diff --git a/Gruntfile.js b/Gruntfile.js
index 94ffff340..cb875befd 100644
--- a/Gruntfile.js
+++ b/Gruntfile.js
@@ -167,7 +167,10 @@ module.exports = function(grunt) {
         '!js/modules/**/*.js',
         '!js/models/conversations.js',
         '!js/models/messages.js',
+        '!js/views/conversation_search_view.js',
         '!js/views/conversation_view.js',
+        '!js/views/debug_log_view.js',
+        '!js/views/message_view.js',
         '!js/Mp3LameEncoder.min.js',
         '!js/WebAudioRecorderMp3.js',
         'test/**/*.js',
diff --git a/_locales/en/messages.json b/_locales/en/messages.json
index 1353ea19e..85251a2b6 100644
--- a/_locales/en/messages.json
+++ b/_locales/en/messages.json
@@ -546,6 +546,10 @@
         "message": "Secure session reset",
         "description": "This is a past tense, informational message. In other words, your secure session has been reset."
     },
+    "noContents": {
+        "message": "No message contents",
+        "description": "Shown in a message bubble if we have nothing in the message to display, or a quote and nothing else"
+    },
     "installWelcome": {
         "message": "Welcome to Signal Desktop",
         "description": "Welcome title on the install page"
diff --git a/js/views/message_view.js b/js/views/message_view.js
index 38bbcf353..3c9a122b2 100644
--- a/js/views/message_view.js
+++ b/js/views/message_view.js
@@ -349,6 +349,12 @@
         }
         this.errorIconView = new ErrorIconView({ model: errors[0] });
         this.errorIconView.render().$el.appendTo(this.$('.bubble'));
+      } else if (!this.hasContents()) {
+        const el = this.$('.content');
+        if (!el || el.length === 0) {
+          this.$('.inner-bubble').append("<div class='content'></div>");
+        }
+        this.$('.content').text(i18n('noContents')).addClass('error-message');
       }
 
       this.$('.meta .hasRetry').remove();
@@ -429,18 +435,34 @@
 
       return false;
     },
+    hasContents() {
+      const attachments = this.model.get('attachments');
+      const hasAttachments = attachments && attachments.length > 0;
+
+      return this.hasTextContents() || hasAttachments;
+    },
+    hasTextContents() {
+      const body = this.model.get('body');
+      const isGroupUpdate = this.model.isGroupUpdate();
+      const isEndSession = this.model.isEndSession();
+
+      const errors = this.model.get('errors');
+      const hasErrors = errors && errors.length > 0;
+      const errorsCanBeContents = this.model.isIncoming() && hasErrors;
+
+      return body || isGroupUpdate || isEndSession || errorsCanBeContents;
+    },
     render() {
       const contact = this.model.isIncoming() ? this.model.getContact() : null;
-      const errors = this.model.get('errors');
       const attachments = this.model.get('attachments');
 
-      const hasErrors = errors && errors.length > 0;
+      // TODO: used for the feature flag below
+      // const hasErrors = errors && errors.length > 0;
       const hasAttachments = attachments && attachments.length > 0;
-      const message = this.model.get('body');
-      const hasBody = message || (this.model.isIncoming() && hasErrors);
+      const hasBody = this.hasTextContents();
 
       this.$el.html(Mustache.render(_.result(this, 'template', ''), {
-        message,
+        message: this.model.get('body'),
         hasBody,
         timestamp: this.model.get('sent_at'),
         sender: (contact && contact.getTitle()) || '',
diff --git a/ts/components/conversation/Message.md b/ts/components/conversation/Message.md
index bf294bfb2..116d365b9 100644
--- a/ts/components/conversation/Message.md
+++ b/ts/components/conversation/Message.md
@@ -133,6 +133,31 @@ const View = Whisper.MessageView;
 </util.ConversationContext>
 ```
 
+#### No message contents
+
+```jsx
+const outgoing = new Whisper.Message({
+  type: 'outgoing',
+  sent_at: Date.now() - 200000,
+});
+const incoming = new Whisper.Message(Object.assign({}, outgoing.attributes, {
+  source: '+12025550003',
+  type: 'incoming',
+}));
+
+const View = Whisper.MessageView;
+<util.ConversationContext theme={util.theme} >
+  <util.BackboneWrapper
+    View={View}
+    options={{ model: incoming }}
+  />
+  <util.BackboneWrapper
+    View={View}
+    options={{ model: outgoing }}
+  />
+</util.ConversationContext>
+```
+
 ### Disappearing
 
 ```jsx
@@ -292,6 +317,64 @@ const View = Whisper.VerifiedChangeView;
 </util.ConversationContext>
 ```
 
+#### Group update
+
+```js
+const outgoing = new Whisper.Message({
+  type: 'outgoing',
+  sent_at: Date.now() - 200000,
+  group_update: {
+    joined: [
+      '+12025550007',
+      '+12025550008',
+      '+12025550009',
+    ],
+  },
+});
+const incoming = new Whisper.Message(Object.assign({}, outgoing.attributes, {
+  source: '+12025550003',
+  type: 'incoming',
+}));
+
+const View = Whisper.MessageView;
+<util.ConversationContext theme={util.theme} >
+  <util.BackboneWrapper
+    View={View}
+    options={{ model: incoming }}
+  />
+  <util.BackboneWrapper
+    View={View}
+    options={{ model: outgoing }}
+  />
+</util.ConversationContext>
+```
+
+#### End session
+
+```js
+const outgoing = new Whisper.Message({
+  type: 'outgoing',
+  sent_at: Date.now() - 200000,
+  flags: textsecure.protobuf.DataMessage.Flags.END_SESSION,
+});
+const incoming = new Whisper.Message(Object.assign({}, outgoing.attributes, {
+  source: '+12025550003',
+  type: 'incoming',
+}));
+
+const View = Whisper.MessageView;
+<util.ConversationContext theme={util.theme} >
+  <util.BackboneWrapper
+    View={View}
+    options={{ model: incoming }}
+  />
+  <util.BackboneWrapper
+    View={View}
+    options={{ model: outgoing }}
+  />
+</util.ConversationContext>
+```
+
 ### With an attachment
 
 #### Image with caption
diff --git a/ts/components/conversation/Quote.md b/ts/components/conversation/Quote.md
index dce198604..64678f9d1 100644
--- a/ts/components/conversation/Quote.md
+++ b/ts/components/conversation/Quote.md
@@ -964,6 +964,38 @@ const View = Whisper.MessageView;
 </util.ConversationContext>
 ```
 
+#### Quote, but no message
+
+```jsx
+const outgoing = new Whisper.Message({
+  type: 'outgoing',
+  sent_at: Date.now() - 18000000,
+  quote: {
+    text: 'How many ferrets do you have?',
+    author: '+12025550011',
+    id: Date.now() - 1000,
+  },
+});
+const incoming = new Whisper.Message(Object.assign({}, outgoing.attributes, {
+  source: '+12025550011',
+  type: 'incoming',
+  quote: Object.assign({}, outgoing.attributes.quote, {
+    author: '+12025550005',
+  }),
+}));
+const View = Whisper.MessageView;
+<util.ConversationContext theme={util.theme}>
+  <util.BackboneWrapper
+    View={View}
+    options={{ model: incoming }}
+  />
+  <util.BackboneWrapper
+    View={View}
+    options={{ model: outgoing }}
+  />
+</util.ConversationContext>
+```
+
 ### In bottom bar
 
 #### Plain text