
     };
     if (params.localID) {
       rawTextMessageInfo.localID = params.localID;
     }
     return rawTextMessageInfo;
   },
 
   rawMessageInfoFromClientDB(
     clientDBMessageInfo: ClientDBMessageInfo,
   ): RawTextMessageInfo {
     const rawTextMessageInfo: RawTextMessageInfo = {
       type: messageTypes.TEXT,
       threadID: clientDBMessageInfo.thread,
       time: parseInt(clientDBMessageInfo.time),
       creatorID: clientDBMessageInfo.user,
       text: clientDBMessageInfo.content ?? '',
     };
     if (clientDBMessageInfo.local_id) {
       rawTextMessageInfo.localID = clientDBMessageInfo.local_id;
     }
     if (clientDBMessageInfo.id !== clientDBMessageInfo.local_id) {
       rawTextMessageInfo.id = clientDBMessageInfo.id;
     }
     return rawTextMessageInfo;
   },
 
   createMessageInfo(
     rawMessageInfo: RawTextMessageInfo,
     creator: RelativeUserInfo,
   ): TextMessageInfo {
     const messageInfo: TextMessageInfo = {
       type: messageTypes.TEXT,
       threadID: rawMessageInfo.threadID,
       creator,
       time: rawMessageInfo.time,
       text: rawMessageInfo.text,
     };
     if (rawMessageInfo.id) {
       messageInfo.id = rawMessageInfo.id;
     }
     if (rawMessageInfo.localID) {
       messageInfo.localID = rawMessageInfo.localID;
     }
     return messageInfo;
   },
 
   rawMessageInfoFromMessageData(
     messageData: TextMessageData,
     id: ?string,
   ): RawTextMessageInfo {
     if (id) {
       return { ...messageData, id };
     } else {
       return { ...messageData };
     }
   },
 
   async notificationTexts(
     messageInfos: $ReadOnlyArray<MessageInfo>,
     threadInfo: ThreadInfo,
-    params: NotificationTextsParams,
   ): Promise<NotifTexts> {
     const messageInfo = assertSingleMessageInfo(messageInfos);
     invariant(
       messageInfo.type === messageTypes.TEXT,
       'messageInfo should be messageTypes.TEXT!',
     );
     const notificationTextWithoutSpoilers = stripSpoilersFromNotifications(
       messageInfo.text,
     );
     if (!threadInfo.name && !threadIsGroupChat(threadInfo)) {
+      const thread = ET.thread({ display: 'uiName', threadInfo });
       return {
-        merged: `${threadInfo.uiName}: ${notificationTextWithoutSpoilers}`,
+        merged: ET`${thread}: ${notificationTextWithoutSpoilers}`,
         body: notificationTextWithoutSpoilers,
         title: threadInfo.uiName,
       };
     } else {
-      const userString = stringForUser(messageInfo.creator);
-      const threadName = params.notifThreadName(threadInfo);
+      const creator = ET.user({ userInfo: messageInfo.creator });
+      const thread = ET.thread({ display: 'shortName', threadInfo });
       return {
-        merged: `${userString} to ${threadName}: ${notificationTextWithoutSpoilers}`,
+        merged: ET`${creator} to ${thread}: ${notificationTextWithoutSpoilers}`,
         body: notificationTextWithoutSpoilers,
         title: threadInfo.uiName,
-        prefix: `${userString}:`,
+        prefix: ET`${creator}:`,
       };
     }
   },
 
   generatesNotifs: async () => pushTypes.NOTIF,
 
   includedInRepliesCount: true,
 });