diff --git a/ts/receiver/dataMessage.ts b/ts/receiver/dataMessage.ts
index f7de8ede3..8100bba82 100644
--- a/ts/receiver/dataMessage.ts
+++ b/ts/receiver/dataMessage.ts
@@ -242,18 +242,23 @@ export async function handleSwarmDataMessage(
           sentAt: sentAtTimestamp,
         });
 
-  if (expireUpdate.expirationType === 'deleteAfterSend') {
-    const expirationStartTimestamp = setExpirationStartTimestamp(
-      msgModel,
-      'deleteAfterSend',
-      msgModel.get('sent_at')
-    );
-    msgModel.set('expirationStartTimestamp', expirationStartTimestamp);
-    console.log(
-      `WIP: handleSwarmDataMessage msgModel expirationStartTimestamp`,
-      msgModel.get('expirationStartTimestamp'),
-      msgModel.get('sent_at')
-    );
+  if (isSyncedMessage) {
+    // TODO handle sync messages separately
+    console.log(`WIP: Sync Message dropping`);
+  } else {
+    if (expireUpdate.expirationType === 'deleteAfterSend') {
+      const expirationStartTimestamp = setExpirationStartTimestamp(
+        msgModel,
+        'deleteAfterSend',
+        msgModel.get('sent_at')
+      );
+      msgModel.set('expirationStartTimestamp', expirationStartTimestamp);
+      console.log(
+        `WIP: handleSwarmDataMessage msgModel expirationStartTimestamp`,
+        msgModel.get('expirationStartTimestamp'),
+        msgModel.get('sent_at')
+      );
+    }
   }
 
   await handleSwarmMessage(
diff --git a/ts/session/sending/MessageSentHandler.ts b/ts/session/sending/MessageSentHandler.ts
index e41da4986..f8f4e0f92 100644
--- a/ts/session/sending/MessageSentHandler.ts
+++ b/ts/session/sending/MessageSentHandler.ts
@@ -119,8 +119,17 @@ async function handleMessageSentSuccess(
         window?.log?.warn('Got an error while trying to sendSyncMessage():', e);
       }
     }
+    if (fetchedMessage.get('expirationType')) {
+      const expirationStartTimestamp = setExpirationStartTimestamp(
+        fetchedMessage,
+        fetchedMessage.get('expirationType')!,
+        effectiveTimestamp
+      );
+      fetchedMessage.set('expirationStartTimestamp', expirationStartTimestamp);
+    }
   } else if (shouldMarkMessageAsSynced) {
     fetchedMessage.set({ synced: true });
+    // TODO handle sync messages separately
   }
 
   sentTo = _.union(sentTo, [sentMessage.device]);
@@ -131,15 +140,6 @@ async function handleMessageSentSuccess(
     sent_at: effectiveTimestamp,
   });
 
-  if (fetchedMessage.get('expirationType')) {
-    const expirationStartTimestamp = setExpirationStartTimestamp(
-      fetchedMessage,
-      fetchedMessage.get('expirationType')!,
-      effectiveTimestamp
-    );
-    fetchedMessage.set('expirationStartTimestamp', expirationStartTimestamp);
-  }
-
   await fetchedMessage.commit();
   fetchedMessage.getConversation()?.updateLastMessage();
 }
@@ -165,19 +165,14 @@ async function handleMessageSentFailure(
     if (isOurDevice && !fetchedMessage.get('sync')) {
       fetchedMessage.set({ sentSync: false });
     }
+  }
 
-    // TODO Need to handle messages failing to send differently?
-    if (fetchedMessage.get('expirationType') === 'deleteAfterSend') {
-      const expirationStartTimestamp = setExpirationStartTimestamp(
-        fetchedMessage,
-        'deleteAfterSend'
-      );
-      fetchedMessage.set('expirationStartTimestamp', expirationStartTimestamp);
-    }
-
-    fetchedMessage.set({
-      expirationStartTimestamp: Date.now(),
-    });
+  if (fetchedMessage.get('expirationType')) {
+    const expirationStartTimestamp = setExpirationStartTimestamp(
+      fetchedMessage,
+      fetchedMessage.get('expirationType')!
+    );
+    fetchedMessage.set('expirationStartTimestamp', expirationStartTimestamp);
   }
 
   // always mark the message as sent.
diff --git a/ts/util/expiringMessages.ts b/ts/util/expiringMessages.ts
index 4dd06f503..5b0f2b863 100644
--- a/ts/util/expiringMessages.ts
+++ b/ts/util/expiringMessages.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import { initWallClockListener } from './wallClockListener';
 import { Data } from '../data/data';
 import { getConversationController } from '../session/conversations';
 import { MessageModel } from '../models/message';
+import { getNowWithNetworkOffset } from '../session/apis/snode_api/SNodeAPI';
 
 // TODO Might need to be improved by using an enum
 export const DisappearingMessageMode = ['deleteAfterRead', 'deleteAfterSend'];
@@ -201,15 +202,11 @@ export function setExpirationStartTimestamp(
   mode: DisappearingMessageType,
   timestamp?: number
 ) {
-  let expirationStartTimestamp = Date.now();
+  let expirationStartTimestamp = getNowWithNetworkOffset();
 
   if (timestamp) {
-    expirationStartTimestamp = Math.min(Date.now(), timestamp);
-    window.log.info(
-      `WIP: setExpirationStartTimestamp has a timestamp, comparing`,
-      Date.now(),
-      timestamp
-    );
+    expirationStartTimestamp = Math.max(getNowWithNetworkOffset(), timestamp);
+    message.set('expirationStartTimestamp', expirationStartTimestamp);
   }
 
   if (mode === 'deleteAfterRead') {