diff --git a/src/components/structures/RoomView.js b/src/components/structures/RoomView.js
index 9d5d50e9b1..ea8b6e2ae0 100644
--- a/src/components/structures/RoomView.js
+++ b/src/components/structures/RoomView.js
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ var q = require("q");
 var classNames = require("classnames");
 var Matrix = require("matrix-js-sdk");
 
+var UserSettingsStore = require('../../UserSettingsStore');
 var MatrixClientPeg = require("../../MatrixClientPeg");
 var ContentMessages = require("../../ContentMessages");
 var Modal = require("../../Modal");
@@ -1727,7 +1728,7 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
         var messagePanel = (
             <TimelinePanel ref={this._gatherTimelinePanelRef}
                 timelineSet={this.state.room.getUnfilteredTimelineSet()}
-                manageReadReceipts={true}
+                manageReadReceipts={!UserSettingsStore.getSyncedSetting('hideReadReceipts', false)}
                 manageReadMarkers={true}
                 hidden={hideMessagePanel}
                 highlightedEventId={this.props.highlightedEventId}
diff --git a/src/components/views/rooms/EventTile.js b/src/components/views/rooms/EventTile.js
index e4234fc0bc..9dc1087ce5 100644
--- a/src/components/views/rooms/EventTile.js
+++ b/src/components/views/rooms/EventTile.js
@@ -23,7 +23,6 @@ var Modal = require('../../../Modal');
 var sdk = require('../../../index');
 var TextForEvent = require('../../../TextForEvent');
 import WithMatrixClient from '../../../wrappers/WithMatrixClient';
-import * as UserSettingsStore from "../../../UserSettingsStore";
 
 var ContextualMenu = require('../../structures/ContextualMenu');
 import dis from '../../../dispatcher';
@@ -285,8 +284,9 @@ module.exports = WithMatrixClient(React.createClass({
     },
 
     getReadAvatars: function() {
-        // return early if the user doesn't want any read receipts
-        if (UserSettingsStore.getSyncedSetting('hideReadReceipts', false)) {
+
+        // return early if there are no read receipts
+        if (!this.props.readReceipts || this.props.readReceipts.length === 0) {
             return (<span className="mx_EventTile_readAvatars"></span>);
         }