diff --git a/app/src/main/java/org/thoughtcrime/securesms/conversation/v2/ConversationActivityV2.kt b/app/src/main/java/org/thoughtcrime/securesms/conversation/v2/ConversationActivityV2.kt
index fe5d41af11..49a1a033fa 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/org/thoughtcrime/securesms/conversation/v2/ConversationActivityV2.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/org/thoughtcrime/securesms/conversation/v2/ConversationActivityV2.kt
@@ -248,6 +248,10 @@ class ConversationActivityV2 : PassphraseRequiredActionBarActivity(), InputBarDe
                     // assume created thread
                     if (recipient.isContactRecipient && !recipient.isLocalNumber) {
                         storage.setRecipientApproved(recipient, true) // assume approved when we CREATE the thread, not send first message
+                    } else if (recipient.isLocalNumber) {
+                        // this gets around the filtering of unapproved / unsent threads
+                        // since the sql query would have to take into account whether address == local user address
+                        threadDb.setHasSent(threadId, true)
                     }
                 }
             } ?: finish()
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/org/thoughtcrime/securesms/database/Storage.kt b/app/src/main/java/org/thoughtcrime/securesms/database/Storage.kt
index 4c99e9fe66..7d3b0a672a 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/org/thoughtcrime/securesms/database/Storage.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/org/thoughtcrime/securesms/database/Storage.kt
@@ -182,8 +182,9 @@ open class Storage(context: Context, helper: SQLCipherOpenHelper, private val co
         val ourRecipient = fromSerialized(getUserPublicKey()!!).let {
             Recipient.from(context, it, false)
         }
-        TextSecurePreferences.setProfilePictureURL(context, newProfilePicture)
+        ourRecipient.resolve().profileKey = newProfileKey
         TextSecurePreferences.setProfileKey(context, newProfileKey?.let { Base64.encodeBytes(it) })
+        TextSecurePreferences.setProfilePictureURL(context, newProfilePicture)
         ApplicationContext.getInstance(context).jobManager.add(RetrieveProfileAvatarJob(ourRecipient, newProfilePicture))
     }
 
@@ -437,6 +438,7 @@ open class Storage(context: Context, helper: SQLCipherOpenHelper, private val co
         } else {
             // create note to self thread if needed (?)
             val ourThread = getOrCreateThreadIdFor(recipient.address)
+            DatabaseComponent.get(context).threadDatabase().setHasSent(ourThread, true)
             setPinned(ourThread, userProfile.getNtsPriority() > 0)
         }
 
@@ -1008,7 +1010,10 @@ open class Storage(context: Context, helper: SQLCipherOpenHelper, private val co
         val communityInfo = groups.getOrConstructCommunityInfo(infoServer, infoRoom, pubKeyHex)
         groups.set(communityInfo)
         val volatile = volatileConfig.getOrConstructCommunity(infoServer, infoRoom, pubKey)
-        volatileConfig.set(volatile.copy(lastRead = 0))
+        if (volatile.lastRead != 0L) {
+            val threadId = getThreadId(openGroup) ?: return
+            markConversationAsRead(threadId, volatile.lastRead)
+        }
     }
 
     override fun hasBackgroundGroupAddJob(groupJoinUrl: String): Boolean {
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/org/thoughtcrime/securesms/database/ThreadDatabase.java b/app/src/main/java/org/thoughtcrime/securesms/database/ThreadDatabase.java
index c5f9fd2fd3..b8f90bd14d 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/org/thoughtcrime/securesms/database/ThreadDatabase.java
+++ b/app/src/main/java/org/thoughtcrime/securesms/database/ThreadDatabase.java
@@ -539,7 +539,8 @@ public class ThreadDatabase extends Database {
   public boolean setLastSeen(long threadId, long timestamp) {
     // edge case where we set the last seen time for a conversation before it loads messages (joining community for example)
     MmsSmsDatabase mmsSmsDatabase = DatabaseComponent.get(context).mmsSmsDatabase();
-    if (mmsSmsDatabase.getConversationCount(threadId) <= 0) return false;
+    Recipient forThreadId = getRecipientForThreadId(threadId);
+    if (mmsSmsDatabase.getConversationCount(threadId) <= 0 && forThreadId != null && forThreadId.isOpenGroupRecipient()) return false;
 
     SQLiteDatabase db = databaseHelper.getWritableDatabase();
 
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/org/thoughtcrime/securesms/preferences/SettingsActivity.kt b/app/src/main/java/org/thoughtcrime/securesms/preferences/SettingsActivity.kt
index 635ee1becd..1e44574925 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/org/thoughtcrime/securesms/preferences/SettingsActivity.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/org/thoughtcrime/securesms/preferences/SettingsActivity.kt
@@ -2,7 +2,10 @@ package org.thoughtcrime.securesms.preferences
 
 import android.Manifest
 import android.app.Activity
-import android.content.*
+import android.content.ClipData
+import android.content.ClipboardManager
+import android.content.Context
+import android.content.Intent
 import android.net.Uri
 import android.os.AsyncTask
 import android.os.Bundle
@@ -232,16 +235,16 @@ class SettingsActivity : PassphraseRequiredActionBarActivity() {
                 // new config
                 val url = TextSecurePreferences.getProfilePictureURL(this)
                 val profileKey = ProfileKeyUtil.getProfileKey(this)
-                if (!url.isNullOrEmpty() && profileKey.isNotEmpty()) {
+                if (profilePicture == null) {
+                    userConfig?.setPic(UserPic.DEFAULT)
+                } else if (!url.isNullOrEmpty() && profileKey.isNotEmpty()) {
                     userConfig?.setPic(UserPic(url, profileKey))
                 }
             }
-            if (profilePicture != null || displayName != null) {
-                if (userConfig != null && userConfig.needsDump()) {
-                    configFactory.persist(userConfig)
-                }
-                ConfigurationMessageUtilities.forceSyncConfigurationNowIfNeeded(this@SettingsActivity)
+            if (userConfig != null && userConfig.needsDump()) {
+                configFactory.persist(userConfig)
             }
+            ConfigurationMessageUtilities.forceSyncConfigurationNowIfNeeded(this@SettingsActivity)
         }
         compoundPromise.alwaysUi {
             if (displayName != null) {