diff --git a/lib/shared/avatar-utils.js b/lib/shared/avatar-utils.js
index b953d6736..1bb9ae937 100644
--- a/lib/shared/avatar-utils.js
+++ b/lib/shared/avatar-utils.js
@@ -1,52 +1,60 @@
 // @flow
 
 import stringHash from 'string-hash';
 
 import { selectedThreadColors } from './thread-utils.js';
 import type { ClientEmojiAvatar, ClientAvatar } from '../types/avatar-types.js';
 
 const defaultAnonymousUserEmojiAvatar: ClientEmojiAvatar = {
   color: selectedThreadColors[4],
   emoji: '👤',
   type: 'emoji',
 };
 
 const defaultEmojiAvatars: $ReadOnlyArray<ClientEmojiAvatar> = [
   { color: selectedThreadColors[7], emoji: '😀', type: 'emoji' },
   { color: selectedThreadColors[0], emoji: '😆', type: 'emoji' },
   { color: selectedThreadColors[1], emoji: '🤩', type: 'emoji' },
   { color: selectedThreadColors[7], emoji: '🏈', type: 'emoji' },
   { color: selectedThreadColors[2], emoji: '👻', type: 'emoji' },
   { color: selectedThreadColors[3], emoji: '🧑‍🚀', type: 'emoji' },
   { color: selectedThreadColors[4], emoji: '🎩', type: 'emoji' },
   { color: selectedThreadColors[5], emoji: '🍦', type: 'emoji' },
   { color: selectedThreadColors[6], emoji: '🚀', type: 'emoji' },
   { color: selectedThreadColors[8], emoji: '🥰', type: 'emoji' },
   { color: selectedThreadColors[3], emoji: '🐬', type: 'emoji' },
   { color: selectedThreadColors[4], emoji: '🍀', type: 'emoji' },
   { color: selectedThreadColors[9], emoji: '🍕', type: 'emoji' },
   { color: selectedThreadColors[0], emoji: '🙄', type: 'emoji' },
   { color: selectedThreadColors[1], emoji: '🥳', type: 'emoji' },
   { color: selectedThreadColors[7], emoji: '🥸', type: 'emoji' },
   { color: selectedThreadColors[2], emoji: '🦋', type: 'emoji' },
   { color: selectedThreadColors[9], emoji: '🏆', type: 'emoji' },
   { color: selectedThreadColors[5], emoji: '🎲', type: 'emoji' },
   { color: selectedThreadColors[8], emoji: '🏀', type: 'emoji' },
 ];
 
+function getDefaultAvatar(hashKey: string, color?: string): ClientEmojiAvatar {
+  const avatarIndex = stringHash(hashKey) % defaultEmojiAvatars.length;
+
+  return {
+    ...defaultEmojiAvatars[avatarIndex],
+    color: color ? color : defaultEmojiAvatars[avatarIndex].color,
+  };
+}
+
 function getAvatarForUser(
   user: ?{ +avatar?: ?ClientAvatar, +username?: ?string, ... },
 ): ClientAvatar {
   if (user?.avatar) {
     return user.avatar;
   }
 
   if (!user?.username) {
     return defaultAnonymousUserEmojiAvatar;
   }
 
-  const avatarIndex = stringHash(user.username) % defaultEmojiAvatars.length;
-  return defaultEmojiAvatars[avatarIndex];
+  return getDefaultAvatar(user.username);
 }
 
 export { getAvatarForUser };