diff --git a/Podfile.lock b/Podfile.lock
index 78a63d0c5..2e3981798 100644
--- a/Podfile.lock
+++ b/Podfile.lock
@@ -219,4 +219,4 @@ SPEC CHECKSUMS:
 
 PODFILE CHECKSUM: bb4f6cffd6e7c08814b945e1787d01d639036b1e
 
-COCOAPODS: 1.10.0.rc.1
+COCOAPODS: 1.10.1
diff --git a/Session/Open Groups/JoinPublicChatVC.swift b/Session/Open Groups/JoinPublicChatVC.swift
index 267a6618e..1e2b94fef 100644
--- a/Session/Open Groups/JoinPublicChatVC.swift	
+++ b/Session/Open Groups/JoinPublicChatVC.swift	
@@ -132,10 +132,12 @@ final class JoinPublicChatVC : BaseVC, UIPageViewControllerDataSource, UIPageVie
         }
         isJoining = true
         ModalActivityIndicatorViewController.present(fromViewController: navigationController!, canCancel: false) { [weak self] _ in
-            Storage.shared.write(with: { transaction in
+            Storage.shared.write { transaction in
                 OpenGroupManager.shared.add(with: urlAsString, using: transaction)
                 .done(on: DispatchQueue.main) { [weak self] _ in
                     self?.presentingViewController!.dismiss(animated: true, completion: nil)
+                    let appDelegate = UIApplication.shared.delegate as! AppDelegate
+                    appDelegate.forceSyncConfigurationNowIfNeeded().retainUntilComplete() // FIXME: It's probably cleaner to do this inside addOpenGroup(...)
                 }
                 .catch(on: DispatchQueue.main) { [weak self] error in
                     self?.dismiss(animated: true, completion: nil) // Dismiss the loader
@@ -148,10 +150,7 @@ final class JoinPublicChatVC : BaseVC, UIPageViewControllerDataSource, UIPageVie
                     self?.isJoining = false
                     self?.showError(title: title, message: message)
                 }
-            }, completion: {
-                let appDelegate = UIApplication.shared.delegate as! AppDelegate
-                appDelegate.forceSyncConfigurationNowIfNeeded().retainUntilComplete() // FIXME: It's probably cleaner to do this inside addOpenGroup(...)
-            })
+            }
         }
     }
     
diff --git a/SessionMessagingKit/Messages/Control Messages/ClosedGroupControlMessage.swift b/SessionMessagingKit/Messages/Control Messages/ClosedGroupControlMessage.swift
index 05c259c77..1e2646adc 100644
--- a/SessionMessagingKit/Messages/Control Messages/ClosedGroupControlMessage.swift	
+++ b/SessionMessagingKit/Messages/Control Messages/ClosedGroupControlMessage.swift	
@@ -11,12 +11,7 @@ public final class ClosedGroupControlMessage : ControlMessage {
         }
     }
     
-    public override var isSelfSendValid: Bool {
-        switch kind {
-        case .new: return false
-        default: return true
-        }
-    }
+    public override var isSelfSendValid: Bool { true }
     
     // MARK: Kind
     public enum Kind : CustomStringConvertible {
diff --git a/SessionMessagingKit/Sending & Receiving/MessageReceiver+Handling.swift b/SessionMessagingKit/Sending & Receiving/MessageReceiver+Handling.swift
index 166d1b2da..33f17e2ac 100644
--- a/SessionMessagingKit/Sending & Receiving/MessageReceiver+Handling.swift	
+++ b/SessionMessagingKit/Sending & Receiving/MessageReceiver+Handling.swift	
@@ -144,7 +144,7 @@ extension MessageReceiver {
     }
     
     private static func handleConfigurationMessage(_ message: ConfigurationMessage, using transaction: Any) {
-        guard message.sender == getUserHexEncodedPublicKey() else { return }
+        guard message.sender == getUserHexEncodedPublicKey(), !UserDefaults.standard[.hasSyncedConfiguration] else { return }
         let storage = SNMessagingKitConfiguration.shared.storage
         let allClosedGroupPublicKeys = storage.getUserClosedGroupPublicKeys()
         for closedGroup in message.closedGroups {
@@ -157,6 +157,7 @@ extension MessageReceiver {
             guard !allOpenGroups.contains(openGroupURL) else { continue }
             OpenGroupManager.shared.add(with: openGroupURL, using: transaction).retainUntilComplete()
         }
+        UserDefaults.standard[.hasSyncedConfiguration] = true
     }
 
     @discardableResult
@@ -279,6 +280,9 @@ extension MessageReceiver {
         } else {
             thread = TSGroupThread.getOrCreateThread(with: group, transaction: transaction)
             thread.save(with: transaction)
+            // Notify the user
+            let infoMessage = TSInfoMessage(timestamp: NSDate.ows_millisecondTimeStamp(), in: thread, messageType: .typeGroupUpdate)
+            infoMessage.save(with: transaction)
         }
         // Add the group to the user's set of public keys to poll for
         Storage.shared.addClosedGroupPublicKey(groupPublicKey, using: transaction)
@@ -288,9 +292,6 @@ extension MessageReceiver {
         Storage.shared.setClosedGroupFormationTimestamp(to: messageSentTimestamp, for: groupPublicKey, using: transaction)
         // Notify the PN server
         let _ = PushNotificationAPI.performOperation(.subscribe, for: groupPublicKey, publicKey: getUserHexEncodedPublicKey())
-        // Notify the user
-        let infoMessage = TSInfoMessage(timestamp: NSDate.ows_millisecondTimeStamp(), in: thread, messageType: .typeGroupUpdate)
-        infoMessage.save(with: transaction)
     }
 
     private static func handleClosedGroupEncryptionKeyPair(_ message: ClosedGroupControlMessage, using transaction: Any) {
@@ -423,10 +424,6 @@ extension MessageReceiver {
             let members: Set<String> = didAdminLeave ? [] : Set(group.groupMemberIds).subtracting([ message.sender! ]) // If the admin leaves the group is disbanded
             let userPublicKey = getUserHexEncodedPublicKey()
             let isCurrentUserAdmin = group.groupAdminIds.contains(userPublicKey)
-            // Guard against self-sends
-            guard message.sender != getUserHexEncodedPublicKey() else {
-                return SNLog("Ignoring invalid closed group update.")
-            }
             // If a regular member left:
             // • Distribute a new encryption key pair if we're the admin of the group
             // If the admin left:
diff --git a/SessionMessagingKit/Sending & Receiving/MessageSender+ClosedGroups.swift b/SessionMessagingKit/Sending & Receiving/MessageSender+ClosedGroups.swift
index 03f6b14fb..fb8cb0819 100644
--- a/SessionMessagingKit/Sending & Receiving/MessageSender+ClosedGroups.swift	
+++ b/SessionMessagingKit/Sending & Receiving/MessageSender+ClosedGroups.swift	
@@ -24,7 +24,6 @@ extension MessageSender {
         // Send a closed group update message to all members individually
         var promises: [Promise<Void>] = []
         for member in members {
-            guard member != userPublicKey else { continue }
             let thread = TSContactThread.getOrCreateThread(withContactId: member, transaction: transaction)
             thread.save(with: transaction)
             let closedGroupControlMessageKind = ClosedGroupControlMessage.Kind.new(publicKey: Data(hex: groupPublicKey), name: name,
diff --git a/SessionMessagingKit/Sending & Receiving/MessageSender.swift b/SessionMessagingKit/Sending & Receiving/MessageSender.swift
index 73f8e476d..093885aab 100644
--- a/SessionMessagingKit/Sending & Receiving/MessageSender.swift	
+++ b/SessionMessagingKit/Sending & Receiving/MessageSender.swift	
@@ -137,8 +137,12 @@ public final class MessageSender : NSObject {
         }
         // Validate the message
         guard message.isValid else { handleFailure(with: Error.invalidMessage, using: transaction); return promise }
-        // Stop here if this is a self-send (unless it's a configuration message or a sync message)
-        guard !isSelfSend || message is ConfigurationMessage || isSyncMessage else {
+        // Stop here if this is a self-send, unless it's:
+        // • a configuration message
+        // • a sync message
+        // • a closed group control message of type `new`
+        let isNewClosedGroupControlMessage = given(message as? ClosedGroupControlMessage) { if case .new = $0.kind { return true } else { return false } } ?? false
+        guard !isSelfSend || message is ConfigurationMessage || isSyncMessage || isNewClosedGroupControlMessage else {
             storage.write(with: { transaction in
                 MessageSender.handleSuccessfulMessageSend(message, to: destination, using: transaction)
                 seal.fulfill(())
@@ -364,6 +368,7 @@ public final class MessageSender : NSObject {
         OWSDisappearingMessagesJob.shared().startAnyExpiration(for: tsMessage, expirationStartedAt: NSDate.millisecondTimestamp(), transaction: transaction)
         // Sync the message if:
         // • it's a visible message
+        // • the destination was a contact
         // • we didn't sync it already
         let userPublicKey = getUserHexEncodedPublicKey()
         if case .contact(let publicKey) = destination, !isSyncMessage, let message = message as? VisibleMessage {
diff --git a/SessionUtilitiesKit/General/SNUserDefaults.swift b/SessionUtilitiesKit/General/SNUserDefaults.swift
index 0d67755b8..e2a51e84e 100644
--- a/SessionUtilitiesKit/General/SNUserDefaults.swift
+++ b/SessionUtilitiesKit/General/SNUserDefaults.swift
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ public enum SNUserDefaults {
     public enum Bool : Swift.String {
         case hasLaunchedOnce
         case hasSeenGIFMetadataWarning
+        case hasSyncedConfiguration
         case hasViewedSeed
         case isUsingFullAPNs
         case isMigratingToV2KeyPair