diff --git a/app/src/main/java/org/thoughtcrime/securesms/database/MmsDatabase.kt b/app/src/main/java/org/thoughtcrime/securesms/database/MmsDatabase.kt
index 60c4de6883..244f5db117 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/org/thoughtcrime/securesms/database/MmsDatabase.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/org/thoughtcrime/securesms/database/MmsDatabase.kt
@@ -175,7 +175,7 @@ class MmsDatabase(context: Context, databaseHelper: SQLCipherOpenHelper) : Messa
                         )
                         get(context).groupReceiptDatabase()
                             .update(ourAddress, id, status, timestamp)
-                        get(context).threadDatabase().update(threadId, false, true)
+                        get(context).threadDatabase().update(threadId, false)
                         notifyConversationListeners(threadId)
                     }
                 }
@@ -274,7 +274,7 @@ class MmsDatabase(context: Context, databaseHelper: SQLCipherOpenHelper) : Messa
                     " WHERE " + ID + " = ?", arrayOf(id.toString() + "")
         )
         if (threadId.isPresent) {
-            get(context).threadDatabase().update(threadId.get(), false, true)
+            get(context).threadDatabase().update(threadId.get(), false)
         }
     }
 
@@ -646,7 +646,7 @@ class MmsDatabase(context: Context, databaseHelper: SQLCipherOpenHelper) : Messa
         )
         if (!MmsSmsColumns.Types.isExpirationTimerUpdate(mailbox)) {
             if (runThreadUpdate) {
-                get(context).threadDatabase().update(threadId, true, true)
+                get(context).threadDatabase().update(threadId, true)
             }
         }
         notifyConversationListeners(threadId)
@@ -791,7 +791,7 @@ class MmsDatabase(context: Context, databaseHelper: SQLCipherOpenHelper) : Messa
             }
             setHasSent(threadId, true)
             if (runThreadUpdate) {
-                update(threadId, true, true)
+                update(threadId, true)
             }
         }
         return messageId
@@ -930,7 +930,7 @@ class MmsDatabase(context: Context, databaseHelper: SQLCipherOpenHelper) : Messa
         groupReceiptDatabase.deleteRowsForMessage(messageId)
         val database = databaseHelper.writableDatabase
         database!!.delete(TABLE_NAME, ID_WHERE, arrayOf(messageId.toString()))
-        val threadDeleted = get(context).threadDatabase().update(threadId, false, true)
+        val threadDeleted = get(context).threadDatabase().update(threadId, false)
         notifyConversationListeners(threadId)
         notifyStickerListeners()
         notifyStickerPackListeners()
@@ -948,7 +948,7 @@ class MmsDatabase(context: Context, databaseHelper: SQLCipherOpenHelper) : Messa
             argValues
         )
 
-        val threadDeleted = get(context).threadDatabase().update(threadId, false, true)
+        val threadDeleted = get(context).threadDatabase().update(threadId, false)
         notifyConversationListeners(threadId)
         notifyStickerListeners()
         notifyStickerPackListeners()
@@ -1145,7 +1145,7 @@ class MmsDatabase(context: Context, databaseHelper: SQLCipherOpenHelper) : Messa
         }
         val threadDb = get(context).threadDatabase()
         for (threadId in threadIds) {
-            val threadDeleted = threadDb.update(threadId, false, true)
+            val threadDeleted = threadDb.update(threadId, false)
             notifyConversationListeners(threadId)
         }
         notifyStickerListeners()
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/org/thoughtcrime/securesms/database/SmsDatabase.java b/app/src/main/java/org/thoughtcrime/securesms/database/SmsDatabase.java
index ed7945e8a3..6deca0c939 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/org/thoughtcrime/securesms/database/SmsDatabase.java
+++ b/app/src/main/java/org/thoughtcrime/securesms/database/SmsDatabase.java
@@ -158,7 +158,7 @@ public class SmsDatabase extends MessagingDatabase {
 
     long threadId = getThreadIdForMessage(id);
 
-    DatabaseComponent.get(context).threadDatabase().update(threadId, false, true);
+    DatabaseComponent.get(context).threadDatabase().update(threadId, false);
     notifyConversationListeners(threadId);
   }
 
@@ -261,7 +261,7 @@ public class SmsDatabase extends MessagingDatabase {
 
     long threadId = getThreadIdForMessage(id);
 
-    DatabaseComponent.get(context).threadDatabase().update(threadId, false, true);
+    DatabaseComponent.get(context).threadDatabase().update(threadId, false);
     notifyConversationListeners(threadId);
   }
 
@@ -346,7 +346,7 @@ public class SmsDatabase extends MessagingDatabase {
                              ID + " = ?",
                              new String[] {String.valueOf(cursor.getLong(cursor.getColumnIndexOrThrow(ID)))});
 
-            DatabaseComponent.get(context).threadDatabase().update(threadId, false, true);
+            DatabaseComponent.get(context).threadDatabase().update(threadId, false);
             notifyConversationListeners(threadId);
             foundMessage = true;
           }
@@ -429,7 +429,7 @@ public class SmsDatabase extends MessagingDatabase {
 
     long threadId = getThreadIdForMessage(messageId);
 
-    DatabaseComponent.get(context).threadDatabase().update(threadId, true, true);
+    DatabaseComponent.get(context).threadDatabase().update(threadId, true);
     notifyConversationListeners(threadId);
     notifyConversationListListeners();
 
@@ -504,7 +504,7 @@ public class SmsDatabase extends MessagingDatabase {
       long           messageId = db.insert(TABLE_NAME, null, values);
 
       if (runThreadUpdate) {
-        DatabaseComponent.get(context).threadDatabase().update(threadId, true, true);
+        DatabaseComponent.get(context).threadDatabase().update(threadId, true);
       }
 
       if (message.getSubscriptionId() != -1) {
@@ -596,7 +596,7 @@ public class SmsDatabase extends MessagingDatabase {
     }
 
     if (runThreadUpdate) {
-      DatabaseComponent.get(context).threadDatabase().update(threadId, true, true);
+      DatabaseComponent.get(context).threadDatabase().update(threadId, true);
     }
     long lastSeen = DatabaseComponent.get(context).threadDatabase().getLastSeenAndHasSent(threadId).first();
     if (lastSeen < message.getSentTimestampMillis()) {
@@ -656,7 +656,7 @@ public class SmsDatabase extends MessagingDatabase {
     long threadId = getThreadIdForMessage(messageId);
     db.delete(TABLE_NAME, ID_WHERE, new String[] {messageId+""});
     notifyConversationListeners(threadId);
-    boolean threadDeleted = DatabaseComponent.get(context).threadDatabase().update(threadId, false, false);
+    boolean threadDeleted = DatabaseComponent.get(context).threadDatabase().update(threadId, false);
     return threadDeleted;
   }
 
@@ -676,7 +676,7 @@ public class SmsDatabase extends MessagingDatabase {
       ID + " IN (" + StringUtils.join(argsArray, ',') + ")",
       argValues
     );
-    boolean threadDeleted = DatabaseComponent.get(context).threadDatabase().update(threadId, false, true);
+    boolean threadDeleted = DatabaseComponent.get(context).threadDatabase().update(threadId, false);
     notifyConversationListeners(threadId);
     return threadDeleted;
   }
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 4fd9f97ede..fc27d8ebd8 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/org/thoughtcrime/securesms/database/Storage.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/org/thoughtcrime/securesms/database/Storage.kt
@@ -287,7 +287,7 @@ open class Storage(
 
     override fun updateThread(threadId: Long, unarchive: Boolean) {
         val threadDb = DatabaseComponent.get(context).threadDatabase()
-        threadDb.update(threadId, unarchive, false)
+        threadDb.update(threadId, unarchive)
     }
 
     override fun persist(message: VisibleMessage,
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 f48686aded..5cc8bd06f7 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/org/thoughtcrime/securesms/database/ThreadDatabase.java
+++ b/app/src/main/java/org/thoughtcrime/securesms/database/ThreadDatabase.java
@@ -188,6 +188,16 @@ public class ThreadDatabase extends Database {
     notifyConversationListListeners();
   }
 
+  public void clearSnippet(long threadId){
+    ContentValues contentValues = new ContentValues(1);
+
+    contentValues.put(SNIPPET, "");
+
+    SQLiteDatabase db = databaseHelper.getWritableDatabase();
+    db.update(TABLE_NAME, contentValues, ID + " = ?", new String[] {threadId + ""});
+    notifyConversationListListeners();
+  }
+
   public void updateSnippet(long threadId, String snippet, @Nullable Uri attachment, long date, long type, boolean unarchive) {
     ContentValues contentValues = new ContentValues(4);
 
@@ -281,7 +291,7 @@ public class ThreadDatabase extends Database {
         DatabaseComponent.get(context).smsDatabase().deleteMessagesInThreadBeforeDate(threadId, lastTweetDate);
         DatabaseComponent.get(context).mmsDatabase().deleteMessagesInThreadBeforeDate(threadId, lastTweetDate);
 
-        update(threadId, false, true);
+        update(threadId, false);
         notifyConversationListeners(threadId);
       }
     } finally {
@@ -294,7 +304,7 @@ public class ThreadDatabase extends Database {
     Log.i("ThreadDatabase", "Trimming thread: " + threadId + " before :"+timestamp);
     DatabaseComponent.get(context).smsDatabase().deleteMessagesInThreadBeforeDate(threadId, timestamp);
     DatabaseComponent.get(context).mmsDatabase().deleteMessagesInThreadBeforeDate(threadId, timestamp);
-    update(threadId, false, true);
+    update(threadId, false);
     notifyConversationListeners(threadId);
   }
 
@@ -722,18 +732,10 @@ public class ThreadDatabase extends Database {
     notifyConversationListListeners();
   }
 
-  public boolean update(long threadId, boolean unarchive, boolean shouldDeleteOnEmpty) {
+  public boolean update(long threadId, boolean unarchive) {
     MmsSmsDatabase mmsSmsDatabase = DatabaseComponent.get(context).mmsSmsDatabase();
     long count                    = mmsSmsDatabase.getConversationCount(threadId);
 
-    boolean shouldDeleteEmptyThread = shouldDeleteOnEmpty && possibleToDeleteThreadOnEmpty(threadId);
-
-    if (count == 0 && shouldDeleteEmptyThread) {
-      deleteThread(threadId);
-      notifyConversationListListeners();
-      return true;
-    }
-
     try (MmsSmsDatabase.Reader reader = mmsSmsDatabase.readerFor(mmsSmsDatabase.getConversationSnippet(threadId))) {
       MessageRecord record = null;
       if (reader != null) {
@@ -748,11 +750,8 @@ public class ThreadDatabase extends Database {
                      record.getType(), unarchive, record.getExpiresIn(), record.getReadReceiptCount());
         return false;
       } else {
-        if (shouldDeleteEmptyThread) {
-          deleteThread(threadId);
-          return true;
-        }
-        // todo: add empty snippet that clears existing data
+        // for empty threads or if there is only deleted messages, show an empty snippet
+        clearSnippet(threadId);
         return false;
       }
     } finally {
@@ -800,11 +799,6 @@ public class ThreadDatabase extends Database {
     return setLastSeen(threadId, lastSeenTime);
   }
 
-  private boolean possibleToDeleteThreadOnEmpty(long threadId) {
-    Recipient threadRecipient = getRecipientForThreadId(threadId);
-    return threadRecipient != null && !threadRecipient.isCommunityRecipient();
-  }
-
   private @NonNull String getFormattedBodyFor(@NonNull MessageRecord messageRecord) {
     if (messageRecord.isMms()) {
       MmsMessageRecord record = (MmsMessageRecord) messageRecord;