diff --git a/lib/shared/message-utils.js b/lib/shared/message-utils.js
index 93d4a6cdb..1760929cd 100644
--- a/lib/shared/message-utils.js
+++ b/lib/shared/message-utils.js
@@ -1,537 +1,568 @@
 // @flow
 
 import invariant from 'invariant';
 import _maxBy from 'lodash/fp/maxBy';
 import _orderBy from 'lodash/fp/orderBy';
 
 import { multimediaMessagePreview } from '../media/media-utils';
 import { userIDsToRelativeUserInfos } from '../selectors/user-selectors';
 import type { PlatformDetails } from '../types/device-types';
 import type { Media } from '../types/media-types';
 import {
   type MessageInfo,
   type RawMessageInfo,
   type RobotextMessageInfo,
   type PreviewableMessageInfo,
   type RawMultimediaMessageInfo,
   type MessageData,
   type MessageType,
   type MessageTruncationStatus,
   type MultimediaMessageData,
   type MessageStore,
   type ComposableMessageInfo,
   messageTypes,
   messageTruncationStatus,
   type RawComposableMessageInfo,
   type ThreadMessageInfo,
 } from '../types/message-types';
 import type { ImagesMessageData } from '../types/messages/images';
 import type { MediaMessageData } from '../types/messages/media';
 import { type ThreadInfo } from '../types/thread-types';
 import type { RelativeUserInfo, UserInfos } from '../types/user-types';
 import { codeBlockRegex, type ParserRules } from './markdown';
 import { messageSpecs } from './messages/message-specs';
+import { threadIsGroupChat } from './thread-utils';
 import { stringForUser } from './user-utils';
 
 const localIDPrefix = 'local';
 
 // Prefers localID
 function messageKey(messageInfo: MessageInfo | RawMessageInfo): string {
   if (messageInfo.localID) {
     return messageInfo.localID;
   }
   invariant(messageInfo.id, 'localID should exist if ID does not');
   return messageInfo.id;
 }
 
 // Prefers serverID
 function messageID(messageInfo: MessageInfo | RawMessageInfo): string {
   if (messageInfo.id) {
     return messageInfo.id;
   }
   invariant(messageInfo.localID, 'localID should exist if ID does not');
   return messageInfo.localID;
 }
 
 function robotextForUser(user: RelativeUserInfo): string {
   if (user.isViewer) {
     return 'you';
   } else if (user.username) {
     return `<${encodeURI(user.username)}|u${user.id}>`;
   } else {
     return 'anonymous';
   }
 }
 
 function robotextForUsers(users: RelativeUserInfo[]): string {
   if (users.length === 1) {
     return robotextForUser(users[0]);
   } else if (users.length === 2) {
     return `${robotextForUser(users[0])} and ${robotextForUser(users[1])}`;
   } else if (users.length === 3) {
     return (
       `${robotextForUser(users[0])}, ${robotextForUser(users[1])}, ` +
       `and ${robotextForUser(users[2])}`
     );
   } else {
     return (
       `${robotextForUser(users[0])}, ${robotextForUser(users[1])}, ` +
       `and ${users.length - 2} others`
     );
   }
 }
 
 function encodedThreadEntity(threadID: string, text: string): string {
   return `<${text}|t${threadID}>`;
 }
 
 function robotextForMessageInfo(
   messageInfo: RobotextMessageInfo,
   threadInfo: ?ThreadInfo,
 ): string {
   const creator = robotextForUser(messageInfo.creator);
   const messageSpec = messageSpecs[messageInfo.type];
   invariant(
     messageSpec.robotext,
     `we're not aware of messageType ${messageInfo.type}`,
   );
   return messageSpec.robotext(messageInfo, creator, {
     encodedThreadEntity,
     robotextForUsers,
     robotextForUser,
     threadInfo,
   });
 }
 
 function robotextToRawString(robotext: string): string {
   return decodeURI(robotext.replace(/<([^<>|]+)\|[^<>|]+>/g, '$1'));
 }
 
 function createMessageInfo(
   rawMessageInfo: RawMessageInfo,
   viewerID: ?string,
   userInfos: UserInfos,
   threadInfos: { +[id: string]: ThreadInfo },
 ): ?MessageInfo {
   const creatorInfo = userInfos[rawMessageInfo.creatorID];
   if (!creatorInfo) {
     return null;
   }
   const creator = {
     id: rawMessageInfo.creatorID,
     username: creatorInfo.username,
     isViewer: rawMessageInfo.creatorID === viewerID,
   };
 
   const createRelativeUserInfos = (userIDs: $ReadOnlyArray<string>) =>
     userIDsToRelativeUserInfos(userIDs, viewerID, userInfos);
   const createMessageInfoFromRaw = (rawInfo: RawMessageInfo) =>
     createMessageInfo(rawInfo, viewerID, userInfos, threadInfos);
 
   const messageSpec = messageSpecs[rawMessageInfo.type];
 
   return messageSpec.createMessageInfo(rawMessageInfo, creator, {
     threadInfos,
     createMessageInfoFromRaw,
     createRelativeUserInfos,
   });
 }
 
 type LengthResult = {
   +local: number,
   +realized: number,
 };
 function findMessageIDMaxLengths(
   messageIDs: $ReadOnlyArray<?string>,
 ): LengthResult {
   const result = {
     local: 0,
     realized: 0,
   };
   for (const id of messageIDs) {
     if (!id) {
       continue;
     }
     if (id.startsWith(localIDPrefix)) {
       result.local = Math.max(result.local, id.length - localIDPrefix.length);
     } else {
       result.realized = Math.max(result.realized, id.length);
     }
   }
   return result;
 }
 
 function extendMessageID(id: ?string, lengths: LengthResult): ?string {
   if (!id) {
     return id;
   }
   if (id.startsWith(localIDPrefix)) {
     const zeroPaddedID = id
       .substr(localIDPrefix.length)
       .padStart(lengths.local, '0');
     return `${localIDPrefix}${zeroPaddedID}`;
   }
   return id.padStart(lengths.realized, '0');
 }
 
 function sortMessageInfoList<T: MessageInfo | RawMessageInfo>(
   messageInfos: $ReadOnlyArray<T>,
 ): T[] {
   const lengths = findMessageIDMaxLengths(
     messageInfos.map(message => message?.id),
   );
   return _orderBy([
     'time',
     (message: T) => extendMessageID(message?.id, lengths),
   ])(['desc', 'desc'])(messageInfos);
 }
 
 const sortMessageIDs: (messages: { +[id: string]: RawMessageInfo }) => (
   messageIDs: $ReadOnlyArray<string>,
 ) => string[] = messages => messageIDs => {
   const lengths = findMessageIDMaxLengths(messageIDs);
   return _orderBy([
     (id: string) => messages[id].time,
     (id: string) => extendMessageID(id, lengths),
   ])(['desc', 'desc'])(messageIDs);
 };
 
 function rawMessageInfoFromMessageData(
   messageData: MessageData,
   id: ?string,
 ): RawMessageInfo {
   const messageSpec = messageSpecs[messageData.type];
   invariant(
     messageSpec.rawMessageInfoFromMessageData,
     `we're not aware of messageType ${messageData.type}`,
   );
   return messageSpec.rawMessageInfoFromMessageData(messageData, id);
 }
 
 function mostRecentMessageTimestamp(
   messageInfos: $ReadOnlyArray<RawMessageInfo>,
   previousTimestamp: number,
 ): number {
   if (messageInfos.length === 0) {
     return previousTimestamp;
   }
   return _maxBy('time')(messageInfos).time;
 }
 
 function messageTypeGeneratesNotifs(type: MessageType): boolean {
   return messageSpecs[type].generatesNotifs;
 }
 
 function splitRobotext(robotext: string): string[] {
   return robotext.split(/(<[^<>|]+\|[^<>|]+>)/g);
 }
 
 const robotextEntityRegex = /<([^<>|]+)\|([^<>|]+)>/;
 type RobotextEntityInfo = {
   +rawText: string,
   +entityType: string,
   +id: string,
 };
 function parseRobotextEntity(robotextPart: string): RobotextEntityInfo {
   const entityParts = robotextPart.match(robotextEntityRegex);
   invariant(entityParts && entityParts[1], 'malformed robotext');
   const rawText = decodeURI(entityParts[1]);
   const entityType = entityParts[2].charAt(0);
   const id = entityParts[2].substr(1);
   return { rawText, entityType, id };
 }
 
 function usersInMessageInfos(
   messageInfos: $ReadOnlyArray<MessageInfo | RawMessageInfo>,
 ): string[] {
   const userIDs = new Set();
   for (const messageInfo of messageInfos) {
     if (messageInfo.creatorID) {
       userIDs.add(messageInfo.creatorID);
     } else if (messageInfo.creator) {
       userIDs.add(messageInfo.creator.id);
     }
   }
   return [...userIDs];
 }
 
 function combineTruncationStatuses(
   first: MessageTruncationStatus,
   second: ?MessageTruncationStatus,
 ): MessageTruncationStatus {
   if (
     first === messageTruncationStatus.EXHAUSTIVE ||
     second === messageTruncationStatus.EXHAUSTIVE
   ) {
     return messageTruncationStatus.EXHAUSTIVE;
   } else if (
     first === messageTruncationStatus.UNCHANGED &&
     second !== null &&
     second !== undefined
   ) {
     return second;
   } else {
     return first;
   }
 }
 
 function shimUnsupportedRawMessageInfos(
   rawMessageInfos: $ReadOnlyArray<RawMessageInfo>,
   platformDetails: ?PlatformDetails,
 ): RawMessageInfo[] {
   if (platformDetails && platformDetails.platform === 'web') {
     return [...rawMessageInfos];
   }
   return rawMessageInfos.map(rawMessageInfo => {
     const { shimUnsupportedMessageInfo } = messageSpecs[rawMessageInfo.type];
     if (shimUnsupportedMessageInfo) {
       return shimUnsupportedMessageInfo(rawMessageInfo, platformDetails);
     }
     return rawMessageInfo;
   });
 }
 
 function messagePreviewText(
   messageInfo: PreviewableMessageInfo,
   threadInfo: ThreadInfo,
 ): string {
   if (
     messageInfo.type === messageTypes.IMAGES ||
     messageInfo.type === messageTypes.MULTIMEDIA
   ) {
     const creator = stringForUser(messageInfo.creator);
     const preview = multimediaMessagePreview(messageInfo);
     return `${creator} ${preview}`;
   }
   return robotextToRawString(robotextForMessageInfo(messageInfo, threadInfo));
 }
 
 type MediaMessageDataCreationInput = $ReadOnly<{
   threadID: string,
   creatorID: string,
   media: $ReadOnlyArray<Media>,
   localID?: ?string,
   time?: ?number,
   ...
 }>;
 function createMediaMessageData(
   input: MediaMessageDataCreationInput,
 ): MultimediaMessageData {
   let allMediaArePhotos = true;
   const photoMedia = [];
   for (const singleMedia of input.media) {
     if (singleMedia.type === 'video') {
       allMediaArePhotos = false;
       break;
     } else {
       photoMedia.push(singleMedia);
     }
   }
 
   const { localID, threadID, creatorID } = input;
   const time = input.time ? input.time : Date.now();
   let messageData;
   if (allMediaArePhotos) {
     messageData = ({
       type: messageTypes.IMAGES,
       threadID,
       creatorID,
       time,
       media: photoMedia,
     }: ImagesMessageData);
   } else {
     messageData = ({
       type: messageTypes.MULTIMEDIA,
       threadID,
       creatorID,
       time,
       media: input.media,
     }: MediaMessageData);
   }
   if (localID) {
     messageData.localID = localID;
   }
   return messageData;
 }
 
 type MediaMessageInfoCreationInput = $ReadOnly<{
   ...$Exact<MediaMessageDataCreationInput>,
   id?: ?string,
 }>;
 function createMediaMessageInfo(
   input: MediaMessageInfoCreationInput,
 ): RawMultimediaMessageInfo {
   const messageData = createMediaMessageData(input);
   const createRawMessageInfo =
     messageSpecs[messageData.type].rawMessageInfoFromMessageData;
   invariant(
     createRawMessageInfo,
     'multimedia message spec should have rawMessageInfoFromMessageData',
   );
   const result = createRawMessageInfo(messageData, input.id);
   invariant(
     result.type === messageTypes.MULTIMEDIA ||
       result.type === messageTypes.IMAGES,
     `media messageSpec returned MessageType ${result.type}`,
   );
   return result;
 }
 
 function stripLocalID(rawMessageInfo: RawComposableMessageInfo) {
   const { localID, ...rest } = rawMessageInfo;
   return rest;
 }
 
 function stripLocalIDs(
   input: $ReadOnlyArray<RawMessageInfo>,
 ): RawMessageInfo[] {
   const output = [];
   for (const rawMessageInfo of input) {
     if (rawMessageInfo.localID) {
       invariant(
         rawMessageInfo.id,
         'serverID should be set if localID is being stripped',
       );
       output.push(stripLocalID(rawMessageInfo));
     } else {
       output.push(rawMessageInfo);
     }
   }
   return output;
 }
 
 // Normally we call trim() to remove whitespace at the beginning and end of each
 // message. However, our Markdown parser supports a "codeBlock" format where the
 // user can indent each line to indicate a code block. If we match the
 // corresponding RegEx, we'll only trim whitespace off the end.
 function trimMessage(message: string): string {
   message = message.replace(/^\n*/, '');
   return codeBlockRegex.exec(message) ? message.trimEnd() : message.trim();
 }
 
 function createMessageReply(message: string): string {
   // add `>` to each line to include empty lines in the quote
   const quotedMessage = message.replace(/^/gm, '> ');
   return quotedMessage + '\n\n';
 }
 
 function getMostRecentNonLocalMessageID(
   threadID: string,
   messageStore: MessageStore,
 ): ?string {
   const thread = messageStore.threads[threadID];
   return thread?.messageIDs.find(id => !id.startsWith(localIDPrefix));
 }
 
 export type GetMessageTitleViewerContext =
   | 'global_viewer'
   | 'individual_viewer';
 
 function getMessageTitle(
   messageInfo: ComposableMessageInfo | RobotextMessageInfo,
   threadInfo: ThreadInfo,
   markdownRules: ParserRules,
   viewerContext?: GetMessageTitleViewerContext = 'individual_viewer',
 ): string {
   const { messageTitle } = messageSpecs[messageInfo.type];
   return messageTitle({
     messageInfo,
     threadInfo,
     markdownRules,
     viewerContext,
   });
 }
 
 function removeCreatorAsViewer<Info: MessageInfo>(messageInfo: Info): Info {
   return {
     ...messageInfo,
     creator: { ...messageInfo.creator, isViewer: false },
   };
 }
 
 function mergeThreadMessageInfos(
   first: ThreadMessageInfo,
   second: ThreadMessageInfo,
   messages: { +[id: string]: RawMessageInfo },
 ): ThreadMessageInfo {
   let firstPointer = 0;
   let secondPointer = 0;
   const mergedMessageIDs = [];
   let firstCandidate = first.messageIDs[firstPointer];
   let secondCandidate = second.messageIDs[secondPointer];
   while (firstCandidate !== undefined || secondCandidate !== undefined) {
     if (firstCandidate === undefined) {
       mergedMessageIDs.push(secondCandidate);
       secondPointer++;
     } else if (secondCandidate === undefined) {
       mergedMessageIDs.push(firstCandidate);
       firstPointer++;
     } else if (firstCandidate === secondCandidate) {
       mergedMessageIDs.push(firstCandidate);
       firstPointer++;
       secondPointer++;
     } else {
       const firstMessage = messages[firstCandidate];
       const secondMessage = messages[secondCandidate];
       invariant(
         firstMessage && secondMessage,
         'message in messageIDs not present in MessageStore',
       );
       if (
         (firstMessage.id &&
           secondMessage.id &&
           firstMessage.id === secondMessage.id) ||
         (firstMessage.localID &&
           secondMessage.localID &&
           firstMessage.localID === secondMessage.localID)
       ) {
         mergedMessageIDs.push(firstCandidate);
         firstPointer++;
         secondPointer++;
       } else if (firstMessage.time < secondMessage.time) {
         mergedMessageIDs.push(secondCandidate);
         secondPointer++;
       } else {
         mergedMessageIDs.push(firstCandidate);
         firstPointer++;
       }
     }
     firstCandidate = first.messageIDs[firstPointer];
     secondCandidate = second.messageIDs[secondPointer];
   }
   return {
     messageIDs: mergedMessageIDs,
     startReached: first.startReached && second.startReached,
     lastNavigatedTo: Math.max(first.lastNavigatedTo, second.lastNavigatedTo),
     lastPruned: Math.max(first.lastPruned, second.lastPruned),
   };
 }
 
+type MessagePreviewResult = {
+  +message: string,
+  +username: ?string,
+};
+function getMessagePreview(
+  originalMessageInfo: MessageInfo,
+  threadInfo: ThreadInfo,
+  markdownRules: ParserRules,
+): MessagePreviewResult {
+  const messageInfo: ComposableMessageInfo | RobotextMessageInfo =
+    originalMessageInfo.type === messageTypes.SIDEBAR_SOURCE
+      ? originalMessageInfo.sourceMessage
+      : originalMessageInfo;
+
+  const messageTitle = getMessageTitle(messageInfo, threadInfo, markdownRules);
+
+  const hasUsername =
+    threadIsGroupChat(threadInfo) ||
+    threadInfo.name !== '' ||
+    messageInfo.creator.isViewer;
+
+  let userString = null;
+  if (messageInfo.type === messageTypes.TEXT && hasUsername) {
+    userString = stringForUser(messageInfo.creator);
+  }
+
+  return { message: messageTitle, username: userString };
+}
+
 export {
   localIDPrefix,
   messageKey,
   messageID,
   robotextForMessageInfo,
   robotextToRawString,
   createMessageInfo,
   sortMessageInfoList,
   sortMessageIDs,
   rawMessageInfoFromMessageData,
   mostRecentMessageTimestamp,
   messageTypeGeneratesNotifs,
   splitRobotext,
   parseRobotextEntity,
   usersInMessageInfos,
   combineTruncationStatuses,
   shimUnsupportedRawMessageInfos,
   messagePreviewText,
   createMediaMessageData,
   createMediaMessageInfo,
   stripLocalIDs,
   trimMessage,
   createMessageReply,
   getMostRecentNonLocalMessageID,
   getMessageTitle,
   removeCreatorAsViewer,
   mergeThreadMessageInfos,
+  getMessagePreview,
 };
diff --git a/web/chat/message-preview.react.js b/web/chat/message-preview.react.js
index 8bb337020..13fd8a3f7 100644
--- a/web/chat/message-preview.react.js
+++ b/web/chat/message-preview.react.js
@@ -1,71 +1,54 @@
 // @flow
 
 import classNames from 'classnames';
 import * as React from 'react';
 
-import { getMessageTitle } from 'lib/shared/message-utils';
-import { threadIsGroupChat } from 'lib/shared/thread-utils';
-import { stringForUser } from 'lib/shared/user-utils';
-import {
-  type MessageInfo,
-  messageTypes,
-  type ComposableMessageInfo,
-  type RobotextMessageInfo,
-} from 'lib/types/message-types';
+import { getMessagePreview } from 'lib/shared/message-utils';
+import { type MessageInfo } from 'lib/types/message-types';
 import { type ThreadInfo } from 'lib/types/thread-types';
 
 import { getDefaultTextMessageRules } from '../markdown/rules.react';
 import css from './chat-thread-list.css';
 
 type Props = {
   +messageInfo: ?MessageInfo,
   +threadInfo: ThreadInfo,
 };
 function MessagePreview(props: Props): React.Node {
   const {
     messageInfo: originalMessageInfo,
     threadInfo,
     threadInfo: {
       currentUser: { unread },
     },
   } = props;
 
   const colorStyle = unread ? css.unread : css.read;
   if (!originalMessageInfo) {
     return (
       <div className={classNames(css.lastMessage, css.dark, css.italic)}>
         No messages
       </div>
     );
   }
-  const messageInfo: ComposableMessageInfo | RobotextMessageInfo =
-    originalMessageInfo.type === messageTypes.SIDEBAR_SOURCE
-      ? originalMessageInfo.sourceMessage
-      : originalMessageInfo;
 
-  const messageTitle = getMessageTitle(
-    messageInfo,
+  const { message: messageTitle, username } = getMessagePreview(
+    originalMessageInfo,
     threadInfo,
     getDefaultTextMessageRules().simpleMarkdownRules,
   );
 
-  const hasUsername =
-    threadIsGroupChat(threadInfo) ||
-    threadInfo.name !== '' ||
-    messageInfo.creator.isViewer;
-
   let usernameText = null;
-  if (messageInfo.type === messageTypes.TEXT && hasUsername) {
-    const userString = stringForUser(messageInfo.creator);
-    usernameText = <span className={colorStyle}>{`${userString}: `}</span>;
+  if (username) {
+    usernameText = <span className={colorStyle}>{`${username}: `}</span>;
   }
 
   return (
     <div className={classNames(css.lastMessage, colorStyle)}>
       {usernameText}
       {messageTitle}
     </div>
   );
 }
 
 export default MessagePreview;