diff --git a/app/lib/hooks/__tests__/useObservable.test.ts b/app/lib/hooks/__tests__/useObservable.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a4e5b4a8b6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/lib/hooks/__tests__/useObservable.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+import { act, renderHook } from '@testing-library/react-native';
+import { Observable, Subject } from 'rxjs';
+
+import { useObservable } from '../useObservable';
+
+describe('useObservable', () => {
+	it('returns undefined until the observable emits, then the latest value', () => {
+		const subject = new Subject<number>();
+		const { result } = renderHook(() => useObservable(subject));
+
+		expect(result.current).toBeUndefined();
+		act(() => subject.next(1));
+		expect(result.current).toBe(1);
+		act(() => subject.next(2));
+		expect(result.current).toBe(2);
+	});
+
+	it('drops the previous value when the observable changes', () => {
+		const first = new Subject<string>();
+		const second = new Subject<string>();
+		const { result, rerender } = renderHook(({ source }: { source: Subject<string> }) => useObservable(source), {
+			initialProps: { source: first }
+		});
+
+		act(() => first.next('first'));
+		expect(result.current).toBe('first');
+
+		rerender({ source: second });
+		expect(result.current).toBeUndefined();
+		act(() => second.next('second'));
+		expect(result.current).toBe('second');
+	});
+
+	it('unsubscribes on unmount', () => {
+		const teardown = jest.fn();
+		const observable = new Observable<number>(() => teardown);
+		const { unmount } = renderHook(() => useObservable(observable));
+		expect(teardown).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+		unmount();
+		expect(teardown).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+	});
+
+	it('returns undefined without an observable', () => {
+		const { result } = renderHook(() => useObservable(undefined));
+		expect(result.current).toBeUndefined();
+	});
+});
diff --git a/app/lib/hooks/useObservable.ts b/app/lib/hooks/useObservable.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8f587c446a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/lib/hooks/useObservable.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+import { useCallback, useRef, useSyncExternalStore } from 'react';
+import { type Observable } from 'rxjs';
+
+type Emission<T> = { source: Observable<T>; value: T };
+
+export function useObservable<T>(observable: Observable<T> | undefined): T | undefined {
+	const latestEmission = useRef<Emission<T> | undefined>(undefined);
+
+	const subscribe = useCallback(
+		(onChange: () => void) => {
+			if (!observable) {
+				return () => {};
+			}
+			const subscription = observable.subscribe(value => {
+				latestEmission.current = { source: observable, value };
+				onChange();
+			});
+			return () => subscription.unsubscribe();
+		},
+		[observable]
+	);
+
+	return useSyncExternalStore(subscribe, () => {
+		const emission = latestEmission.current;
+		return emission && emission.source === observable ? emission.value : undefined;
+	});
+}
diff --git a/app/views/RoomView/hooks/__tests__/useThreadFollowing.test.ts b/app/views/RoomView/hooks/__tests__/useThreadFollowing.test.ts
index 41431a6d69..486ab54f0b 100644
--- a/app/views/RoomView/hooks/__tests__/useThreadFollowing.test.ts
+++ b/app/views/RoomView/hooks/__tests__/useThreadFollowing.test.ts
@@ -15,51 +15,58 @@ type Emit<T> = (value: T) => void;
 const setupObservable = () => {
 	let emit: Emit<any> | undefined;
 	const unsubscribe = jest.fn();
-	const threadRecord = {
-		observe: () => ({
-			subscribe: (cb: Emit<any>) => {
-				emit = cb;
-				return { unsubscribe };
-			}
-		})
-	};
-	mockGet.mockImplementation(() => ({ find: jest.fn(() => Promise.resolve(threadRecord)) }));
+	const observeWithColumns = jest.fn(() => ({
+		subscribe: (cb: Emit<any>) => {
+			emit = cb;
+			return { unsubscribe };
+		}
+	}));
+	mockGet.mockImplementation(() => ({ query: () => ({ observeWithColumns }) }));
 	return {
+		observeWithColumns,
 		unsubscribe,
-		emitThread: (thread: any) => act(() => emit?.(thread))
+		emitThreads: (threads: any[]) => act(() => emit?.(threads))
 	};
 };
 
-const flush = () => act(() => Promise.resolve());
-
 describe('useThreadFollowing', () => {
 	beforeEach(() => jest.clearAllMocks());
 
-	it('reflects whether the user is a replier on the observed thread', async () => {
+	it('reflects whether the user is a replier on the observed thread', () => {
 		const observable = setupObservable();
 		const { result } = renderHook(() => useThreadFollowing('tmid-1', 'user-1'));
 
-		await flush();
-		observable.emitThread({ replies: ['user-1', 'other'] });
 		expect(result.current).toBe(true);
 
-		observable.emitThread({ replies: ['other'] });
+		observable.emitThreads([{ replies: ['user-1', 'other'] }]);
+		expect(result.current).toBe(true);
+
+		observable.emitThreads([{ replies: ['other'] }]);
+		expect(result.current).toBe(false);
+
+		observable.emitThreads([{ replies: undefined }]);
 		expect(result.current).toBe(false);
 	});
 
-	it('does not observe without a tmid', async () => {
+	it('does not observe without a tmid', () => {
 		setupObservable();
-		renderHook(() => useThreadFollowing(undefined, 'user-1'));
+		const { result } = renderHook(() => useThreadFollowing(undefined, 'user-1'));
 
-		await flush();
+		expect(result.current).toBe(true);
 		expect(mockGet).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
 	});
 
-	it('unsubscribes on unmount', async () => {
+	it('observes the replies column of the thread', () => {
+		const observable = setupObservable();
+		renderHook(() => useThreadFollowing('tmid-1', 'user-1'));
+
+		expect(observable.observeWithColumns).toHaveBeenCalledWith(['replies']);
+	});
+
+	it('unsubscribes on unmount', () => {
 		const observable = setupObservable();
 		const { unmount } = renderHook(() => useThreadFollowing('tmid-1', 'user-1'));
 
-		await flush();
 		unmount();
 		expect(observable.unsubscribe).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
 	});
diff --git a/app/views/RoomView/hooks/useThreadFollowing.ts b/app/views/RoomView/hooks/useThreadFollowing.ts
index 8f9b51c39d..5d184f2471 100644
--- a/app/views/RoomView/hooks/useThreadFollowing.ts
+++ b/app/views/RoomView/hooks/useThreadFollowing.ts
@@ -1,27 +1,22 @@
-import { useEffect, useState } from 'react';
+import { Q } from '@nozbe/watermelondb';
+import { useMemo } from 'react';
 
-import { getMessageById } from '../../../lib/database/services/Message';
+import { type TMessageModel } from '../../../definitions';
+import database from '../../../lib/database';
+import { useObservable } from '../../../lib/hooks/useObservable';
 
 export function useThreadFollowing(tmid?: string, userId?: string): boolean {
-	const [isFollowingThread, setIsFollowingThread] = useState(true);
+	const threadObservable = useMemo(
+		() =>
+			tmid
+				? database.active.get<TMessageModel>('messages').query(Q.where('id', tmid)).observeWithColumns(['replies'])
+				: undefined,
+		[tmid]
+	);
+	const thread = useObservable(threadObservable)?.[0];
 
-	useEffect(() => {
-		if (!tmid) {
-			return;
-		}
-		let unsubscribe: (() => void) | undefined;
-		getMessageById(tmid).then(threadRecord => {
-			if (!threadRecord) {
-				return;
-			}
-			const subscription = threadRecord.observe().subscribe(thread => {
-				setIsFollowingThread(thread.replies?.some(replyUserId => replyUserId === userId) ?? false);
-			});
-			unsubscribe = () => subscription.unsubscribe();
-		});
-
-		return () => unsubscribe?.();
-	}, [tmid, userId]);
-
-	return isFollowingThread;
+	if (!thread) {
+		return true;
+	}
+	return thread.replies?.some(replyUserId => replyUserId === userId) ?? false;
 }