diff --git a/lib/hooks/sidebar-hooks.js b/lib/hooks/sidebar-hooks.js
index 3f9710c8aa..e7e5c4e81c 100644
--- a/lib/hooks/sidebar-hooks.js
+++ b/lib/hooks/sidebar-hooks.js
@@ -3,18 +3,32 @@
 import _orderBy from 'lodash/fp/orderBy.js';
 import * as React from 'react';
 
-import { useGetLastUpdatedTimes } from './thread-time.js';
 import { childThreadInfos } from '../selectors/thread-selectors.js';
 import { getMostRecentNonLocalMessageID } from '../shared/message-utils.js';
 import { threadInChatList } from '../shared/thread-utils.js';
+import type { MessageStore, RawMessageInfo } from '../types/message-types.js';
+import type { ThreadInfo } from '../types/minimally-encoded-thread-permissions-types.js';
 import { threadTypeIsSidebar } from '../types/thread-types-enum.js';
 import type { SidebarInfo } from '../types/thread-types.js';
 import { useSelector } from '../utils/redux-utils.js';
 
+function getMostRecentRawMessageInfo(
+  threadInfo: ThreadInfo,
+  messageStore: MessageStore,
+): ?RawMessageInfo {
+  const thread = messageStore.threads[threadInfo.id];
+  if (!thread) {
+    return null;
+  }
+  for (const messageID of thread.messageIDs) {
+    return messageStore.messages[messageID];
+  }
+  return null;
+}
+
 function useSidebarInfos(): { +[id: string]: $ReadOnlyArray<SidebarInfo> } {
   const childThreadInfoByParentID = useSelector(childThreadInfos);
   const messageStore = useSelector(state => state.messageStore);
-  const getLastUpdatedTimes = useGetLastUpdatedTimes();
 
   return React.useMemo(() => {
     const result: { [id: string]: $ReadOnlyArray<SidebarInfo> } = {};
@@ -28,11 +42,12 @@ function useSidebarInfos(): { +[id: string]: $ReadOnlyArray<SidebarInfo> } {
         ) {
           continue;
         }
-        const { lastUpdatedAtLeastTime: lastUpdatedTime } = getLastUpdatedTimes(
+        const mostRecentRawMessageInfo = getMostRecentRawMessageInfo(
           childThreadInfo,
           messageStore,
-          messageStore.messages,
         );
+        const lastUpdatedTime =
+          mostRecentRawMessageInfo?.time ?? childThreadInfo.creationTime;
         const mostRecentNonLocalMessage = getMostRecentNonLocalMessageID(
           childThreadInfo.id,
           messageStore,
@@ -46,7 +61,7 @@ function useSidebarInfos(): { +[id: string]: $ReadOnlyArray<SidebarInfo> } {
       result[parentID] = _orderBy('lastUpdatedTime')('desc')(sidebarInfos);
     }
     return result;
-  }, [childThreadInfoByParentID, messageStore, getLastUpdatedTimes]);
+  }, [childThreadInfoByParentID, messageStore]);
 }
 
 export { useSidebarInfos };
diff --git a/lib/hooks/thread-time.js b/lib/hooks/thread-time.js
index 0a33e9a1b0..1bb46590df 100644
--- a/lib/hooks/thread-time.js
+++ b/lib/hooks/thread-time.js
@@ -1,107 +1,25 @@
 // @flow
 
-import * as React from 'react';
-
-import { useGetLatestMessageEdit } from './latest-message-edit.js';
-import { messageSpecs } from '../shared/messages/message-specs.js';
-import type {
-  MessageInfo,
-  RawMessageInfo,
-  MessageStore,
-} from '../types/message-types.js';
+import type { MessageInfo, MessageStore } from '../types/message-types.js';
 import type { ThreadInfo } from '../types/minimally-encoded-thread-permissions-types.js';
-import type { LastUpdatedTimes } from '../types/thread-types.js';
-import { useSelector } from '../utils/redux-utils.js';
 
-function useGetLastUpdatedTimes(): (
+function getLastUpdatedTime(
   threadInfo: ThreadInfo,
   messageStore: MessageStore,
-  messages: { +[id: string]: ?MessageInfo | RawMessageInfo },
-) => LastUpdatedTimes {
-  const viewerID = useSelector(state => state.currentUserInfo?.id);
-  const fetchMessage = useGetLatestMessageEdit();
-  return React.useCallback(
-    (threadInfo, messageStore, messages) => {
-      // This callback returns two variables:
-      // - lastUpdatedTime: this is a Promise that resolves with the final value
-      // - lastUpdatedAtLeastTime: this is a number that represents what we
-      //   should use while we're waiting for lastUpdatedTime to resolve. It's
-      //   set based on the most recent message whose spec returns a non-Promise
-      //   when getLastUpdatedTime is called
-      let lastUpdatedAtLeastTime = threadInfo.creationTime;
-
-      const thread = messageStore.threads[threadInfo.id];
-      if (!thread || !viewerID) {
-        return {
-          lastUpdatedAtLeastTime,
-          lastUpdatedTime: Promise.resolve(lastUpdatedAtLeastTime),
-        };
-      }
-
-      const getLastUpdatedTimeParams = {
-        threadInfo,
-        viewerID,
-        fetchMessage,
-      };
-
-      let lastUpdatedTime: ?Promise<?number>;
-      for (const messageID of thread.messageIDs) {
-        const messageInfo = messages[messageID];
-        if (!messageInfo) {
-          continue;
-        }
-
-        // We call getLastUpdatedTime on the message spec. It can return either
-        // ?number or Promise<?number>. If the message spec doesn't implement
-        // getLastUpdatedTime, then we default to messageInfo.time.
-        const { getLastUpdatedTime } = messageSpecs[messageInfo.type];
-        const lastUpdatedTimePromisable = getLastUpdatedTime
-          ? getLastUpdatedTime(messageInfo, getLastUpdatedTimeParams)
-          : messageInfo.time;
-
-        // We rely on the fact that thread.messageIDs is ordered chronologically
-        // (newest first) to chain together lastUpdatedTime. An older message's
-        // lastUpdatedTime is only considered if all of the newer messages
-        // return falsey.
-        lastUpdatedTime = (async () => {
-          if (lastUpdatedTime) {
-            const earlierChecks = await lastUpdatedTime;
-            if (earlierChecks) {
-              return earlierChecks;
-            }
-          }
-          return await lastUpdatedTimePromisable;
-        })();
-
-        if (typeof lastUpdatedTimePromisable === 'number') {
-          // We break from the loop the first time this condition is met.
-          // There's no need to consider any older messages, since both
-          // lastUpdated and lastUpdatedAtLeastTime will be this value (or
-          // higher, in the case of lastUpdated). That is also why this loop
-          // only sets lastUpdatedAtLeastTime once: once we get to this
-          // "baseline" case, there's no need to consider any more messages.
-          lastUpdatedAtLeastTime = lastUpdatedTimePromisable;
-          break;
-        }
-      }
-
-      const lastUpdatedWithFallback = (async () => {
-        if (lastUpdatedTime) {
-          const earlierChecks = await lastUpdatedTime;
-          if (earlierChecks) {
-            return earlierChecks;
-          }
-        }
-        return lastUpdatedAtLeastTime;
-      })();
-
-      return {
-        lastUpdatedAtLeastTime,
-        lastUpdatedTime: lastUpdatedWithFallback,
-      };
-    },
-    [viewerID, fetchMessage],
-  );
+  messages: { +[id: string]: ?MessageInfo },
+): number {
+  const thread = messageStore.threads[threadInfo.id];
+  if (!thread) {
+    return threadInfo.creationTime;
+  }
+  for (const messageID of thread.messageIDs) {
+    const messageInfo = messages[messageID];
+    if (!messageInfo) {
+      continue;
+    }
+    return messageInfo.time;
+  }
+  return threadInfo.creationTime;
 }
 
-export { useGetLastUpdatedTimes };
+export { getLastUpdatedTime };
diff --git a/lib/selectors/chat-selectors.js b/lib/selectors/chat-selectors.js
index d62b05247f..dc6f9787d3 100644
--- a/lib/selectors/chat-selectors.js
+++ b/lib/selectors/chat-selectors.js
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ import {
   threadInfoSelector,
 } from './thread-selectors.js';
 import { useSidebarInfos } from '../hooks/sidebar-hooks.js';
-import { useGetLastUpdatedTimes } from '../hooks/thread-time.js';
+import { getLastUpdatedTime } from '../hooks/thread-time.js';
 import {
   createMessageInfo,
   getMostRecentNonLocalMessageID,
@@ -97,15 +97,13 @@ function useCreateChatThreadItem(): ThreadInfo => ChatThreadItem {
   const messageInfos = useSelector(messageInfoSelector);
   const sidebarInfos = useSidebarInfos();
   const messageStore = useSelector(state => state.messageStore);
-  const getLastUpdatedTimes = useGetLastUpdatedTimes();
   return React.useCallback(
     threadInfo => {
       const mostRecentNonLocalMessage = getMostRecentNonLocalMessageID(
         threadInfo.id,
         messageStore,
       );
-
-      const { lastUpdatedAtLeastTime: lastUpdatedTime } = getLastUpdatedTimes(
+      const lastUpdatedTime = getLastUpdatedTime(
         threadInfo,
         messageStore,
         messageInfos,
@@ -172,7 +170,7 @@ function useCreateChatThreadItem(): ThreadInfo => ChatThreadItem {
         sidebars: sidebarItems,
       };
     },
-    [messageInfos, messageStore, sidebarInfos, getLastUpdatedTimes],
+    [messageInfos, messageStore, sidebarInfos],
   );
 }
 
diff --git a/lib/shared/messages/message-spec.js b/lib/shared/messages/message-spec.js
index 6774f694ab..6356f6647c 100644
--- a/lib/shared/messages/message-spec.js
+++ b/lib/shared/messages/message-spec.js
@@ -141,8 +141,4 @@ export type MessageSpec<Data, RawInfo, Info> = {
     messageInfo: Info,
     params: ShowInMessagePreviewParams,
   ) => Promise<boolean>,
-  +getLastUpdatedTime?: (
-    messageInfoOrRawMessageInfo: Info | RawInfo,
-    params: ShowInMessagePreviewParams,
-  ) => ?number | Promise<?number>,
 };
diff --git a/lib/shared/messages/multimedia-message-spec.js b/lib/shared/messages/multimedia-message-spec.js
index de5ba1cbcd..5ac2efa274 100644
--- a/lib/shared/messages/multimedia-message-spec.js
+++ b/lib/shared/messages/multimedia-message-spec.js
@@ -369,14 +369,6 @@ export const multimediaMessageSpec: MultimediaMessageSpec = Object.freeze({
 
   showInMessagePreview: (messageInfo: MediaMessageInfo | ImagesMessageInfo) =>
     Promise.resolve(messageInfo.media.length > 0),
-
-  getLastUpdatedTime: (
-    messageInfo:
-      | MediaMessageInfo
-      | ImagesMessageInfo
-      | RawMediaMessageInfo
-      | RawImagesMessageInfo,
-  ) => (messageInfo.media.length > 0 ? messageInfo.time : null),
 });
 
 // Four photos were uploaded before dimensions were calculated server-side,
diff --git a/lib/types/thread-types.js b/lib/types/thread-types.js
index 771c147728..8e2b8d0b6b 100644
--- a/lib/types/thread-types.js
+++ b/lib/types/thread-types.js
@@ -436,13 +436,6 @@ export type ThreadFetchMediaRequest = {
   +offset: number,
 };
 
-export type LastUpdatedTimes = {
-  // The last updated time is at least this number, but possibly higher
-  // We won't know for sure until the below Promise resolves
-  +lastUpdatedAtLeastTime: number,
-  +lastUpdatedTime: Promise<number>,
-};
-
 export type SidebarInfo = {
   +threadInfo: ThreadInfo,
   +lastUpdatedTime: number,