diff --git a/js/libtextsecure.js b/js/libtextsecure.js
index a701f75de..707cb08a6 100644
--- a/js/libtextsecure.js
+++ b/js/libtextsecure.js
@@ -38398,7 +38398,6 @@ axolotlInternal.RecipientRecord = function() {
 
 TextSecureWebSocket = function (url) {
     'use strict';
-    var keepAliveTimer;
     var reconnectSemaphore = 0;
     var reconnectTimeout = 1000;
     var socket;
@@ -38408,27 +38407,10 @@ TextSecureWebSocket = function (url) {
         onclose   : function() {},
         onerror   : function() {},
         getStatus : function() { return socket.readyState; },
-        close     : function() { calledClose = true; }
+        close     : function() { calledClose = true; socket.close(); }
     };
     var error;
 
-    function resetKeepAliveTimer() {
-        clearTimeout(keepAliveTimer);
-        if (calledClose) { return; }
-        keepAliveTimer = setTimeout(function() {
-            if (socket.readyState === WebSocket.OPEN) {
-                socket.send(
-                    new textsecure.protobuf.WebSocketMessage({
-                        type: textsecure.protobuf.WebSocketMessage.Type.REQUEST,
-                        request: { verb: 'GET', path: '/v1/keepalive' }
-                    }).encode().toArrayBuffer()
-                );
-            }
-
-            resetKeepAliveTimer();
-        }, 55000);
-    };
-
     function onclose(e) {
         if (!error && !calledClose) {
             reconnectSemaphore--;
@@ -38448,22 +38430,18 @@ TextSecureWebSocket = function (url) {
 
     function onmessage(response) {
         socketWrapper.onmessage(response);
-        resetKeepAliveTimer();
     };
 
     function send(msg) {
-        resetKeepAliveTimer();
         socket.send(msg);
     };
 
     function connect() {
-        clearTimeout(keepAliveTimer);
         if (++reconnectSemaphore <= 0) { return; }
 
         if (socket) { socket.close(); }
         socket = new WebSocket(url);
 
-        socket.onopen      = resetKeepAliveTimer;
         socket.onerror     = onerror
         socket.onclose     = onclose;
         socket.onmessage   = onmessage;
@@ -38527,6 +38505,10 @@ TextSecureWebSocket = function (url) {
             window.crypto.getRandomValues(bits);
             this.id = dcodeIO.Long.fromBits(bits[0], bits[1], true);
         }
+
+        if (this.body === undefined) {
+            this.body = null;
+        }
     };
 
     var IncomingWebSocketRequest = function(options) {
@@ -39507,9 +39489,26 @@ function generateKeys(count, progressCallback) {
                 }
             }
 
-            new WebSocketResource(this.socket, this.handleRequest.bind(this));
+            this.wsr = new WebSocketResource(this.socket, this.handleRequest.bind(this));
+            this.resetKeepAliveTimer();
+
+        },
+        resetKeepAliveTimer: function() {
+            clearTimeout(this.keepAliveTimer);
+            clearTimeout(this.disconnectTimer);
+            this.keepAliveTimer = setTimeout(function() {
+                if (this.getStatus() === WebSocket.OPEN) {
+                    this.wsr.sendRequest({
+                        verb: 'GET',
+                        path: '/v1/keepalive',
+                        success: this.resetKeepAliveTimer.bind(this)
+                    });
+                }
+                this.disconnectTimer = setTimeout(this.socket.close, 30000);
+            }.bind(this), 55000);
         },
         handleRequest: function(request) {
+            this.resetKeepAliveTimer();
             // TODO: handle different types of requests. for now we only expect
             // PUT /messages <encrypted IncomingPushMessageSignal>
             textsecure.crypto.decryptWebsocketMessage(request.body).then(function(plaintext) {
diff --git a/libtextsecure/message_receiver.js b/libtextsecure/message_receiver.js
index 98960b53f..3dc2e8cd4 100644
--- a/libtextsecure/message_receiver.js
+++ b/libtextsecure/message_receiver.js
@@ -44,9 +44,26 @@
                 }
             }
 
-            new WebSocketResource(this.socket, this.handleRequest.bind(this));
+            this.wsr = new WebSocketResource(this.socket, this.handleRequest.bind(this));
+            this.resetKeepAliveTimer();
+
+        },
+        resetKeepAliveTimer: function() {
+            clearTimeout(this.keepAliveTimer);
+            clearTimeout(this.disconnectTimer);
+            this.keepAliveTimer = setTimeout(function() {
+                if (this.getStatus() === WebSocket.OPEN) {
+                    this.wsr.sendRequest({
+                        verb: 'GET',
+                        path: '/v1/keepalive',
+                        success: this.resetKeepAliveTimer.bind(this)
+                    });
+                }
+                this.disconnectTimer = setTimeout(this.socket.close, 30000);
+            }.bind(this), 55000);
         },
         handleRequest: function(request) {
+            this.resetKeepAliveTimer();
             // TODO: handle different types of requests. for now we only expect
             // PUT /messages <encrypted IncomingPushMessageSignal>
             textsecure.crypto.decryptWebsocketMessage(request.body).then(function(plaintext) {
diff --git a/libtextsecure/test/message_receiver_test.js b/libtextsecure/test/message_receiver_test.js
index 2d50e47c7..fa38969bf 100644
--- a/libtextsecure/test/message_receiver_test.js
+++ b/libtextsecure/test/message_receiver_test.js
@@ -45,6 +45,21 @@ describe('MessageReceiver', function() {
             assert.strictEqual(signal.message.body, 'hello');
         });
         var messageReceiver = new textsecure.MessageReceiver(window);
-        messageReceiver.connect();
+    });
+
+    it('sends a keepalive once a minute', function(done) {
+        this.timeout(60000);
+        var mockServer = new MockServer('ws://localhost:8081');
+        mockServer.on('connection', function(server) {
+            server.on('message', function(data) {
+                var message = textsecure.protobuf.WebSocketMessage.decode(data);
+                assert.strictEqual(message.type, textsecure.protobuf.WebSocketMessage.Type.REQUEST);
+                assert.strictEqual(message.request.verb, 'GET');
+                assert.strictEqual(message.request.path, '/v1/keepalive');
+                server.close();
+                done();
+            });
+        });
+        var messageReceiver = new textsecure.MessageReceiver(window);
     });
 });
diff --git a/libtextsecure/test/websocket_test.js b/libtextsecure/test/websocket_test.js
index 008ae937e..ac5c80ad4 100644
--- a/libtextsecure/test/websocket_test.js
+++ b/libtextsecure/test/websocket_test.js
@@ -75,20 +75,4 @@ describe('TextSecureWebSocket', function() {
         mockServer.close();
     });
 
-    it('sends a keepalive once a minute', function(done) {
-        this.timeout(60000);
-        var mockServer = new MockServer('ws://localhost:8081');
-        mockServer.on('connection', function(server) {
-            server.on('message', function(data) {
-                var message = textsecure.protobuf.WebSocketMessage.decode(data);
-                assert.strictEqual(message.type, textsecure.protobuf.WebSocketMessage.Type.REQUEST);
-                assert.strictEqual(message.request.verb, 'GET');
-                assert.strictEqual(message.request.path, '/v1/keepalive');
-                socket.close();
-                server.close();
-                done();
-            });
-        });
-        var socket = new TextSecureWebSocket('ws://localhost:8081');
-    });
 });
diff --git a/libtextsecure/websocket-resources.js b/libtextsecure/websocket-resources.js
index b034515e2..265f4f2cb 100644
--- a/libtextsecure/websocket-resources.js
+++ b/libtextsecure/websocket-resources.js
@@ -51,6 +51,10 @@
             window.crypto.getRandomValues(bits);
             this.id = dcodeIO.Long.fromBits(bits[0], bits[1], true);
         }
+
+        if (this.body === undefined) {
+            this.body = null;
+        }
     };
 
     var IncomingWebSocketRequest = function(options) {
diff --git a/libtextsecure/websocket.js b/libtextsecure/websocket.js
index 5d8186869..4073f37f1 100644
--- a/libtextsecure/websocket.js
+++ b/libtextsecure/websocket.js
@@ -24,7 +24,6 @@
 
 TextSecureWebSocket = function (url) {
     'use strict';
-    var keepAliveTimer;
     var reconnectSemaphore = 0;
     var reconnectTimeout = 1000;
     var socket;
@@ -34,27 +33,10 @@ TextSecureWebSocket = function (url) {
         onclose   : function() {},
         onerror   : function() {},
         getStatus : function() { return socket.readyState; },
-        close     : function() { calledClose = true; }
+        close     : function() { calledClose = true; socket.close(); }
     };
     var error;
 
-    function resetKeepAliveTimer() {
-        clearTimeout(keepAliveTimer);
-        if (calledClose) { return; }
-        keepAliveTimer = setTimeout(function() {
-            if (socket.readyState === WebSocket.OPEN) {
-                socket.send(
-                    new textsecure.protobuf.WebSocketMessage({
-                        type: textsecure.protobuf.WebSocketMessage.Type.REQUEST,
-                        request: { verb: 'GET', path: '/v1/keepalive' }
-                    }).encode().toArrayBuffer()
-                );
-            }
-
-            resetKeepAliveTimer();
-        }, 55000);
-    };
-
     function onclose(e) {
         if (!error && !calledClose) {
             reconnectSemaphore--;
@@ -74,22 +56,18 @@ TextSecureWebSocket = function (url) {
 
     function onmessage(response) {
         socketWrapper.onmessage(response);
-        resetKeepAliveTimer();
     };
 
     function send(msg) {
-        resetKeepAliveTimer();
         socket.send(msg);
     };
 
     function connect() {
-        clearTimeout(keepAliveTimer);
         if (++reconnectSemaphore <= 0) { return; }
 
         if (socket) { socket.close(); }
         socket = new WebSocket(url);
 
-        socket.onopen      = resetKeepAliveTimer;
         socket.onerror     = onerror
         socket.onclose     = onclose;
         socket.onmessage   = onmessage;