diff --git a/ts/components/Avatar.stories.tsx b/ts/components/Avatar.stories.tsx
index 2667fdf85f..57ada62e4e 100644
--- a/ts/components/Avatar.stories.tsx
+++ b/ts/components/Avatar.stories.tsx
@@ -64,7 +64,9 @@ const createProps = (overrideProps: Partial<Props> = {}): Props => ({
   blur: overrideProps.blur,
   color: overrideProps.color || AvatarColors[0],
   conversationType: overrideProps.conversationType || 'direct',
-  hasAvatar: Boolean(overrideProps.hasAvatar),
+  hasAvatar:
+    Boolean(overrideProps.hasAvatar) ||
+    (overrideProps.avatarUrl != null && overrideProps.avatarUrl.length > 0),
   i18n,
   loading: Boolean(overrideProps.loading),
   noteToSelf: Boolean(overrideProps.noteToSelf),
diff --git a/ts/components/Avatar.tsx b/ts/components/Avatar.tsx
index 40d3bd302f..68f5206376 100644
--- a/ts/components/Avatar.tsx
+++ b/ts/components/Avatar.tsx
@@ -144,9 +144,10 @@ export function Avatar({
   }, [avatarUrl]);
 
   const initials = getInitials(title);
-  const hasImage = !noteToSelf && avatarUrl && !imageBroken;
+  const hasLocalImage = !noteToSelf && avatarUrl && avatarUrl.length > 0;
+  const hasValidImage = hasLocalImage && !imageBroken;
   const shouldUseInitials =
-    !hasImage &&
+    !hasValidImage &&
     conversationType === 'direct' &&
     Boolean(initials) &&
     title !== i18n('icu:unknownContact');
@@ -163,7 +164,7 @@ export function Avatar({
         />
       </div>
     );
-  } else if (hasImage) {
+  } else if (hasValidImage) {
     assertDev(avatarUrl, 'avatarUrl should be defined here');
 
     assertDev(
@@ -207,7 +208,7 @@ export function Avatar({
         )}
       />
     );
-  } else if (hasAvatar && !hasImage) {
+  } else if (hasAvatar && !hasLocalImage) {
     contentsChildren = (
       <>
         <div