diff --git a/_locales/en/messages.json b/_locales/en/messages.json
index c23feed5e..f76249055 100644
--- a/_locales/en/messages.json
+++ b/_locales/en/messages.json
@@ -141,11 +141,7 @@
   "zoomFactorSettingTitle": "Zoom Factor",
   "pruneSettingTitle": "Prune Old Open Group Messages",
   "pruneSettingDescription": "Prune messages older than 6 months from Open Groups on start",
-  "pruningOpengroupDialogTitle": "Open group pruning",
-  "pruningOpengroupDialogMessage": "Pruning old open group messages improves performance. Enable pruning for open group messages older than 6 months?",
-  "pruningOpengroupDialogSubMessage": "You can change this setting in the Session settings menu",
   "enable": "Enable",
-  "keepDisabled": "Keep disabled",
   "notificationSettingsDialog": "When messages arrive, display notifications that reveal...",
   "disableNotifications": "Mute notifications",
   "nameAndMessage": "Name and content",
diff --git a/ts/components/leftpane/ActionsPanel.tsx b/ts/components/leftpane/ActionsPanel.tsx
index 83b2e7fea..ff629be05 100644
--- a/ts/components/leftpane/ActionsPanel.tsx
+++ b/ts/components/leftpane/ActionsPanel.tsx
@@ -27,11 +27,7 @@ import { cleanUpOldDecryptedMedias } from '../../session/crypto/DecryptedAttachm
 
 import { DURATION } from '../../session/constants';
 
-import {
-  editProfileModal,
-  onionPathModal,
-  updateConfirmModal,
-} from '../../state/ducks/modalDialog';
+import { editProfileModal, onionPathModal } from '../../state/ducks/modalDialog';
 import { uploadOurAvatar } from '../../interactions/conversationInteractions';
 import { ModalContainer } from '../dialog/ModalContainer';
 import { debounce, isEmpty, isString } from 'lodash';
@@ -54,8 +50,6 @@ import { LeftPaneSectionContainer } from './LeftPaneSectionContainer';
 import { ipcRenderer } from 'electron';
 import { UserUtils } from '../../session/utils';
 
-import { Storage } from '../../util/storage';
-import { SettingsKey } from '../../data/settings-key';
 import { getLatestReleaseFromFileServer } from '../../session/apis/file_server_api/FileServerApi';
 
 const Section = (props: { type: SectionType }) => {
@@ -236,8 +230,6 @@ const doAppStartUp = () => {
   void loadDefaultRooms();
 
   debounce(triggerAvatarReUploadIfNeeded, 200);
-
-  void askEnablingOpengroupPruningIfNeeded();
 };
 
 const CallContainer = () => {
@@ -266,36 +258,6 @@ async function fetchReleaseFromFSAndUpdateMain() {
   }
 }
 
-async function askEnablingOpengroupPruningIfNeeded() {
-  if (Storage.get(SettingsKey.settingsOpengroupPruning) === undefined) {
-    const setSettingsAndCloseDialog = async (valueToSetPruningTo: boolean) => {
-      window.setSettingValue(SettingsKey.settingsOpengroupPruning, valueToSetPruningTo);
-      await window.setOpengroupPruning(valueToSetPruningTo);
-      window.inboxStore?.dispatch(updateConfirmModal(null));
-    };
-    window.inboxStore?.dispatch(
-      updateConfirmModal({
-        onClickOk: async () => {
-          await setSettingsAndCloseDialog(true);
-        },
-        onClickClose: async () => {
-          await setSettingsAndCloseDialog(false);
-        },
-        onClickCancel: async () => {
-          await setSettingsAndCloseDialog(false);
-        },
-        title: window.i18n('pruningOpengroupDialogTitle'),
-        message: window.i18n('pruningOpengroupDialogMessage'),
-        messageSub: window.i18n('pruningOpengroupDialogSubMessage'),
-        okText: window.i18n('enable'),
-        cancelText: window.i18n('keepDisabled'),
-      })
-    );
-    return;
-  }
-  // otherwise nothing to do. the settings is already on or off, but as expected by the user
-}
-
 /**
  * ActionsPanel is the far left banner (not the left pane).
  * The panel with buttons to switch between the message/contact/settings/theme views
diff --git a/ts/node/sql.ts b/ts/node/sql.ts
index fa08c6de4..c77434835 100644
--- a/ts/node/sql.ts
+++ b/ts/node/sql.ts
@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@ import {
   openAndMigrateDatabase,
   updateSchema,
 } from './migration/signalMigrations';
+import { SettingsKey } from '../data/settings-key';
 
 // tslint:disable: no-console function-name non-literal-fs-path
 
@@ -2064,13 +2065,12 @@ function cleanUpOldOpengroupsOnStart() {
     console.info('cleanUpOldOpengroups: ourNumber is not set');
     return;
   }
-  const pruneSetting = getItemById('prune-setting')?.value;
+  let pruneSetting = getItemById(SettingsKey.settingsOpengroupPruning)?.value;
 
   if (pruneSetting === undefined) {
-    console.info(
-      'Prune settings is undefined, skipping cleanUpOldOpengroups but we will need to ask user'
-    );
-    return;
+    console.info('Prune settings is undefined (and not explicitely false), forcing it to true.');
+    createOrUpdateItem({ id: SettingsKey.settingsOpengroupPruning, value: true });
+    pruneSetting = true;
   }
 
   if (!pruneSetting) {