diff --git a/src/components/views/rooms/PinnedEventsPanel.js b/src/components/views/rooms/PinnedEventsPanel.js
index 5b1b8a4590..1e6de43ab5 100644
--- a/src/components/views/rooms/PinnedEventsPanel.js
+++ b/src/components/views/rooms/PinnedEventsPanel.js
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import MatrixClientPeg from "../../../MatrixClientPeg";
 import AccessibleButton from "../elements/AccessibleButton";
 import PinnedEventTile from "./PinnedEventTile";
 import { _t } from '../../../languageHandler';
+import PinningUtils from "../../../utils/PinningUtils";
 
 module.exports = React.createClass({
     displayName: 'PinnedEventsPanel',
@@ -61,20 +62,39 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
 
             Promise.all(promises).then((contexts) => {
                 // Filter out the messages before we try to render them
-                const pinned = contexts.filter((context) => {
-                    if (!context) return false; // no context == not applicable for the room
-                    if (context.event.getType() !== "m.room.message") return false;
-                    if (context.event.isRedacted()) return false;
-                    return true;
-                });
+                const pinned = contexts.filter((context) => PinningUtils.isPinnable(context.event));
 
                 this.setState({ loading: false, pinned });
             });
         }
+
+        this._updateReadState();
+    },
+
+    _updateReadState: function() {
+        const pinnedEvents = this.props.room.currentState.getStateEvents("m.room.pinned_events", "");
+        if (!pinnedEvents) return; // nothing to read
+
+        let readStateEvents = null;
+        const readPinsEvent = this.props.room.getAccountData("im.vector.room.read_pins");
+        if (readPinsEvent && readPinsEvent.getContent()) {
+            readStateEvents = readPinsEvent.getContent().event_ids || [];
+        }
+
+        if (!readStateEvents.includes(pinnedEvents.getId())) {
+            readStateEvents.push(pinnedEvents.getId());
+
+            // Only keep the last 10 event IDs to avoid infinite growth
+            readStateEvents = readStateEvents.reverse().splice(0, 10).reverse();
+
+            MatrixClientPeg.get().setRoomAccountData(this.props.room.roomId, "im.vector.room.read_pins", {
+                event_ids: readStateEvents,
+            });
+        }
     },
 
     _getPinnedTiles: function() {
-        if (this.state.pinned.length == 0) {
+        if (this.state.pinned.length === 0) {
             return (<div>{ _t("No pinned messages.") }</div>);
         }
 
diff --git a/src/components/views/rooms/RoomHeader.js b/src/components/views/rooms/RoomHeader.js
index 4dfbdb3644..f558f44b4e 100644
--- a/src/components/views/rooms/RoomHeader.js
+++ b/src/components/views/rooms/RoomHeader.js
@@ -65,6 +65,7 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
     componentDidMount: function() {
         const cli = MatrixClientPeg.get();
         cli.on("RoomState.events", this._onRoomStateEvents);
+        cli.on("Room.accountData", this._onRoomAccountData);
 
         // When a room name occurs, RoomState.events is fired *before*
         // room.name is updated. So we have to listen to Room.name as well as
@@ -87,6 +88,7 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
         const cli = MatrixClientPeg.get();
         if (cli) {
             cli.removeListener("RoomState.events", this._onRoomStateEvents);
+            cli.removeListener("Room.accountData", this._onRoomAccountData);
         }
     },
 
@@ -99,6 +101,13 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
         this._rateLimitedUpdate();
     },
 
+    _onRoomAccountData: function(event, room) {
+        if (!this.props.room || room.roomId !== this.props.room.roomId) return;
+        if (event.getType() !== "im.vector.room.read_pins") return;
+
+        this._rateLimitedUpdate();
+    },
+
     _rateLimitedUpdate: new RateLimitedFunc(function() {
         /* eslint-disable babel/no-invalid-this */
         this.forceUpdate();
@@ -139,6 +148,32 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
         dis.dispatch({ action: 'show_right_panel' });
     },
 
+    _hasUnreadPins: function() {
+        const currentPinEvent = this.props.room.currentState.getStateEvents("m.room.pinned_events", '');
+        if (!currentPinEvent) return false;
+        if (currentPinEvent.getContent().pinned && currentPinEvent.getContent().pinned.length <= 0) {
+            return false; // no pins == nothing to read
+        }
+
+        const readPinsEvent = this.props.room.getAccountData("im.vector.room.read_pins");
+        if (readPinsEvent && readPinsEvent.getContent()) {
+            const readStateEvents = readPinsEvent.getContent().event_ids || [];
+            if (readStateEvents) {
+                return !readStateEvents.includes(currentPinEvent.getId());
+            }
+        }
+
+        // There's pins, and we haven't read any of them
+        return true;
+    },
+
+    _hasPins: function() {
+        const currentPinEvent = this.props.room.currentState.getStateEvents("m.room.pinned_events", '');
+        if (!currentPinEvent) return false;
+
+        return !(currentPinEvent.getContent().pinned && currentPinEvent.getContent().pinned.length <= 0);
+    },
+
     /**
      * After editing the settings, get the new name for the room
      *
@@ -305,8 +340,17 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
         }
 
         if (this.props.onPinnedClick && UserSettingsStore.isFeatureEnabled('feature_pinning')) {
+            let pinsIndicator = null;
+            if (this._hasUnreadPins()) {
+                pinsIndicator = (<div className="mx_RoomHeader_pinsIndicator mx_RoomHeader_pinsIndicatorUnread" />);
+            } else if (this._hasPins()) {
+                pinsIndicator = (<div className="mx_RoomHeader_pinsIndicator" />);
+            }
+
             pinnedEventsButton =
-                <AccessibleButton className="mx_RoomHeader_button" onClick={this.props.onPinnedClick} title={_t("Pinned Messages")}>
+                <AccessibleButton className="mx_RoomHeader_button mx_RoomHeader_pinnedButton"
+                                  onClick={this.props.onPinnedClick} title={_t("Pinned Messages")}>
+                    { pinsIndicator }
                     <TintableSvg src="img/icons-pin.svg" width="16" height="16" />
                 </AccessibleButton>;
         }
diff --git a/src/utils/PinningUtils.js b/src/utils/PinningUtils.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..90d26cc988
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/utils/PinningUtils.js
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+/*
+Copyright 2017 Travis Ralston
+
+Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+limitations under the License.
+*/
+
+export default class PinningUtils {
+    /**
+     * Determines if the given event may be pinned.
+     * @param {MatrixEvent} event The event to check.
+     * @return {boolean} True if the event may be pinned, false otherwise.
+     */
+    static isPinnable(event) {
+        if (!event) return false;
+        if (event.getType() !== "m.room.message") return false;
+        if (event.isRedacted()) return false;
+
+        return true;
+    }
+}