diff --git a/Signal/src/Models/TSMessageAdapaters/TSMessageAdapter.m b/Signal/src/Models/TSMessageAdapaters/TSMessageAdapter.m
index 79b598afc..1bd25f27d 100644
--- a/Signal/src/Models/TSMessageAdapaters/TSMessageAdapter.m
+++ b/Signal/src/Models/TSMessageAdapaters/TSMessageAdapter.m
@@ -261,6 +261,7 @@ NS_ASSUME_NONNULL_BEGIN
         adapter.outgoingMessageStatus = ((TSOutgoingMessage *)interaction).messageState;
     }
 
+    OWSAssert(adapter.date);
     return adapter;
 }
 
diff --git a/Signal/src/ViewControllers/ConversationView/MessagesViewController.m b/Signal/src/ViewControllers/ConversationView/MessagesViewController.m
index 464747b0e..a1b81eb9e 100644
--- a/Signal/src/ViewControllers/ConversationView/MessagesViewController.m
+++ b/Signal/src/ViewControllers/ConversationView/MessagesViewController.m
@@ -1835,6 +1835,13 @@ typedef enum : NSUInteger {
         id<OWSMessageData> previousMessage =
             [self messageAtIndexPath:[NSIndexPath indexPathForItem:indexPath.row - 1 inSection:indexPath.section]];
 
+        if ([previousMessage.interaction isKindOfClass:[TSUnreadIndicatorInteraction class]]) {
+            // Always show timestamp between unread indicator and the following interaction
+            return YES;
+        }
+
+        OWSAssert(currentMessage.date);
+        OWSAssert(previousMessage.date);
         NSTimeInterval timeDifference = [currentMessage.date timeIntervalSinceDate:previousMessage.date];
         if (timeDifference > kTSMessageSentDateShowTimeInterval) {
             showDate = YES;
diff --git a/Signal/src/ViewControllers/DebugUI/DebugUIMessages.m b/Signal/src/ViewControllers/DebugUI/DebugUIMessages.m
index 8661dd57c..587e4b1e9 100644
--- a/Signal/src/ViewControllers/DebugUI/DebugUIMessages.m
+++ b/Signal/src/ViewControllers/DebugUI/DebugUIMessages.m
@@ -77,6 +77,14 @@ NS_ASSUME_NONNULL_BEGIN
                                        actionBlock:^{
                                            [DebugUIMessages sendFakeMessages:10 * 1000 thread:thread];
                                        }],
+                       [OWSTableItem itemWithTitle:@"Create 1 fake unread messages"
+                                       actionBlock:^{
+                                           [DebugUIMessages createFakeUnreadMessages:1 thread:thread];
+                                       }],
+                       [OWSTableItem itemWithTitle:@"Create 10 fake unread messages"
+                                       actionBlock:^{
+                                           [DebugUIMessages createFakeUnreadMessages:10 thread:thread];
+                                       }],
                        [OWSTableItem itemWithTitle:@"Send text/x-signal-plain"
                                        actionBlock:^{
                                            [DebugUIMessages sendOversizeTextMessage:thread];
@@ -780,6 +788,21 @@ NS_ASSUME_NONNULL_BEGIN
     return randomText;
 }
 
++ (void)createFakeUnreadMessages:(int)counter thread:(TSThread *)thread
+{
+    [TSStorageManager.sharedManager.dbConnection readWriteWithBlock:^(YapDatabaseReadWriteTransaction *transaction) {
+        for (int i = 0; i < counter; i++) {
+            NSString *randomText = [self randomText];
+            TSIncomingMessage *message = [[TSIncomingMessage alloc] initWithTimestamp:[NSDate ows_millisecondTimeStamp]
+                                                                             inThread:thread
+                                                                             authorId:@"+19174054215"
+                                                                       sourceDeviceId:0
+                                                                          messageBody:randomText];
+            [message saveWithTransaction:transaction];
+        }
+    }];
+}
+
 + (void)sendFakeMessages:(int)counter thread:(TSThread *)thread
 {
     [TSStorageManager.sharedManager.dbConnection readWriteWithBlock:^(YapDatabaseReadWriteTransaction *transaction) {
diff --git a/Signal/src/views/OWSSystemMessageCell.m b/Signal/src/views/OWSSystemMessageCell.m
index 3b63ec4da..cf0fd14ba 100644
--- a/Signal/src/views/OWSSystemMessageCell.m
+++ b/Signal/src/views/OWSSystemMessageCell.m
@@ -24,6 +24,8 @@ NS_ASSUME_NONNULL_BEGIN
 
 @property (nonatomic) UIImageView *imageView;
 @property (nonatomic) UILabel *titleLabel;
+
+// override from JSQMessagesCollectionViewCell
 @property (nonatomic) UILabel *cellTopLabel;
 
 @end