diff --git a/js/background.js b/js/background.js
index cfd4e1366..179affa15 100644
--- a/js/background.js
+++ b/js/background.js
@@ -1259,7 +1259,7 @@
   async function initIncomingMessage(data, options = {}) {
     const { isError } = options;
 
-    const message = new Whisper.Message({
+    let messageData = {
       source: data.source,
       sourceDevice: data.sourceDevice,
       sent_at: data.timestamp,
@@ -1268,7 +1268,19 @@
       unidentifiedDeliveryReceived: data.unidentifiedDeliveryReceived,
       type: 'incoming',
       unread: 1,
-    });
+    };
+
+    if (data.type === 'friend-request') {
+      messageData = {
+        ...messageData,
+        type: 'friend-request',
+        friendStatus: 'pending',
+        preKeyBundle: data.preKeyBundle || null,
+        direction: 'incoming',
+      }
+    }
+
+    const message = new Whisper.Message(messageData);
 
     // If we don't return early here, we can get into infinite error loops. So, no
     //   delivery receipts for sealed sender errors.
diff --git a/js/models/conversations.js b/js/models/conversations.js
index ced2a574f..b4e56afac 100644
--- a/js/models/conversations.js
+++ b/js/models/conversations.js
@@ -144,10 +144,6 @@
       this.on('expiration-change', this.updateAndMerge);
       this.on('expired', this.onExpired);
 
-      setTimeout(() => {
-        this.setFriendRequestTimer();
-      }, 0);
-
       const sealedSender = this.get('sealedSender');
       if (sealedSender === undefined) {
         this.set({ sealedSender: SEALED_SENDER.UNKNOWN });
@@ -472,14 +468,23 @@
         Conversation: Whisper.Conversation,
       });
     },
+    async waitingForFriendRequestApproval() {
+      // Check if we have an incoming friend request
+     // Or any successful outgoing ones
+     const incoming = await this.getPendingFriendRequests('incoming');
+     const outgoing = await this.getPendingFriendRequests('outgoing');
+     const successfulOutgoing = outgoing.filter(o => !o.hasErrors());
+
+     return (incoming.length > 0 || successfulOutgoing.length > 0);
+   },
     async isFriend() {
       // We are a friend IF:
       // - We have the preKey bundle of the user OR
       // - We have a session with the user
       const preKeys = await window.Signal.Data.getContactPreKeyByIdentityKey(this.id);
-      const session = await window.Signal.Data.getSessionsByNumber(this.id);
+      // const session = await window.Signal.Data.getSessionsByNumber(this.id);
 
-      return !!(preKeys || session);
+      return !!preKeys;
     },
     // Update any pending friend requests for the current user
     async updateFriendRequestUI() {
@@ -1114,14 +1119,9 @@
       // Check if we need to disable the text field
       const isFriend = await this.isFriend();
       if (isFriend) {
-        // Check if we have an incoming friend request
-        // Or any successful outgoing ones
-        const incoming = await this.getPendingFriendRequests('incoming');
-        const outgoing = await this.getPendingFriendRequests('outgoing');
-        const successfulOutgoing = outgoing.filter(o => !o.hasErrors());
-
-        // Disable the input
-        if (incoming.length > 0 || successfulOutgoing.length > 0) {
+        // Disable the input if we're waiting for friend request approval
+        const waiting = await this.waitingForFriendRequestApproval();
+        if (waiting) {
           this.trigger('disable:input', true);
           this.trigger('change:placeholder', 'disabled');
           return;
diff --git a/js/views/conversation_view.js b/js/views/conversation_view.js
index 35099e78b..5512d7d39 100644
--- a/js/views/conversation_view.js
+++ b/js/views/conversation_view.js
@@ -70,14 +70,10 @@
     template: $('#conversation').html(),
     render_attributes() {
       let sendMessagePlaceholder = 'sendMessageFriendRequest';
-      const sendDisabled = this.model.waitingForFriendRequestApproval();
-      if (sendDisabled) {
-        sendMessagePlaceholder = 'sendMessageDisabled';
-      } else if (this.model.getFriendRequestStatus() === null) {
+      if (this.model.isFriend()) {
         sendMessagePlaceholder = 'sendMessage';
       }
       return {
-        'disable-inputs': sendDisabled,
         'send-message': i18n(sendMessagePlaceholder),
         'android-length-warning': i18n('androidMessageLengthWarning'),
       };
@@ -240,6 +236,8 @@
       this.$('.send-message').blur(this.unfocusBottomBar.bind(this));
 
       this.$emojiPanelContainer = this.$('.emoji-panel-container');
+
+      this.model.updateFriendRequestUI();
     },
 
     events: {
diff --git a/libtextsecure/message_receiver.js b/libtextsecure/message_receiver.js
index 9f015214f..1d3da3f16 100644
--- a/libtextsecure/message_receiver.js
+++ b/libtextsecure/message_receiver.js
@@ -929,7 +929,10 @@ MessageReceiver.prototype.extend({
       })
     );
   },
-  handleDataMessage(envelope, msg) {
+  async handleFriendRequestMessage(envelope, msg) {
+    return this.handleDataMessage(envelope, msg, 'friend-request');
+  },
+  handleDataMessage(envelope, msg, type = 'data') {
     window.log.info('data message from', this.getEnvelopeId(envelope));
     let p = Promise.resolve();
     // eslint-disable-next-line no-bitwise
@@ -946,6 +949,13 @@ MessageReceiver.prototype.extend({
           message.group.type === textsecure.protobuf.GroupContext.Type.QUIT
         );
 
+        if (type === 'friend-request' && isMe) {
+          window.log.info(
+            'refusing to add a friend request to ourselves'
+          );
+          throw new Error('Cannot add a friend request for ourselves!')
+        }
+
         if (groupId && isBlocked && !(isMe && isLeavingGroup)) {
           window.log.warn(
             `Message ${this.getEnvelopeId(
@@ -955,15 +965,19 @@ MessageReceiver.prototype.extend({
           return this.removeFromCache(envelope);
         }
 
+        const preKeyBundle = envelope.preKeyBundleMessage && this.decodePreKeyBundleMessage(envelope.preKeyBundleMessage);
+
         const ev = new Event('message');
         ev.confirm = this.removeFromCache.bind(this, envelope);
         ev.data = {
+          type,
           source: envelope.source,
           sourceDevice: envelope.sourceDevice,
           timestamp: envelope.timestamp.toNumber(),
           receivedAt: envelope.receivedAt,
           unidentifiedDeliveryReceived: envelope.unidentifiedDeliveryReceived,
           message,
+          preKeyBundle: preKeyBundle || null,
         };
         return this.dispatchAndWait(ev);
       })
@@ -1046,17 +1060,7 @@ MessageReceiver.prototype.extend({
     }
 
     if (envelope.type === textsecure.protobuf.Envelope.Type.FRIEND_REQUEST) {
-      // only prompt friend request if there is no conversation yet
-      if (!conversation) {
-        this.promptUserToAcceptFriendRequest(
-          envelope,
-          content.dataMessage.body,
-          envelope.preKeyBundleMessage
-        );
-      }
-
-      // Exit early since the friend request reply will be a regular empty message
-      return null;
+      return this.handleFriendRequestMessage(envelope, content.dataMessage);
     } else if (envelope.type === textsecure.protobuf.Envelope.Type.CIPHERTEXT) {
       // If we get a cipher text and we are friends then we can mark keys as exchanged
       if (conversation && conversation.isFriend()) {