diff --git a/app/soapbox/actions/streaming.ts b/app/soapbox/actions/streaming.ts
index c60b0b132..e8412f926 100644
--- a/app/soapbox/actions/streaming.ts
+++ b/app/soapbox/actions/streaming.ts
@@ -1,11 +1,9 @@
-import { InfiniteData } from '@tanstack/react-query';
-
 import { getSettings } from 'soapbox/actions/settings';
 import messages from 'soapbox/locales/messages';
-import { normalizeChatMessage } from 'soapbox/normalizers';
 import { ChatKeys, IChat, isLastMessage } from 'soapbox/queries/chats';
 import { queryClient } from 'soapbox/queries/client';
-import { updatePageItem, appendPageItem, removePageItem, flattenPages, PaginatedResult, sortQueryData } from 'soapbox/utils/queries';
+import { updateChatListItem } from 'soapbox/utils/chats';
+import { removePageItem } from 'soapbox/utils/queries';
 // import { play, soundCache } from 'soapbox/utils/sounds';
 
 import { connectStream } from '../stream';
@@ -30,7 +28,7 @@ import {
 } from './timelines';
 
 import type { AppDispatch, RootState } from 'soapbox/store';
-import type { APIEntity, Chat, ChatMessage } from 'soapbox/types/entities';
+import type { APIEntity, Chat } from 'soapbox/types/entities';
 
 const STREAMING_CHAT_UPDATE = 'STREAMING_CHAT_UPDATE';
 const STREAMING_FOLLOW_RELATIONSHIPS_UPDATE = 'STREAMING_FOLLOW_RELATIONSHIPS_UPDATE';
@@ -52,43 +50,6 @@ const updateFollowRelationships = (relationships: APIEntity) =>
     });
   };
 
-interface ChatPayload extends Omit<Chat, 'last_message'> {
-  last_message: ChatMessage | null,
-}
-
-const dateComparator = (chatA: IChat, chatB: IChat): number => {
-  const chatADate = new Date(chatA.last_message?.created_at as string);
-  const chatBDate = new Date(chatB.last_message?.created_at as string);
-
-  if (chatBDate < chatADate) return -1;
-  if (chatBDate > chatADate) return 1;
-  return 0;
-};
-
-const updateChat = (payload: ChatPayload) => {
-  const { id: chatId, last_message: lastMessage } = payload;
-
-  const currentChats = flattenPages(
-    queryClient.getQueryData<InfiniteData<PaginatedResult<IChat>>>(ChatKeys.chatSearch()),
-  );
-
-  if (currentChats?.find((chat: any) => chat.id === chatId)) {
-    // If the chat exists in the client, let's update it.
-    updatePageItem<Chat>(ChatKeys.chatSearch(), payload as any, (o, n) => o.id === n.id);
-    // Now that we have the new chat loaded, let's re-sort to put
-    // the most recent on top.
-    sortQueryData<IChat>(ChatKeys.chatSearch(), dateComparator);
-  } else {
-    // If this is a brand-new chat, let's invalid the queries.
-    queryClient.invalidateQueries(ChatKeys.chatSearch());
-  }
-
-  if (lastMessage) {
-    // Update the Chat Messages query data.
-    appendPageItem(ChatKeys.chatMessages(payload.id), normalizeChatMessage(lastMessage));
-  }
-};
-
 const removeChatMessage = (payload: string) => {
   const data = JSON.parse(payload);
   const chatId = data.chat_id;
@@ -178,7 +139,7 @@ const connectTimelineStream = (
 
             // Don't update own messages from streaming
             if (!messageOwned) {
-              updateChat(chat);
+              updateChatListItem(chat);
               // Temp disable until we support disabling/enabling.
               // play(soundCache.chat);
             }
diff --git a/app/soapbox/features/chats/components/chat-message-list.tsx b/app/soapbox/features/chats/components/chat-message-list.tsx
index 57ef60b6b..049fbb322 100644
--- a/app/soapbox/features/chats/components/chat-message-list.tsx
+++ b/app/soapbox/features/chats/components/chat-message-list.tsx
@@ -434,7 +434,7 @@ const ChatMessageList: React.FC<IChatMessageList> = ({ chat }) => {
 
   if (isLoading) {
     return (
-      <div className='flex-grow flex flex-col justify-end'>
+      <div className='flex-grow flex flex-col justify-end pb-4'>
         <div className='px-4'>
           <PlaceholderChatMessage isMyMessage />
           <PlaceholderChatMessage />
diff --git a/app/soapbox/features/ui/index.tsx b/app/soapbox/features/ui/index.tsx
index f4e863d72..103b7698a 100644
--- a/app/soapbox/features/ui/index.tsx
+++ b/app/soapbox/features/ui/index.tsx
@@ -446,10 +446,6 @@ const UI: React.FC = ({ children }) => {
 
     dispatch(fetchAnnouncements());
 
-    if (features.chats) {
-      // dispatch(fetchChats());
-    }
-
     if (account.staff) {
       dispatch(fetchReports({ resolved: false }));
       dispatch(fetchUsers(['local', 'need_approval']));
diff --git a/app/soapbox/utils/chats.ts b/app/soapbox/utils/chats.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a19bf789a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/soapbox/utils/chats.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
+import { InfiniteData } from '@tanstack/react-query';
+
+import { normalizeChatMessage } from 'soapbox/normalizers';
+import { ChatKeys } from 'soapbox/queries/chats';
+import { queryClient } from 'soapbox/queries/client';
+import { Chat, ChatMessage } from 'soapbox/types/entities';
+
+import { compareDate } from './comparators';
+import { appendPageItem, flattenPages, PaginatedResult, sortQueryData, updatePageItem } from './queries';
+
+interface ChatPayload extends Omit<Chat, 'last_message'> {
+  last_message: ChatMessage | null,
+}
+
+/**
+ * Update the Chat entity inside the ChatSearch query.
+ * @param newChat - Chat entity.
+ */
+const updateChatInChatSearchQuery = (newChat: ChatPayload) => {
+  updatePageItem<ChatPayload>(ChatKeys.chatSearch(), newChat as any, (o, n) => o.id === n.id);
+};
+
+/**
+ * Re-order the ChatSearch query by the last message timestamp.
+ */
+const reOrderChatListItems = () => {
+  sortQueryData<ChatPayload>(ChatKeys.chatSearch(), (chatA, chatB) => {
+    return compareDate(chatA.last_message?.created_at as string, chatB.last_message?.created_at as string);
+  });
+};
+
+/**
+ * Check if a Chat entity exists within the cached ChatSearch query.
+ * @param chatId - String
+ * @returns Boolean
+ */
+const checkIfChatExists = (chatId: string) => {
+  const currentChats = flattenPages(
+    queryClient.getQueryData<InfiniteData<PaginatedResult<Chat>>>(ChatKeys.chatSearch()),
+  );
+
+  return currentChats?.find((chat: Chat) => chat.id === chatId);
+};
+
+/**
+ * Force a re-fetch of ChatSearch.
+ */
+const invalidateChatSearchQuery = () => {
+  queryClient.invalidateQueries(ChatKeys.chatSearch());
+};
+
+const updateChatListItem = (newChat: ChatPayload) => {
+  const { id: chatId, last_message: lastMessage } = newChat;
+
+  const isChatAlreadyLoaded = checkIfChatExists(chatId);
+
+  if (isChatAlreadyLoaded) {
+    // If the chat exists in the client, let's update it.
+    updateChatInChatSearchQuery(newChat);
+    // Now that we have the new chat loaded, let's re-sort to put
+    // the most recent on top.
+    reOrderChatListItems();
+  } else {
+    // If this is a brand-new chat, let's invalid the queries.
+    invalidateChatSearchQuery();
+  }
+
+  if (lastMessage) {
+    // Update the Chat Messages query data.
+    appendPageItem(ChatKeys.chatMessages(newChat.id), normalizeChatMessage(lastMessage));
+  }
+};
+
+export { updateChatListItem };
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/app/soapbox/utils/comparators.ts b/app/soapbox/utils/comparators.ts
index 14c3ba4df..ed91510e8 100644
--- a/app/soapbox/utils/comparators.ts
+++ b/app/soapbox/utils/comparators.ts
@@ -20,4 +20,20 @@ function compareId(id1: string, id2: string) {
   }
 }
 
-export { compareId };
\ No newline at end of file
+/**
+ * Compare by dates, where most recent date is returned first.
+ *
+ * @param dateString1 - string that is parsable by Date
+ * @param dateString2 - string that is parsable by Date
+ * @returns 1 | -1 | 0
+ */
+function compareDate(dateString1: string, dateString2: string) {
+  const date1 = new Date(dateString1);
+  const date2 = new Date(dateString2);
+
+  if (date2 < date1) return -1;
+  if (date2 > date1) return 1;
+  return 0;
+}
+
+export { compareId, compareDate };
\ No newline at end of file