diff --git a/js/background.js b/js/background.js
index 7c9ccbc69f..6275bc6f43 100644
--- a/js/background.js
+++ b/js/background.js
@@ -1379,6 +1379,7 @@
     }
 
     window.Signal.Data.updateConversation(id, conversation.attributes);
+
     const { expireTimer } = details;
     const isValidExpireTimer = typeof expireTimer === 'number';
     if (!isValidExpireTimer) {
@@ -1390,8 +1391,6 @@
     await conversation.updateExpirationTimer(expireTimer, source, receivedAt, {
       fromSync: true,
     });
-
-    ev.confirm();
   }
 
   // Descriptors
diff --git a/libtextsecure/message_receiver.js b/libtextsecure/message_receiver.js
index 6d6284fae6..35c5b874d7 100644
--- a/libtextsecure/message_receiver.js
+++ b/libtextsecure/message_receiver.js
@@ -1040,6 +1040,8 @@ MessageReceiver.prototype.extend({
     } else if (syncMessage.viewOnceOpen) {
       return this.handleViewOnceOpen(envelope, syncMessage.viewOnceOpen);
     }
+
+    this.removeFromCache(envelope);
     throw new Error('Got empty SyncMessage');
   },
   handleConfiguration(envelope, configuration) {
@@ -1100,6 +1102,8 @@ MessageReceiver.prototype.extend({
     window.log.info('contact sync');
     const { blob } = contacts;
 
+    this.removeFromCache(envelope);
+
     // Note: we do not return here because we don't want to block the next message on
     //   this attachment download and a lot of processing of that attachment.
     this.handleAttachment(blob).then(attachmentPointer => {
@@ -1119,7 +1123,6 @@ MessageReceiver.prototype.extend({
 
       return Promise.all(results).then(() => {
         window.log.info('handleContacts: finished');
-        return this.removeFromCache(envelope);
       });
     });
   },
@@ -1127,6 +1130,8 @@ MessageReceiver.prototype.extend({
     window.log.info('group sync');
     const { blob } = groups;
 
+    this.removeFromCache(envelope);
+
     // Note: we do not return here because we don't want to block the next message on
     //   this attachment download and a lot of processing of that attachment.
     this.handleAttachment(blob).then(attachmentPointer => {
@@ -1136,7 +1141,6 @@ MessageReceiver.prototype.extend({
       while (groupDetails !== undefined) {
         groupDetails.id = groupDetails.id.toBinary();
         const ev = new Event('group');
-        ev.confirm = this.removeFromCache.bind(this, envelope);
         ev.groupDetails = groupDetails;
         const promise = this.dispatchAndWait(ev).catch(e => {
           window.log.error('error processing group', e);
@@ -1147,7 +1151,6 @@ MessageReceiver.prototype.extend({
 
       Promise.all(promises).then(() => {
         const ev = new Event('groupsync');
-        ev.confirm = this.removeFromCache.bind(this, envelope);
         return this.dispatchAndWait(ev);
       });
     });