diff --git a/event/common.go b/event/common.go
index a7f19e5..c1fd187 100644
--- a/event/common.go
+++ b/event/common.go
@@ -329,21 +329,24 @@ const (
 
 // Define Attribute Keys related to history preservation
 const (
-	SaveHistoryDefaultKey = "SaveHistoryDefault" // profile level default
-	SaveHistoryKey        = "SavePeerHistory"
-	DeleteHistoryDefault  = "DefaultDeleteHistory" // used at both profile and contact level.
+	PreserveHistoryDefaultSettingKey = "SaveHistoryDefault" // profile level default
+	SaveHistoryKey                   = "SavePeerHistory"    // peer level setting
 )
 
 // Define Default Attribute Values
 const (
 	// Save History has 3 distinct states. By default we refer to the profile level
-	//  attribute SaveHistoryDefaultKey ( default: unset i.e. DefaultDeleteHistory),
-	// For each contact, if the profile owner confirms this we change to DeleteHistoryConfirmed,
+	//  attribute PreserveHistoryDefaultSettingKey ( default: false i.e. DefaultDeleteHistory),
+	// For each contact, if the profile owner confirms deletion we change to DeleteHistoryConfirmed,
 	// if the profile owner confirms they want to save history then this becomes SaveHistoryConfirmed
 	// These settings are set at the UI level using Get/SetScopeZoneAttribute with scoped zone: local.profile.*
 	SaveHistoryConfirmed   = "SaveHistory"
 	DeleteHistoryConfirmed = "DeleteHistoryConfirmed"
 	SaveHistoryDefault     = "DefaultSaveHistory"
+
+	// NOTE: While this says "[DeleteHistory]Default", The actual behaviour will now depend on the
+	// global app/profile value of PreserveHistoryDefaultSettingKey
+	DeleteHistoryDefault = "DefaultDeleteHistory"
 )
 
 // Bool strings
diff --git a/peer/cwtch_peer.go b/peer/cwtch_peer.go
index c47e223..c484916 100644
--- a/peer/cwtch_peer.go
+++ b/peer/cwtch_peer.go
@@ -194,10 +194,16 @@ func (cp *cwtchPeer) UpdateExperiments(enabled bool, experiments map[string]bool
 	cp.experiments = model.InitExperiments(enabled, experiments)
 }
 
-// NotifySettingsUpdate notifies a Cwtch profile of a change in the nature of global experiments. The Cwtch Profile uses
-// this information to update registered extensions.
+// NotifySettingsUpdate notifies a Cwtch profile of a change in the nature of global settings.
+// The Cwtch Profile uses this information to update registered extensions in addition
+// to updating internal settings.
 func (cp *cwtchPeer) NotifySettingsUpdate(settings settings.GlobalSettings) {
 	log.Debugf("Cwtch Profile Settings Update: %v", settings)
+
+	// update the save history default...
+	cp.SetScopedZonedAttribute(attr.LocalScope, attr.ProfileZone, event.PreserveHistoryDefaultSettingKey, strconv.FormatBool(settings.DefaultSaveHistory))
+
+	// pass these seetings updates
 	cp.extensionLock.Lock()
 	defer cp.extensionLock.Unlock()
 	for _, extension := range cp.extensions {
@@ -545,7 +551,7 @@ func ImportLegacyProfile(profile *model.Profile, cps *CwtchProfileStorage) Cwtch
 		if err == nil {
 			for key, value := range contact.Attributes {
 				switch key {
-				case event.SaveHistoryKey:
+				case event.PreserveHistoryDefaultSettingKey:
 					cp.SetConversationAttribute(conversationID, attr.LocalScope.ConstructScopedZonedPath(attr.ProfileZone.ConstructZonedPath(event.SaveHistoryKey)), value)
 				case string(model.BundleType):
 					cp.AddServer(value)
@@ -1537,6 +1543,13 @@ func (cp *cwtchPeer) eventHandler() {
 			}
 		case event.PeerStateChange:
 			handle := ev.Data[event.RemotePeer]
+
+			// we need to do this first because calls in the rest of this block may result in
+			// events that result the UI or bindings fetching new data.
+			cp.mutex.Lock()
+			cp.state[handle] = connections.ConnectionStateToType()[ev.Data[event.ConnectionState]]
+			cp.mutex.Unlock()
+
 			if connections.ConnectionStateToType()[ev.Data[event.ConnectionState]] == connections.AUTHENTICATED {
 				ci, err := cp.FetchConversationInfo(handle)
 				var cid int
@@ -1577,9 +1590,6 @@ func (cp *cwtchPeer) eventHandler() {
 			}
 			cp.extensionLock.Unlock()
 
-			cp.mutex.Lock()
-			cp.state[ev.Data[event.RemotePeer]] = connections.ConnectionStateToType()[ev.Data[event.ConnectionState]]
-			cp.mutex.Unlock()
 		case event.ServerStateChange:
 			cp.mutex.Lock()
 			prevState := cp.state[ev.Data[event.GroupServer]]
diff --git a/peer/cwtchprofilestorage.go b/peer/cwtchprofilestorage.go
index 784f1fe..c388cd2 100644
--- a/peer/cwtchprofilestorage.go
+++ b/peer/cwtchprofilestorage.go
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import (
 	"io"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
+	"strconv"
 	"strings"
 	"sync"
 )
@@ -836,23 +837,27 @@ func (cps *CwtchProfileStorage) PurgeConversationChannel(conversation int, chann
 // PurgeNonSavedMessages deletes all message conversations that are not explicitly set to saved.
 func (cps *CwtchProfileStorage) PurgeNonSavedMessages() {
 
+	// check to see if the profile global setting has been explicitly set to save (peer) conversations by default.
 	defaultSave := false
-	key, err := cps.LoadProfileKeyValue(TypeAttribute, attr.LocalScope.ConstructScopedZonedPath(attr.ProfileZone.ConstructZonedPath(event.SaveHistoryDefaultKey)).ToString())
+	key, err := cps.LoadProfileKeyValue(TypeAttribute, attr.LocalScope.ConstructScopedZonedPath(attr.ProfileZone.ConstructZonedPath(event.PreserveHistoryDefaultSettingKey)).ToString())
 	if err == nil {
-		if string(key) == event.SaveHistoryDefault {
-			defaultSave = true
+		if defaultSaveSetting, err := strconv.ParseBool(string(key)); err == nil {
+			defaultSave = defaultSaveSetting
 		}
 	}
 
-	// Purge Messages that are not stored...
+	// For each conversation, all that is not explicitly saved will be lost...
 	ci, err := cps.FetchConversations()
 	if err == nil {
 		for _, conversation := range ci {
+			// unless this is a server or a group...for which we default save always (for legacy reasons)
+			// FIXME: revisit this for hybrid groups.
 			if !conversation.IsGroup() && !conversation.IsServer() {
-				saveHistoryConfirmed := conversation.Attributes[attr.LocalScope.ConstructScopedZonedPath(attr.ProfileZone.ConstructZonedPath(event.SaveHistoryKey)).ToString()] == event.SaveHistoryConfirmed
-				deleteHistoryConfirmed := conversation.Attributes[attr.LocalScope.ConstructScopedZonedPath(attr.ProfileZone.ConstructZonedPath(event.SaveHistoryKey)).ToString()] == event.DeleteHistoryConfirmed
+				// Note that we only check for confirmed status here...if it is set to any other value we will fallthrough to the default.
+				saveHistoryConfirmed := conversation.Attributes[attr.LocalScope.ConstructScopedZonedPath(attr.ProfileZone.ConstructZonedPath(event.PreserveHistoryDefaultSettingKey)).ToString()] == event.SaveHistoryConfirmed
+				deleteHistoryConfirmed := conversation.Attributes[attr.LocalScope.ConstructScopedZonedPath(attr.ProfileZone.ConstructZonedPath(event.PreserveHistoryDefaultSettingKey)).ToString()] == event.DeleteHistoryConfirmed
 				// we purge conversation history in two specific instances...
-				// if the conversation has been explicitly marked as default history confirmed OR
+				// if the conversation has been explicitly marked as delete history confirmed OR
 				// if save history hasn't been confirmed and default save history is false - i.e. in all other cases
 				if deleteHistoryConfirmed || (!saveHistoryConfirmed && !defaultSave) {
 					log.Debugf("purging conversation...")
diff --git a/settings/settings.go b/settings/settings.go
index 0093544..e486516 100644
--- a/settings/settings.go
+++ b/settings/settings.go
@@ -57,6 +57,7 @@ type GlobalSettings struct {
 	TorCacheDir             string
 	BlodeuweddPath          string
 	FontScaling             float64
+	DefaultSaveHistory      bool
 }
 
 var DefaultGlobalSettings = GlobalSettings{
@@ -83,6 +84,7 @@ var DefaultGlobalSettings = GlobalSettings{
 	TorCacheDir:             "",
 	BlodeuweddPath:          "",
 	FontScaling:             1.0, // use the system pixel scaling default
+	DefaultSaveHistory:      false,
 }
 
 func InitGlobalSettingsFile(directory string, password string) (*GlobalSettingsFile, error) {
@@ -131,6 +133,8 @@ func (globalSettingsFile *GlobalSettingsFile) ReadGlobalSettings() GlobalSetting
 		return settings //firstTime = true
 	}
 
+	// note: by giving json.Unmarshal settings we are providing it defacto defaults
+	// from DefaultGlobalSettings
 	err = json.Unmarshal(settingsBytes, &settings)
 	if err != nil {
 		log.Errorf("Could not parse global ui settings: %v\n", err)
diff --git a/storage/v1/profile_store.go b/storage/v1/profile_store.go
index 98c6802..db8436b 100644
--- a/storage/v1/profile_store.go
+++ b/storage/v1/profile_store.go
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ func (ps *ProfileStoreV1) load() error {
 				}
 			}
 
-			if contact.Attributes[event.SaveHistoryKey] == event.SaveHistoryConfirmed {
+			if contact.Attributes[event.PreserveHistoryDefaultSettingKey] == event.SaveHistoryConfirmed {
 				ss := NewStreamStore(ps.directory, contact.LocalID, ps.key)
 				cp.Contacts[contact.Onion].Timeline.SetMessages(ss.Read())
 			}