diff --git a/native/android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml b/native/android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml
index 174f8aebe..06ce6e6ba 100644
--- a/native/android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml
+++ b/native/android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml
@@ -1,69 +1,68 @@
 <manifest
   xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
   xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
   package="app.comm.android"
 >
   <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.INTERNET" />
   <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.RECEIVE_BOOT_COMPLETED" />
   <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.VIBRATE" />
   <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.READ_PHONE_STATE" tools:node="remove" />
   <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE" />
   <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" />
   <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" />
   <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.CAMERA" />
   <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.FOREGROUND_SERVICE" />
   <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_MEDIA_LOCATION" />
 
   <application
     android:name=".MainApplication"
     android:allowBackup="false"
     android:label="@string/app_name"
     android:icon="@mipmap/ic_launcher"
     android:theme="@style/AppTheme"
     android:networkSecurityConfig="@xml/network_security_config"
     android:requestLegacyExternalStorage="true"
   >
     <service
         android:name=".notifications.CommNotificationsHandler"
         android:exported="false">
       <intent-filter>
         <action android:name="com.google.firebase.MESSAGING_EVENT" />
       </intent-filter>
     </service>
-    <service android:name="io.invertase.firebase.messaging.RNFirebaseBackgroundMessagingService" />
     <activity
       android:name=".MainActivity"
       android:launchMode="singleTask"
       android:label="@string/app_name"
       android:configChanges="keyboard|keyboardHidden|orientation|screenLayout|screenSize|smallestScreenSize|uiMode"
       android:windowSoftInputMode="adjustResize"
       android:exported="true"
       android:screenOrientation="portrait"
     />
     <activity
       android:name=".SplashActivity"
       android:launchMode="singleTop"
       android:theme="@style/SplashTheme"
       android:label="@string/app_name"
       android:noHistory="true"
       android:screenOrientation="portrait"
       android:exported="true"
     >
       <intent-filter>
         <action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
         <category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
       </intent-filter>
     </activity>
     <meta-data
       android:name="com.google.firebase.messaging.default_notification_icon"
       android:resource="@drawable/notif_icon"
     />
     <meta-data android:name="google_analytics_adid_collection_enabled" android:value="false" />
   </application>
   <queries>
     <intent>
       <action android:name="android.intent.action.VIEW" />
       <data android:scheme="rainbow" />
     </intent>
   </queries>
 </manifest>
diff --git a/native/android/app/src/main/java/app/comm/android/notifications/CommNotificationsHandler.java b/native/android/app/src/main/java/app/comm/android/notifications/CommNotificationsHandler.java
index 30c343c95..8287b3dd7 100644
--- a/native/android/app/src/main/java/app/comm/android/notifications/CommNotificationsHandler.java
+++ b/native/android/app/src/main/java/app/comm/android/notifications/CommNotificationsHandler.java
@@ -1,213 +1,188 @@
 package app.comm.android.notifications;
 
 import android.app.Notification;
 import android.app.NotificationManager;
 import android.content.Context;
 import android.content.Intent;
 import android.graphics.Bitmap;
 import android.graphics.BitmapFactory;
 import android.os.Bundle;
 import android.service.notification.StatusBarNotification;
 import android.util.Log;
 import androidx.core.app.NotificationCompat;
 import androidx.lifecycle.Lifecycle;
 import androidx.lifecycle.ProcessLifecycleOwner;
 import androidx.localbroadcastmanager.content.LocalBroadcastManager;
 import app.comm.android.ExpoUtils;
 import app.comm.android.R;
 import app.comm.android.fbjni.CommSecureStore;
 import app.comm.android.fbjni.GlobalDBSingleton;
 import app.comm.android.fbjni.MessageOperationsUtilities;
 import app.comm.android.fbjni.NetworkModule;
 import app.comm.android.fbjni.ThreadOperations;
+import com.google.firebase.messaging.FirebaseMessagingService;
 import com.google.firebase.messaging.RemoteMessage;
-import io.invertase.firebase.messaging.RNFirebaseMessagingService;
 import java.io.File;
 import me.leolin.shortcutbadger.ShortcutBadger;
 
-/**
- * We're extending RNFirebaseMessagingService here instead of
- * FirebaseMessagingService which is not ideal but let's us work around an
- * Android limitation. If there are a couple of FirebaseMessagingServices
- * declared in manifest, only the first one would get all the notifications.
- * So we need to find a way to have only one service that implements this.
- *
- * There are a couple of solutions here:
- * 1. We could have both services declared and only one of them would handle
- * the intents. Then it would check the intent and forward it to
- * another service. This solution is problematic as the second service would
- * need to listen for a different set of intents that effectively duplicate
- * all the notifications intents.
- * 2. We can instantiate RNFirebaseMessagingService here and call its callbacks
- * which sounds like a good solution. But then, some mechanisms would not work
- * correctly, e.g. we would need to somehow take care of the Context.
- * 3. This solution, in which we extend RNFirebaseMessagingService, would
- * consist of implementing the callbacks and either handling them or calling
- * super methods. In near future we plan to get rid of
- * RNFirebaseMessagingService and at that point super methods will no longer be
- * called and this class could start implementing FirebaseMessagingService.
- *
- * There's nothing that makes 1st and 2nd solution impossible, but 3rd one is
- * the easiest in terms of making it safe.
- */
-public class CommNotificationsHandler extends RNFirebaseMessagingService {
+public class CommNotificationsHandler extends FirebaseMessagingService {
   private static final String BADGE_KEY = "badge";
   private static final String BADGE_ONLY_KEY = "badgeOnly";
   private static final String BACKGROUND_NOTIF_TYPE_KEY = "backgroundNotifType";
   private static final String SET_UNREAD_STATUS_KEY = "setUnreadStatus";
   private static final String NOTIF_ID_KEY = "id";
 
   private static final String CHANNEL_ID = "default";
   private static final long[] VIBRATION_SPEC = {500, 500};
   private Bitmap displayableNotificationLargeIcon;
   private NotificationManager notificationManager;
   private LocalBroadcastManager localBroadcastManager;
 
   public static final String RESCIND_KEY = "rescind";
   public static final String RESCIND_ID_KEY = "rescindID";
   public static final String TITLE_KEY = "title";
   public static final String PREFIX_KEY = "prefix";
   public static final String BODY_KEY = "body";
   public static final String MESSAGE_INFOS_KEY = "messageInfos";
   public static final String THREAD_ID_KEY = "threadID";
 
   public static final String TOKEN_EVENT = "TOKEN_EVENT";
   public static final String FOREGROUND_MESSAGE_EVENT =
       "FOREGROUND_MESSAGE_EVENT";
 
   @Override
   public void onCreate() {
     super.onCreate();
     CommSecureStore.getInstance().initialize(
         ExpoUtils.createExpoSecureStoreSupplier(this.getApplicationContext()));
     notificationManager = (NotificationManager)this.getSystemService(
         Context.NOTIFICATION_SERVICE);
     localBroadcastManager = LocalBroadcastManager.getInstance(this);
     displayableNotificationLargeIcon = BitmapFactory.decodeResource(
         this.getApplicationContext().getResources(), R.mipmap.ic_launcher);
   }
 
   @Override
   public void onNewToken(String token) {
     Intent intent = new Intent(TOKEN_EVENT);
     intent.putExtra("token", token);
     localBroadcastManager.sendBroadcast(intent);
   }
 
   @Override
   public void onMessageReceived(RemoteMessage message) {
     String rescind = message.getData().get(RESCIND_KEY);
     if ("true".equals(rescind) &&
         android.os.Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= android.os.Build.VERSION_CODES.M) {
       handleNotificationRescind(message);
     }
 
     String badge = message.getData().get(BADGE_KEY);
     if (badge != null) {
       try {
         int badgeCount = Integer.parseInt(badge);
         if (badgeCount > 0) {
           ShortcutBadger.applyCount(this, badgeCount);
         } else {
           ShortcutBadger.removeCount(this);
         }
       } catch (NumberFormatException e) {
         Log.w("COMM", "Invalid badge count", e);
       }
     }
 
     String badgeOnly = message.getData().get(BADGE_ONLY_KEY);
     if ("1".equals(badgeOnly)) {
       return;
     }
 
     String backgroundNotifType =
         message.getData().get(BACKGROUND_NOTIF_TYPE_KEY);
 
     String rawMessageInfosString = message.getData().get(MESSAGE_INFOS_KEY);
     File sqliteFile =
         this.getApplicationContext().getDatabasePath("comm.sqlite");
     if (rawMessageInfosString != null && sqliteFile.exists()) {
       GlobalDBSingleton.scheduleOrRun(() -> {
         MessageOperationsUtilities.storeMessageInfos(
             sqliteFile.getPath(), rawMessageInfosString);
       });
     } else if (rawMessageInfosString != null) {
       Log.w("COMM", "Database not existing yet. Skipping notification");
     }
 
     if (this.isAppInForeground()) {
       Intent intent = new Intent(FOREGROUND_MESSAGE_EVENT);
       intent.putExtra("message", message);
       localBroadcastManager.sendBroadcast(intent);
       return;
     }
     this.displayNotification(message);
   }
 
   private boolean isAppInForeground() {
     return ProcessLifecycleOwner.get().getLifecycle().getCurrentState() ==
         Lifecycle.State.RESUMED;
   }
 
   private void handleNotificationRescind(RemoteMessage message) {
     String setUnreadStatus = message.getData().get(SET_UNREAD_STATUS_KEY);
     if ("true".equals(setUnreadStatus)) {
       File sqliteFile =
           this.getApplicationContext().getDatabasePath("comm.sqlite");
       if (sqliteFile.exists()) {
         String threadID = message.getData().get(THREAD_ID_KEY);
         GlobalDBSingleton.scheduleOrRun(() -> {
           ThreadOperations.updateSQLiteUnreadStatus(
               sqliteFile.getPath(), threadID, false);
         });
       } else {
         Log.w(
             "COMM",
             "Database not existing yet. Skipping thread status update.");
       }
     }
     String rescindID = message.getData().get(RESCIND_ID_KEY);
     for (StatusBarNotification notification :
          notificationManager.getActiveNotifications()) {
       String tag = notification.getTag();
       if (tag != null && tag.equals(rescindID)) {
         notificationManager.cancel(notification.getTag(), notification.getId());
       }
     }
   }
 
   private void displayNotification(RemoteMessage message) {
     if (message.getData().get(RESCIND_KEY) != null) {
       // don't attempt to display rescinds
       return;
     }
     String id = message.getData().get(NOTIF_ID_KEY);
     String title = message.getData().get(TITLE_KEY);
     String prefix = message.getData().get(PREFIX_KEY);
     String body = message.getData().get(BODY_KEY);
     String threadID = message.getData().get(THREAD_ID_KEY);
 
     if (prefix != null) {
       body = prefix + " " + body;
     }
 
     Bundle data = new Bundle();
     data.putString(THREAD_ID_KEY, threadID);
 
     NotificationCompat.Builder notificationBuilder =
         new NotificationCompat.Builder(this.getApplicationContext())
             .setDefaults(Notification.DEFAULT_ALL)
             .setContentText(body)
             .setExtras(data)
             .setChannelId(CHANNEL_ID)
             .setVibrate(VIBRATION_SPEC)
             .setSmallIcon(R.drawable.notif_icon)
             .setLargeIcon(displayableNotificationLargeIcon)
             .setAutoCancel(true);
     if (title != null) {
       notificationBuilder = notificationBuilder.setContentTitle(title);
     }
     notificationManager.notify(id, id.hashCode(), notificationBuilder.build());
   }
 }