diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/geeksville/mesh/MainActivity.kt b/app/src/main/java/com/geeksville/mesh/MainActivity.kt
index 787784e77..de99050b4 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/com/geeksville/mesh/MainActivity.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/geeksville/mesh/MainActivity.kt
@@ -750,7 +750,7 @@ class MainActivity : AppCompatActivity(), Logging,
             // Init our messages table with the service's record of past text messages
             val msgs = service.oldMessages
             debug("Service provided ${msgs.size} messages")
-            model.messagesState.messages.value = msgs
+            model.messagesState.setMessages(msgs)
             val connectionState =
                 MeshService.ConnectionState.valueOf(service.connectionState())
 
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/geeksville/mesh/model/MessagesState.kt b/app/src/main/java/com/geeksville/mesh/model/MessagesState.kt
index a69541dd2..5400937c0 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/com/geeksville/mesh/model/MessagesState.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/geeksville/mesh/model/MessagesState.kt
@@ -20,40 +20,44 @@ class MessagesState(private val ui: UIViewModel) : Logging {
         )
     )
 
+    /// This is the inner storage for messages
+    private val messagesList = (if (isEmulator) testTexts else emptyList()).toMutableList()
+
     // If the following (unused otherwise) line is commented out, the IDE preview window works.
     // if left in the preview always renders as empty.
     val messages =
-        object : MutableLiveData<List<DataPacket>>(if (isEmulator) testTexts else emptyList()) {
+        object : MutableLiveData<List<DataPacket>>(messagesList) {
 
         }
 
+    fun setMessages(m: List<DataPacket>) {
+        messagesList.clear()
+        messagesList.addAll(m)
+        messages.value = messagesList
+    }
+
     /// add a message our GUI list of past msgs
     fun addMessage(m: DataPacket) {
         debug("Adding message to view id=${m.id}")
         // FIXME - don't just slam in a new list each time, it probably causes extra drawing.
 
-        // FIXME - possible kotlin bug in 1.3.72 - it seems that if we start with the (globally shared) emptyList,
-        // then adding items are affecting that shared list rather than a copy.   This was causing aliasing of
-        // recentDataPackets with messages.value in the GUI.  So if the current list is empty we are careful to make a new list
-        messages.value = if (messages.value.isNullOrEmpty())
-            listOf(m)
-        else
-            messages.value!! + m
+        messagesList.add(m)
+
+        messages.value = messagesList
     }
 
     fun updateStatus(id: Int, status: MessageStatus) {
         // Super inefficent but this is rare
         debug("Handling message status change $id: $status")
-        val msgs = messages.value!!
 
-        msgs.find { it.id == id }?.let { p ->
+        messagesList.find { it.id == id }?.let { p ->
             // Note: it seems that the service is keeping only a reference to our original packet (so it has already updated p.status)
             // This seems to be an AIDL optimization when both the service and the client are in the same process.  But we still want to trigger
             // a GUI update
             // if (p.status != status) {
             p.status = status
             // Trigger an expensive complete redraw FIXME
-            messages.value = msgs
+            messages.value = messagesList
             // }
         }
     }