diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/geeksville/mesh/database/PacketRepository.kt b/app/src/main/java/com/geeksville/mesh/database/PacketRepository.kt
index e9ccb341e..a6b61d643 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/com/geeksville/mesh/database/PacketRepository.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/geeksville/mesh/database/PacketRepository.kt
@@ -18,6 +18,8 @@ class PacketRepository @Inject constructor(private val packetDaoLazy: dagger.Laz
         packetDao.getAllPackets()
     }
 
+    fun getContacts(): Flow<Map<String, Packet>> = packetDao.getContactKeys()
+
     suspend fun getQueuedPackets(): List<DataPacket>? = withContext(Dispatchers.IO) {
         packetDao.getQueuedPackets()
     }
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/geeksville/mesh/database/dao/PacketDao.kt b/app/src/main/java/com/geeksville/mesh/database/dao/PacketDao.kt
index 2b159289c..5d7ae134e 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/com/geeksville/mesh/database/dao/PacketDao.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/geeksville/mesh/database/dao/PacketDao.kt
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package com.geeksville.mesh.database.dao
 
 import androidx.room.Dao
 import androidx.room.Insert
+import androidx.room.MapColumn
 import androidx.room.Update
 import androidx.room.Query
 import androidx.room.Transaction
@@ -16,6 +17,9 @@ interface PacketDao {
     @Query("Select * from packet order by received_time asc")
     fun getAllPackets(): Flow<List<Packet>>
 
+    @Query("Select * from packet where port_num = 1 order by received_time desc")
+    fun getContactKeys(): Flow<Map<@MapColumn(columnName = "contact_key") String, Packet>>
+
     @Insert
     fun insert(packet: Packet)
 
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/geeksville/mesh/model/UIState.kt b/app/src/main/java/com/geeksville/mesh/model/UIState.kt
index 8a4a9f038..a2e230f2a 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/com/geeksville/mesh/model/UIState.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/geeksville/mesh/model/UIState.kt
@@ -198,9 +198,14 @@ class UIViewModel @Inject constructor(
     }.asLiveData()
 
     @OptIn(ExperimentalCoroutinesApi::class)
-    val contacts: LiveData<Map<String, Packet>> = _packets.mapLatest { list ->
-        list.filter { it.port_num == Portnums.PortNum.TEXT_MESSAGE_APP_VALUE }
-            .associateBy { packet -> packet.contact_key }
+    val contacts: LiveData<Map<String, Packet>> = packetRepository.getContacts().mapLatest {
+        // Add empty channel placeholders (always show Broadcast contacts, even when empty)
+        val placeholder = (0 until channelSet.settingsCount).associate { ch ->
+            val contactKey = "$ch${DataPacket.ID_BROADCAST}"
+            val data = DataPacket(bytes = null, dataType = 1, time = 0L, channel = ch)
+            contactKey to Packet(0L, 1, contactKey, 0L, data)
+        }
+        it + (placeholder - it.keys)
     }.asLiveData()
 
     @OptIn(ExperimentalCoroutinesApi::class)
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/geeksville/mesh/ui/ContactsFragment.kt b/app/src/main/java/com/geeksville/mesh/ui/ContactsFragment.kt
index 6939690ac..fd16f3ce1 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/com/geeksville/mesh/ui/ContactsFragment.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/geeksville/mesh/ui/ContactsFragment.kt
@@ -171,16 +171,7 @@ class ContactsFragment : ScreenFragment("Messages"), Logging {
         }
 
         fun onContactsChanged(contacts: Map<String, Packet>) {
-            // Add empty channel placeholders (always show Broadcast contacts, even when empty)
-            val mutableMap = contacts.toMutableMap()
-            for (ch in 0 until model.channelSet.settingsCount) {
-                val contactKey = "$ch${DataPacket.ID_BROADCAST}"
-                if (mutableMap[contactKey] == null) mutableMap[contactKey] = Packet(
-                    0L, 1, contactKey, 0L,
-                    DataPacket(bytes = null, dataType = 1, time = 0L, channel = ch)
-                )
-            }
-            this.contacts = mutableMap.values.sortedByDescending { it.received_time }.toTypedArray()
+            this.contacts = contacts.values.toTypedArray()
             notifyDataSetChanged() // FIXME, this is super expensive and redraws all nodes
         }