diff --git a/apps/ios/Shared/AppDelegate.swift b/apps/ios/Shared/AppDelegate.swift
index bbec769a79..64f963e973 100644
--- a/apps/ios/Shared/AppDelegate.swift
+++ b/apps/ios/Shared/AppDelegate.swift
@@ -65,11 +65,13 @@ class AppDelegate: NSObject, UIApplicationDelegate {
                 logger.debug("AppDelegate: didReceiveRemoteNotification: checkMessages")
                 // TODO remove
                 // NtfManager.shared.notifyCheckingMessages()
-                receiveMessages(completionHandler)
+                completionHandler(.noData)
+//                receiveMessages(completionHandler)
             } else if let smpQueue = ntfData["checkMessage"] as? String {
                 // TODO check if app in background
                 logger.debug("AppDelegate: didReceiveRemoteNotification: checkMessage \(smpQueue)")
-                receiveMessages(completionHandler)
+                completionHandler(.noData)
+//                receiveMessages(completionHandler)
             } else {
                 completionHandler(.noData)
             }
diff --git a/apps/ios/Shared/ContentView.swift b/apps/ios/Shared/ContentView.swift
index 356292334b..914071e417 100644
--- a/apps/ios/Shared/ContentView.swift
+++ b/apps/ios/Shared/ContentView.swift
@@ -14,7 +14,6 @@ struct ContentView: View {
     @Binding var doAuthenticate: Bool
     @Binding var userAuthorized: Bool?
     @State private var showChatInfo: Bool = false // TODO comprehensively close modal views on authentication
-    @State private var v3DBMigration = v3DBMigrationDefault.get()
     @AppStorage(DEFAULT_SHOW_LA_NOTICE) private var prefShowLANotice = false
     @AppStorage(DEFAULT_LA_NOTICE_SHOWN) private var prefLANoticeShown = false
     @AppStorage(DEFAULT_PERFORM_LA) private var prefPerformLA = false
@@ -23,16 +22,14 @@ struct ContentView: View {
         ZStack {
             if prefPerformLA && userAuthorized != true {
                 Button(action: runAuthenticate) { Label("Unlock", systemImage: "lock") }
-            } else {
-                if let step = chatModel.onboardingStage {
-                    if case .onboardingComplete = step,
-                       chatModel.currentUser != nil {
-                        mainView()
-                    } else {
-                        OnboardingView(onboarding: step)
-                    }
-                } else if !v3DBMigrationDefault.get().startChat {
-                    MigrateToAppGroupView()
+            } else if !chatModel.v3DBMigration.startChat {
+                MigrateToAppGroupView()
+            } else if let step = chatModel.onboardingStage  {
+                if case .onboardingComplete = step,
+                   chatModel.currentUser != nil {
+                    mainView()
+                } else {
+                    OnboardingView(onboarding: step)
                 }
             }
         }
diff --git a/apps/ios/Shared/Model/ChatModel.swift b/apps/ios/Shared/Model/ChatModel.swift
index 41ba73c613..2292a60c94 100644
--- a/apps/ios/Shared/Model/ChatModel.swift
+++ b/apps/ios/Shared/Model/ChatModel.swift
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import SimpleXChat
 
 final class ChatModel: ObservableObject {
     @Published var onboardingStage: OnboardingStage?
+    @Published var v3DBMigration: V3DBMigrationState = v3DBMigrationDefault.get()
     @Published var currentUser: User?
     @Published var chatRunning: Bool?
     @Published var chatDbChanged = false
@@ -92,13 +93,21 @@ final class ChatModel: ObservableObject {
 
     func replaceChat(_ id: String, _ chat: Chat) {
         if let i = getChatIndex(id) {
+            let serverInfo = chats[i].serverInfo
             chats[i] = chat
+            chats[i].serverInfo = serverInfo
         } else {
             // invalid state, correcting
             chats.insert(chat, at: 0)
         }
     }
 
+    func replaceChats(with newChats: [Chat]) {
+        for chat in newChats {
+            replaceChat(chat.id, chat)
+        }
+    }
+
     func addChatItem(_ cInfo: ChatInfo, _ cItem: ChatItem) {
         // update previews
         if let i = getChatIndex(cInfo.id) {
@@ -248,6 +257,7 @@ final class Chat: ObservableObject, Identifiable {
     @Published var chatItems: [ChatItem]
     @Published var chatStats: ChatStats
     @Published var serverInfo = ServerInfo(networkStatus: .unknown)
+    var created = Date.now
 
     struct ServerInfo: Decodable {
         var networkStatus: NetworkStatus
@@ -305,4 +315,6 @@ final class Chat: ObservableObject, Identifiable {
     }
 
     var id: ChatId { get { chatInfo.id } }
+
+    var viewId: String { get { "\(chatInfo.id) \(created.timeIntervalSince1970)" } }
 }
diff --git a/apps/ios/Shared/Model/SimpleXAPI.swift b/apps/ios/Shared/Model/SimpleXAPI.swift
index 5d2b9ade8a..fc2a782290 100644
--- a/apps/ios/Shared/Model/SimpleXAPI.swift
+++ b/apps/ios/Shared/Model/SimpleXAPI.swift
@@ -520,7 +520,6 @@ func initializeChat(start: Bool) throws {
 func startChat() throws {
     logger.debug("startChat")
     let m = ChatModel.shared
-    // TODO set file folder once, before chat is started
     let justStarted = try apiStartChat()
     if justStarted {
         m.userAddress = try apiGetUserAddress()
diff --git a/apps/ios/Shared/SimpleXApp.swift b/apps/ios/Shared/SimpleXApp.swift
index 3ef7993e84..a79f7bab83 100644
--- a/apps/ios/Shared/SimpleXApp.swift
+++ b/apps/ios/Shared/SimpleXApp.swift
@@ -40,7 +40,8 @@ struct SimpleXApp: App {
                 }
                 .onAppear() {
                     do {
-                        try initializeChat(start: v3DBMigrationDefault.get().startChat)
+                        chatModel.v3DBMigration = v3DBMigrationDefault.get()
+                        try initializeChat(start: chatModel.v3DBMigration.startChat)
                     } catch let error {
                         fatalError("Failed to start or load chats: \(responseError(error))")
                     }
@@ -59,11 +60,15 @@ struct SimpleXApp: App {
                         }
                         doAuthenticate = false
                     case .active:
-                        activateChat()
                         if chatModel.chatRunning == true {
                             ChatReceiver.shared.start()
+                        }
+                        let appState = appStateGroupDefault.get()
+                        activateChat()
+                        if appState.inactive && chatModel.chatRunning == true {
                             do {
-                                chatModel.chats = try apiGetChats()
+                                let chats = try apiGetChats()
+                                chatModel.replaceChats(with: chats)
                             } catch let error {
                                 logger.error("apiGetChats: cannot update chats \(responseError(error))")
                             }
diff --git a/apps/ios/Shared/Views/ChatList/ChatListView.swift b/apps/ios/Shared/Views/ChatList/ChatListView.swift
index e4b3d87b18..e3087ed30a 100644
--- a/apps/ios/Shared/Views/ChatList/ChatListView.swift
+++ b/apps/ios/Shared/Views/ChatList/ChatListView.swift
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ struct ChatListView: View {
     var body: some View {
         let v = NavigationView {
             List {
-                ForEach(filteredChats()) { chat in
+                ForEach(filteredChats(), id: \.viewId) { chat in
                     ChatListNavLink(chat: chat, showChatInfo: $showChatInfo)
                         .padding(.trailing, -16)
                         .disabled(chatModel.chatRunning != true)
diff --git a/apps/ios/Shared/Views/Database/MigrateToAppGroupView.swift b/apps/ios/Shared/Views/Database/MigrateToAppGroupView.swift
index 3749047b3f..a53c6a2b40 100644
--- a/apps/ios/Shared/Views/Database/MigrateToAppGroupView.swift
+++ b/apps/ios/Shared/Views/Database/MigrateToAppGroupView.swift
@@ -37,7 +37,6 @@ let v3DBMigrationDefault = EnumDefault<V3DBMigrationState>(
 
 struct MigrateToAppGroupView: View {
     @EnvironmentObject var chatModel: ChatModel
-    @State private var v3DBMigration = v3DBMigrationDefault.get()
     @State private var migrationError = ""
     @AppStorage(DEFAULT_CHAT_ARCHIVE_NAME) private var chatArchiveName: String?
     @AppStorage(DEFAULT_CHAT_ARCHIVE_TIME) private var chatArchiveTime: Double = 0
@@ -46,7 +45,7 @@ struct MigrateToAppGroupView: View {
         ZStack(alignment: .topLeading) {
             Text("Database migration").font(.largeTitle)
 
-            switch v3DBMigration {
+            switch chatModel.v3DBMigration {
             case .offer:
                 VStack(alignment: .leading, spacing: 16) {
                     Text("To support instant push notifications the chat database has to be migrated.")
@@ -128,7 +127,7 @@ struct MigrateToAppGroupView: View {
             default:
                 Spacer()
                 Text("Unexpected migration state")
-                Text("\(v3DBMigration.rawValue)")
+                Text("\(chatModel.v3DBMigration.rawValue)")
                 Spacer()
                 skipMigration()
             }
@@ -174,7 +173,7 @@ struct MigrateToAppGroupView: View {
     }
 
     private func setV3DBMigration(_ value: V3DBMigrationState) {
-        v3DBMigration = value
+        chatModel.v3DBMigration = value
         v3DBMigrationDefault.set(value)
     }
 
@@ -201,7 +200,7 @@ struct MigrateToAppGroupView: View {
                 await MainActor.run { setV3DBMigration(.migrating) }
                 dbContainerGroupDefault.set(.group)
                 resetChatCtrl()
-                try initializeChat(start: false)
+                try await MainActor.run { try initializeChat(start: false) }
                 try await apiImportArchive(config: config)
                 await MainActor.run { setV3DBMigration(.migrated) }
             } catch let error {
diff --git a/apps/ios/SimpleXChat/AppGroup.swift b/apps/ios/SimpleXChat/AppGroup.swift
index b55c559bcd..b71d192969 100644
--- a/apps/ios/SimpleXChat/AppGroup.swift
+++ b/apps/ios/SimpleXChat/AppGroup.swift
@@ -22,6 +22,14 @@ public enum AppState: String {
     case bgRefresh
     case suspending
     case suspended
+
+    public var inactive: Bool {
+        switch self {
+        case .suspending: return true
+        case .suspended: return true
+        default: return false
+        }
+    }
 }
 
 public enum DBContainer: String {