diff --git a/apps/ios/Shared/Model/ChatModel.swift b/apps/ios/Shared/Model/ChatModel.swift
index 4866719469..ecc86de4dc 100644
--- a/apps/ios/Shared/Model/ChatModel.swift
+++ b/apps/ios/Shared/Model/ChatModel.swift
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ final class ChatModel: ObservableObject {
     }
 
     func updateContact(_ contact: Contact) {
-        updateChat(.direct(contact: contact), addMissing: !contact.isIndirectContact && !contact.viaGroupLink)
+        updateChat(.direct(contact: contact), addMissing: contact.directContact)
     }
 
     func updateGroup(_ groupInfo: GroupInfo) {
diff --git a/apps/ios/Shared/Model/SimpleXAPI.swift b/apps/ios/Shared/Model/SimpleXAPI.swift
index f5a62e7f0b..d889c0d150 100644
--- a/apps/ios/Shared/Model/SimpleXAPI.swift
+++ b/apps/ios/Shared/Model/SimpleXAPI.swift
@@ -917,7 +917,7 @@ func processReceivedMsg(_ res: ChatResponse) async {
         case let .contactConnectionDeleted(connection):
             m.removeChat(connection.id)
         case let .contactConnected(contact, _):
-            if !contact.viaGroupLink {
+            if contact.directContact {
                 m.updateContact(contact)
                 m.dismissConnReqView(contact.activeConn.id)
                 m.removeChat(contact.activeConn.id)
@@ -925,7 +925,7 @@ func processReceivedMsg(_ res: ChatResponse) async {
                 NtfManager.shared.notifyContactConnected(contact)
             }
         case let .contactConnecting(contact):
-            if !contact.viaGroupLink {
+            if contact.directContact {
                 m.updateContact(contact)
                 m.dismissConnReqView(contact.activeConn.id)
                 m.removeChat(contact.activeConn.id)
diff --git a/apps/ios/Shared/Views/Chat/Group/GroupMemberInfoView.swift b/apps/ios/Shared/Views/Chat/Group/GroupMemberInfoView.swift
index 0095af6eba..ac28a5419c 100644
--- a/apps/ios/Shared/Views/Chat/Group/GroupMemberInfoView.swift
+++ b/apps/ios/Shared/Views/Chat/Group/GroupMemberInfoView.swift
@@ -42,9 +42,16 @@ struct GroupMemberInfoView: View {
                     groupMemberInfoHeader(member)
                         .listRowBackground(Color.clear)
 
-                    if let contactId = member.memberContactId, groupInfo.fullGroupPreferences.directMessages.enable == .on {
-                        Section {
-                            openDirectChatButton(contactId)
+                    if let contactId = member.memberContactId {
+                        if let chat = chatModel.getContactChat(contactId),
+                           chat.chatInfo.contact?.directContact ?? false {
+                            Section {
+                                knownDirectChatButton(chat)
+                            }
+                        } else if groupInfo.fullGroupPreferences.directMessages.on {
+                            Section {
+                                newDirectChatButton(contactId)
+                            }
                         }
                     }
 
@@ -112,26 +119,30 @@ struct GroupMemberInfoView: View {
         }
     }
 
-    func openDirectChatButton(_ contactId: Int64) -> some View {
+    func knownDirectChatButton(_ chat: Chat) -> some View {
         Button {
-            var chat = chatModel.getContactChat(contactId)
-            if chat == nil {
-                do {
-                    chat = try apiGetChat(type: .direct, id: contactId)
-                    if let chat = chat {
-                        // TODO it's not correct to blindly set network status to connected - we should manage network status in model / backend
-                        chat.serverInfo = Chat.ServerInfo(networkStatus: .connected)
-                        chatModel.addChat(chat)
-                    }
-                } catch let error {
-                    logger.error("openDirectChatButton apiGetChat error: \(responseError(error))")
-                }
+            dismissAllSheets(animated: true)
+            DispatchQueue.main.async {
+                chatModel.chatId = chat.id
             }
-            if let chat = chat {
+        } label: {
+            Label("Send direct message", systemImage: "message")
+        }
+    }
+
+    func newDirectChatButton(_ contactId: Int64) -> some View {
+        Button {
+            do {
+                let chat = try apiGetChat(type: .direct, id: contactId)
+                // TODO it's not correct to blindly set network status to connected - we should manage network status in model / backend
+                chat.serverInfo = Chat.ServerInfo(networkStatus: .connected)
+                chatModel.addChat(chat)
                 dismissAllSheets(animated: true)
                 DispatchQueue.main.async {
                     chatModel.chatId = chat.id
                 }
+            } catch let error {
+                logger.error("openDirectChatButton apiGetChat error: \(responseError(error))")
             }
         } label: {
             Label("Send direct message", systemImage: "message")
diff --git a/apps/ios/SimpleXChat/ChatTypes.swift b/apps/ios/SimpleXChat/ChatTypes.swift
index b606712e0f..1540ed6fa1 100644
--- a/apps/ios/SimpleXChat/ChatTypes.swift
+++ b/apps/ios/SimpleXChat/ChatTypes.swift
@@ -802,6 +802,7 @@ public struct Contact: Identifiable, Decodable, NamedChat {
     public var profile: LocalProfile
     public var activeConn: Connection
     public var viaGroup: Int64?
+    public var contactUsed: Bool
     public var chatSettings: ChatSettings
     public var userPreferences: Preferences
     public var mergedPreferences: ContactUserPreferences
@@ -817,12 +818,8 @@ public struct Contact: Identifiable, Decodable, NamedChat {
     public var image: String? { get { profile.image } }
     public var localAlias: String { profile.localAlias }
 
-    public var isIndirectContact: Bool {
-        activeConn.connLevel > 0 || viaGroup != nil
-    }
-
-    public var viaGroupLink: Bool {
-        activeConn.viaGroupLink
+    public var directContact: Bool {
+        (activeConn.connLevel == 0 && !activeConn.viaGroupLink) || contactUsed
     }
 
     public var contactConnIncognito: Bool {
@@ -834,6 +831,7 @@ public struct Contact: Identifiable, Decodable, NamedChat {
         localDisplayName: "alice",
         profile: LocalProfile.sampleData,
         activeConn: Connection.sampleData,
+        contactUsed: true,
         chatSettings: ChatSettings.defaults,
         userPreferences: Preferences.sampleData,
         mergedPreferences: ContactUserPreferences.sampleData,