diff --git a/ts/textsecure/MessageReceiver.ts b/ts/textsecure/MessageReceiver.ts
index 25fdc537edee..cdb0158f43ff 100644
--- a/ts/textsecure/MessageReceiver.ts
+++ b/ts/textsecure/MessageReceiver.ts
@@ -135,6 +135,11 @@ type LockedStores = {
   readonly zone?: Zone;
 };
 
+enum TaskType {
+  Encrypted = 'Encrypted',
+  Decrypted = 'Decrypted',
+}
+
 class MessageReceiverInner extends EventTarget {
   _onClose?: (ev: any) => Promise<void>;
 
@@ -162,7 +167,9 @@ class MessageReceiverInner extends EventTarget {
 
   password: string;
 
-  pendingQueue: PQueue;
+  encryptedQueue: PQueue;
+
+  decryptedQueue: PQueue;
 
   retryCachedTimeout: any;
 
@@ -227,9 +234,18 @@ class MessageReceiverInner extends EventTarget {
         : undefined;
 
     this.incomingQueue = new PQueue({ concurrency: 1, timeout: 1000 * 60 * 2 });
-    this.pendingQueue = new PQueue({ concurrency: 1, timeout: 1000 * 60 * 2 });
     this.appQueue = new PQueue({ concurrency: 1, timeout: 1000 * 60 * 2 });
 
+    // All envelopes start in encryptedQueue and progress to decryptedQueue
+    this.encryptedQueue = new PQueue({
+      concurrency: 1,
+      timeout: 1000 * 60 * 2,
+    });
+    this.decryptedQueue = new PQueue({
+      concurrency: 1,
+      timeout: 1000 * 60 * 2,
+    });
+
     this.cacheAddBatcher = createBatcher<CacheAddItemType>({
       name: 'MessageReceiver.cacheAddBatcher',
       wait: 75,
@@ -268,7 +284,7 @@ class MessageReceiverInner extends EventTarget {
     }
 
     // We always process our cache before processing a new websocket message
-    this.pendingQueue.add(async () => this.queueAllCached());
+    this.encryptedQueue.add(async () => this.queueAllCached());
 
     this.count = 0;
     if (this.hasConnected) {
@@ -514,20 +530,21 @@ class MessageReceiverInner extends EventTarget {
     return messageAgeSec;
   }
 
-  async addToQueue<T>(task: () => Promise<T>): Promise<T> {
-    this.count += 1;
+  async addToQueue<T>(task: () => Promise<T>, taskType: TaskType): Promise<T> {
+    if (taskType === TaskType.Encrypted) {
+      this.count += 1;
+    }
 
-    const promise = this.pendingQueue.add(task);
+    const queue =
+      taskType === TaskType.Encrypted
+        ? this.encryptedQueue
+        : this.decryptedQueue;
 
-    const { count } = this;
-
-    const update = () => {
-      this.updateProgress(count);
-    };
-
-    promise.then(update, update);
-
-    return promise;
+    try {
+      return await queue.add(task);
+    } finally {
+      this.updateProgress(this.count);
+    }
   }
 
   hasEmptied(): boolean {
@@ -549,7 +566,7 @@ class MessageReceiverInner extends EventTarget {
       this.maybeScheduleRetryTimeout();
     };
 
-    const waitForPendingQueue = async () => {
+    const waitForDecryptedQueue = async () => {
       window.log.info(
         "MessageReceiver: finished processing messages after 'empty', now waiting for application"
       );
@@ -558,8 +575,12 @@ class MessageReceiverInner extends EventTarget {
       this.appQueue.add(emitEmpty);
     };
 
+    const waitForEncryptedQueue = async () => {
+      this.addToQueue(waitForDecryptedQueue, TaskType.Decrypted);
+    };
+
     const waitForIncomingQueue = () => {
-      this.addToQueue(waitForPendingQueue);
+      this.addToQueue(waitForEncryptedQueue, TaskType.Encrypted);
 
       // Note: this.count is used in addToQueue
       // Resetting count so everything from the websocket after this starts at zero
@@ -575,10 +596,13 @@ class MessageReceiverInner extends EventTarget {
   }
 
   async drain() {
-    const waitForIncomingQueue = async () =>
+    const waitForEncryptedQueue = async () =>
       this.addToQueue(async () => {
         window.log.info('drained');
-      });
+      }, TaskType.Decrypted);
+
+    const waitForIncomingQueue = async () =>
+      this.addToQueue(waitForEncryptedQueue, TaskType.Encrypted);
 
     return this.incomingQueue.add(waitForIncomingQueue);
   }
@@ -656,15 +680,13 @@ class MessageReceiverInner extends EventTarget {
         } else {
           throw new Error('Cached decrypted value was not a string!');
         }
-        this.queueDecryptedEnvelope(envelope, payloadPlaintext);
+
+        // Maintain invariant: encrypted queue => decrypted queue
+        this.addToQueue(async () => {
+          this.queueDecryptedEnvelope(envelope, payloadPlaintext);
+        }, TaskType.Encrypted);
       } else {
-        this.queueEnvelope(
-          {
-            sessionStore: new Sessions(),
-            identityKeyStore: new IdentityKeys(),
-          },
-          envelope
-        );
+        this.queueCachedEnvelope(envelope);
       }
     } catch (error) {
       window.log.error(
@@ -713,7 +735,7 @@ class MessageReceiverInner extends EventTarget {
     if (this.isEmptied) {
       this.clearRetryTimeout();
       this.retryCachedTimeout = setTimeout(() => {
-        this.pendingQueue.add(async () => this.queueAllCached());
+        this.encryptedQueue.add(async () => this.queueAllCached());
       }, RETRY_TIMEOUT);
     }
   }
@@ -790,7 +812,7 @@ class MessageReceiverInner extends EventTarget {
         await Promise.all<void>(
           items.map(async ({ data, envelope }) => {
             try {
-              const plaintext = await this.queueEnvelope(
+              const plaintext = await this.queueEncryptedEnvelope(
                 { sessionStore, identityKeyStore, zone },
                 envelope
               );
@@ -924,7 +946,7 @@ class MessageReceiverInner extends EventTarget {
       task,
       `queueEncryptedEnvelope ${id}`
     );
-    const promise = this.addToQueue(taskWithTimeout);
+    const promise = this.addToQueue(taskWithTimeout, TaskType.Decrypted);
 
     return promise.catch(error => {
       window.log.error(
@@ -935,7 +957,7 @@ class MessageReceiverInner extends EventTarget {
     });
   }
 
-  async queueEnvelope(
+  async queueEncryptedEnvelope(
     stores: LockedStores,
     envelope: EnvelopeClass
   ): Promise<ArrayBuffer | undefined> {
@@ -945,14 +967,14 @@ class MessageReceiverInner extends EventTarget {
     const task = this.decryptEnvelope.bind(this, stores, envelope);
     const taskWithTimeout = window.textsecure.createTaskWithTimeout(
       task,
-      `queueEnvelope ${id}`
+      `queueEncryptedEnvelope ${id}`
     );
 
     try {
-      return await this.addToQueue(taskWithTimeout);
+      return await this.addToQueue(taskWithTimeout, TaskType.Encrypted);
     } catch (error) {
       const args = [
-        'queueEnvelope error handling envelope',
+        'queueEncryptedEnvelope error handling envelope',
         this.getEnvelopeId(envelope),
         ':',
         error && error.extra ? JSON.stringify(error.extra) : '',
@@ -967,6 +989,22 @@ class MessageReceiverInner extends EventTarget {
     }
   }
 
+  async queueCachedEnvelope(envelope: EnvelopeClass): Promise<void> {
+    const plaintext = await this.queueEncryptedEnvelope(
+      {
+        sessionStore: new Sessions(),
+        identityKeyStore: new IdentityKeys(),
+      },
+      envelope
+    );
+
+    if (!plaintext) {
+      return;
+    }
+
+    await this.queueDecryptedEnvelope(envelope, plaintext);
+  }
+
   // Called after `decryptEnvelope` decrypted the message.
   async handleDecryptedEnvelope(
     envelope: EnvelopeClass,