diff --git a/lib/shared/messages/update-relationship-message-spec.js b/lib/shared/messages/update-relationship-message-spec.js
index dc3665b88..103bee2a6 100644
--- a/lib/shared/messages/update-relationship-message-spec.js
+++ b/lib/shared/messages/update-relationship-message-spec.js
@@ -1,176 +1,176 @@
 // @flow
 
 import invariant from 'invariant';
 
 import type { PlatformDetails } from '../../types/device-types';
 import { messageTypes } from '../../types/message-types';
 import type {
   MessageInfo,
   ClientDBMessageInfo,
 } from '../../types/message-types';
 import type { RawUnsupportedMessageInfo } from '../../types/messages/unsupported';
 import type {
   RawUpdateRelationshipMessageInfo,
   UpdateRelationshipMessageData,
   UpdateRelationshipMessageInfo,
 } from '../../types/messages/update-relationship';
 import type { NotifTexts } from '../../types/notif-types';
 import type { ThreadInfo } from '../../types/thread-types';
 import type { RelativeUserInfo } from '../../types/user-types';
 import { ET, type EntityText } from '../../utils/entity-text';
-import { stringForUser } from '../user-utils';
 import { hasMinCodeVersion } from '../version-utils';
 import {
   pushTypes,
   type CreateMessageInfoParams,
   type MessageSpec,
 } from './message-spec';
 import { assertSingleMessageInfo } from './utils';
 
 export const updateRelationshipMessageSpec: MessageSpec<
   UpdateRelationshipMessageData,
   RawUpdateRelationshipMessageInfo,
   UpdateRelationshipMessageInfo,
 > = Object.freeze({
   messageContentForServerDB(
     data: UpdateRelationshipMessageData | RawUpdateRelationshipMessageInfo,
   ): string {
     return JSON.stringify({
       operation: data.operation,
       targetID: data.targetID,
     });
   },
 
   messageContentForClientDB(data: RawUpdateRelationshipMessageInfo): string {
     return this.messageContentForServerDB(data);
   },
 
   rawMessageInfoFromServerDBRow(row: Object): RawUpdateRelationshipMessageInfo {
     const content = JSON.parse(row.content);
     return {
       type: messageTypes.UPDATE_RELATIONSHIP,
       id: row.id.toString(),
       threadID: row.threadID.toString(),
       time: row.time,
       creatorID: row.creatorID.toString(),
       targetID: content.targetID,
       operation: content.operation,
     };
   },
 
   rawMessageInfoFromClientDB(
     clientDBMessageInfo: ClientDBMessageInfo,
   ): RawUpdateRelationshipMessageInfo {
     invariant(
       clientDBMessageInfo.content !== undefined &&
         clientDBMessageInfo.content !== null,
       'content must be defined',
     );
     const content = JSON.parse(clientDBMessageInfo.content);
     const rawUpdateRelationshipMessageInfo: RawUpdateRelationshipMessageInfo = {
       type: messageTypes.UPDATE_RELATIONSHIP,
       id: clientDBMessageInfo.id,
       threadID: clientDBMessageInfo.thread,
       time: parseInt(clientDBMessageInfo.time),
       creatorID: clientDBMessageInfo.user,
       targetID: content.targetID,
       operation: content.operation,
     };
     return rawUpdateRelationshipMessageInfo;
   },
 
   createMessageInfo(
     rawMessageInfo: RawUpdateRelationshipMessageInfo,
     creator: RelativeUserInfo,
     params: CreateMessageInfoParams,
   ): ?UpdateRelationshipMessageInfo {
     const target = params.createRelativeUserInfos([rawMessageInfo.targetID])[0];
     if (!target) {
       return null;
     }
     return {
       type: messageTypes.UPDATE_RELATIONSHIP,
       id: rawMessageInfo.id,
       threadID: rawMessageInfo.threadID,
       creator,
       target,
       time: rawMessageInfo.time,
       operation: rawMessageInfo.operation,
     };
   },
 
   rawMessageInfoFromMessageData(
     messageData: UpdateRelationshipMessageData,
     id: ?string,
   ): RawUpdateRelationshipMessageInfo {
     invariant(id, 'RawUpdateRelationshipMessageInfo needs id');
     return { ...messageData, id };
   },
 
   robotext(messageInfo: UpdateRelationshipMessageInfo): EntityText {
     const creator = ET.user({ userInfo: messageInfo.creator });
     if (messageInfo.operation === 'request_sent') {
       const target = ET.user({ userInfo: messageInfo.target });
       return ET`${creator} sent ${target} a friend request`;
     } else if (messageInfo.operation === 'request_accepted') {
       const targetPossessive = ET.user({
         userInfo: messageInfo.target,
         possessive: true,
       });
       return ET`${creator} accepted ${targetPossessive} friend request`;
     }
     invariant(
       false,
       `Invalid operation ${messageInfo.operation} ` +
         `of message with type ${messageInfo.type}`,
     );
   },
 
   shimUnsupportedMessageInfo(
     rawMessageInfo: RawUpdateRelationshipMessageInfo,
     platformDetails: ?PlatformDetails,
   ): RawUpdateRelationshipMessageInfo | RawUnsupportedMessageInfo {
     if (hasMinCodeVersion(platformDetails, 71)) {
       return rawMessageInfo;
     }
     const { id } = rawMessageInfo;
     invariant(id !== null && id !== undefined, 'id should be set on server');
     return {
       type: messageTypes.UNSUPPORTED,
       id,
       threadID: rawMessageInfo.threadID,
       creatorID: rawMessageInfo.creatorID,
       time: rawMessageInfo.time,
       robotext: 'performed a relationship action',
       unsupportedMessageInfo: rawMessageInfo,
     };
   },
 
   unshimMessageInfo(
     unwrapped: RawUpdateRelationshipMessageInfo,
   ): RawUpdateRelationshipMessageInfo {
     return unwrapped;
   },
 
   async notificationTexts(
     messageInfos: $ReadOnlyArray<MessageInfo>,
     threadInfo: ThreadInfo,
   ): Promise<NotifTexts> {
     const messageInfo = assertSingleMessageInfo(messageInfos);
-    const prefix = stringForUser(messageInfo.creator);
+    const creator = ET.user({ userInfo: messageInfo.creator });
+    const prefix = ET`${creator}`;
     const title = threadInfo.uiName;
     const body =
       messageInfo.operation === 'request_sent'
         ? 'sent you a friend request'
         : 'accepted your friend request';
-    const merged = `${prefix} ${body}`;
+    const merged = ET`${prefix} ${body}`;
     return {
       merged,
       body,
       title,
       prefix,
     };
   },
 
   generatesNotifs: async () => pushTypes.NOTIF,
 });