diff --git a/src/ContentMessages.js b/src/ContentMessages.js
index 2d58622db8..9317e0b746 100644
--- a/src/ContentMessages.js
+++ b/src/ContentMessages.js
@@ -498,9 +498,6 @@ export default class ContentMessages {
         this.inprogress.push(upload);
         dis.dispatch({action: 'upload_started'});
 
-        // Focus the composer view
-        dis.dispatch({action: 'focus_composer'});
-
         let error;
 
         function onProgress(ev) {
diff --git a/src/components/structures/LoggedInView.js b/src/components/structures/LoggedInView.js
index cd752fc2ce..e3a99a42ca 100644
--- a/src/components/structures/LoggedInView.js
+++ b/src/components/structures/LoggedInView.js
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ const LoggedInView = React.createClass({
 
         CallMediaHandler.loadDevices();
 
-        document.addEventListener('keydown', this._onKeyDown);
+        document.addEventListener('keydown', this._onNativeKeyDown, false);
 
         this._sessionStore = sessionStore;
         this._sessionStoreToken = this._sessionStore.addListener(
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ const LoggedInView = React.createClass({
     },
 
     componentWillUnmount: function() {
-        document.removeEventListener('keydown', this._onKeyDown);
+        document.removeEventListener('keydown', this._onNativeKeyDown, false);
         this._matrixClient.removeListener("accountData", this.onAccountData);
         this._matrixClient.removeListener("sync", this.onSync);
         this._matrixClient.removeListener("RoomState.events", this.onRoomStateEvents);
@@ -272,6 +272,42 @@ const LoggedInView = React.createClass({
         });
     },
 
+    /*
+    SOME HACKERY BELOW:
+    React optimizes event handlers, by always attaching only 1 handler to the document for a given type.
+    It then internally determines the order in which React event handlers should be called,
+    emulating the capture and bubbling phases the DOM also has.
+
+    But, as the native handler for React is always attached on the document,
+    it will always run last for bubbling (first for capturing) handlers,
+    and thus React basically has its own event phases, and will always run
+    after (before for capturing) any native other event handlers (as they tend to be attached last).
+
+    So ideally one wouldn't mix React and native event handlers to have bubbling working as expected,
+    but we do need a native event handler here on the document,
+    to get keydown events when there is no focused element (target=body).
+
+    We also do need bubbling here to give child components a chance to call `stopPropagation()`,
+    for keydown events it can handle itself, and shouldn't be redirected to the composer.
+
+    So we listen with React on this component to get any events on focused elements, and get bubbling working as expected.
+    We also listen with a native listener on the document to get keydown events when no element is focused.
+    Bubbling is irrelevant here as the target is the body element.
+    */
+    _onReactKeyDown: function(ev) {
+        // events caught while bubbling up on the root element
+        // of this component, so something must be focused.
+        this._onKeyDown(ev);
+    },
+
+    _onNativeKeyDown: function(ev) {
+        // only pass this if there is no focused element.
+        // if there is, _onKeyDown will be called by the
+        // react keydown handler that respects the react bubbling order.
+        if (ev.target === document.body) {
+            this._onKeyDown(ev);
+        }
+    },
 
     _onKeyDown: function(ev) {
             /*
@@ -333,6 +369,21 @@ const LoggedInView = React.createClass({
         if (handled) {
             ev.stopPropagation();
             ev.preventDefault();
+        } else {
+            const targetTag = ev.target.tagName;
+            const focusedOnInputControl = targetTag === "INPUT" ||
+                targetTag === "TEXTAREA" ||
+                targetTag === "SELECT" ||
+                !!ev.target.getAttribute("contenteditable");
+            const isClickShortcut = ev.target !== document.body &&
+                (ev.key === "Space" || ev.key === "Enter");
+
+            if (!focusedOnInputControl && !isClickShortcut) {
+                dis.dispatch({action: 'focus_composer'}, true);
+                ev.stopPropagation();
+                // we should *not* preventDefault() here as
+                // that would prevent typing in the now-focussed composer
+            }
         }
     },
 
@@ -544,7 +595,7 @@ const LoggedInView = React.createClass({
         }
 
         return (
-            <div className='mx_MatrixChat_wrapper' aria-hidden={this.props.hideToSRUsers} onMouseDown={this._onMouseDown} onMouseUp={this._onMouseUp}>
+            <div onKeyDown={this._onReactKeyDown} className='mx_MatrixChat_wrapper' aria-hidden={this.props.hideToSRUsers} onMouseDown={this._onMouseDown} onMouseUp={this._onMouseUp}>
                 { topBar }
                 <DragDropContext onDragEnd={this._onDragEnd}>
                     <div ref={this._setResizeContainerRef} className={bodyClasses}>
diff --git a/src/components/structures/MatrixChat.js b/src/components/structures/MatrixChat.js
index db5b7d034b..ad3c9ba3fa 100644
--- a/src/components/structures/MatrixChat.js
+++ b/src/components/structures/MatrixChat.js
@@ -268,8 +268,6 @@ export default React.createClass({
     componentDidMount: function() {
         this.dispatcherRef = dis.register(this.onAction);
 
-        this.focusComposer = false;
-
         // this can technically be done anywhere but doing this here keeps all
         // the routing url path logic together.
         if (this.onAliasClick) {
@@ -362,10 +360,6 @@ export default React.createClass({
             const durationMs = this.stopPageChangeTimer();
             Analytics.trackPageChange(durationMs);
         }
-        if (this.focusComposer) {
-            dis.dispatch({action: 'focus_composer'});
-            this.focusComposer = false;
-        }
     },
 
     startPageChangeTimer() {
@@ -793,8 +787,6 @@ export default React.createClass({
     //                               that has been passed out-of-band (eg.
     //                               room name and avatar from an invite email)
     _viewRoom: function(roomInfo) {
-        this.focusComposer = true;
-
         const newState = {
             view: VIEWS.LOGGED_IN,
             currentRoomId: roomInfo.room_id || null,
@@ -1368,7 +1360,6 @@ export default React.createClass({
             self.firstSyncComplete = true;
             self.firstSyncPromise.resolve();
 
-            dis.dispatch({action: 'focus_composer'});
             self.setState({
                 ready: true,
                 showNotifierToolbar: Notifier.shouldShowToolbar(),
diff --git a/src/components/structures/RoomStatusBar.js b/src/components/structures/RoomStatusBar.js
index 7ef080e235..bf756b291b 100644
--- a/src/components/structures/RoomStatusBar.js
+++ b/src/components/structures/RoomStatusBar.js
@@ -135,12 +135,10 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
 
     _onResendAllClick: function() {
         Resend.resendUnsentEvents(this.props.room);
-        dis.dispatch({action: 'focus_composer'});
     },
 
     _onCancelAllClick: function() {
         Resend.cancelUnsentEvents(this.props.room);
-        dis.dispatch({action: 'focus_composer'});
     },
 
     _onShowDevicesClick: function() {
diff --git a/src/components/views/elements/Dropdown.js b/src/components/views/elements/Dropdown.js
index d7569a0435..c99ae4f69d 100644
--- a/src/components/views/elements/Dropdown.js
+++ b/src/components/views/elements/Dropdown.js
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ class MenuOption extends React.Component {
         });
 
         return <div className={optClasses}
-            onClick={this._onClick} onKeyPress={this._onKeyPress}
+            onClick={this._onClick}
             onMouseEnter={this._onMouseEnter}
         >
             { this.props.children }
diff --git a/src/components/views/elements/MessageEditor.js b/src/components/views/elements/MessageEditor.js
index f51348ce04..86e79a3410 100644
--- a/src/components/views/elements/MessageEditor.js
+++ b/src/components/views/elements/MessageEditor.js
@@ -222,7 +222,6 @@ export default class MessageEditor extends React.Component {
                 dis.dispatch({action: 'edit_event', event: nextEvent});
             } else {
                 dis.dispatch({action: 'edit_event', event: null});
-                dis.dispatch({action: 'focus_composer'});
             }
             event.preventDefault();
         }
@@ -230,7 +229,6 @@ export default class MessageEditor extends React.Component {
 
     _cancelEdit = () => {
         dis.dispatch({action: "edit_event", event: null});
-        dis.dispatch({action: 'focus_composer'});
     }
 
     _hasModifications(newContent) {
@@ -257,7 +255,6 @@ export default class MessageEditor extends React.Component {
         this.context.matrixClient.sendMessage(roomId, editContent);
 
         dis.dispatch({action: "edit_event", event: null});
-        dis.dispatch({action: 'focus_composer'});
     }
 
     _cancelPreviousPendingEdit() {
diff --git a/src/components/views/elements/PowerSelector.js b/src/components/views/elements/PowerSelector.js
index 9b886e7cb3..4089c4dd86 100644
--- a/src/components/views/elements/PowerSelector.js
+++ b/src/components/views/elements/PowerSelector.js
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
         this.props.onChange(parseInt(this.state.customValue), this.props.powerLevelKey);
     },
 
-    onCustomKeyPress: function(event) {
+    onCustomKeyDown: function(event) {
         if (event.key === "Enter") {
             event.preventDefault();
             event.stopPropagation();
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
             picker = (
                 <Field id={`powerSelector_custom_${this.props.powerLevelKey}`} type="number"
                        label={this.props.label || _t("Power level")} max={this.props.maxValue}
-                       onBlur={this.onCustomBlur} onKeyPress={this.onCustomKeyPress} onChange={this.onCustomChange}
+                       onBlur={this.onCustomBlur} onKeyDown={this.onCustomKeyDown} onChange={this.onCustomChange}
                        value={String(this.state.customValue)} disabled={this.props.disabled} />
             );
         } else {
diff --git a/src/cryptodevices.js b/src/cryptodevices.js
index 246fae3d73..54c96e3976 100644
--- a/src/cryptodevices.js
+++ b/src/cryptodevices.js
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@ limitations under the License.
 
 import Resend from './Resend';
 import sdk from './index';
-import dis from './dispatcher';
 import Modal from './Modal';
 import { _t } from './languageHandler';
 
@@ -65,10 +64,6 @@ export async function getUnknownDevicesForRoom(matrixClient, room) {
     return unknownDevices;
 }
 
-function focusComposer() {
-    dis.dispatch({action: 'focus_composer'});
-}
-
 /**
  * Show the UnknownDeviceDialog for a given room. The dialog will inform the user
  * that messages they sent to this room have not been sent due to unknown devices
@@ -90,7 +85,6 @@ export function showUnknownDeviceDialogForMessages(matrixClient, room) {
             sendAnywayLabel: _t("Send anyway"),
             sendLabel: _t("Send"),
             onSend: onSendClicked,
-            onFinished: focusComposer,
         }, 'mx_Dialog_unknownDevice');
     });
 }