diff --git a/app/attachments.js b/app/attachments.js
index 0538aaf856..cec884c684 100644
--- a/app/attachments.js
+++ b/app/attachments.js
@@ -43,10 +43,10 @@ exports.createReader = (root) => {
   };
 };
 
-//      createWriter :: AttachmentsPath ->
-//                      ArrayBuffer ->
-//                      IO (Promise RelativePath)
-exports.createWriter = (root) => {
+//      createWriterForNew :: AttachmentsPath ->
+//                            ArrayBuffer ->
+//                            IO (Promise RelativePath)
+exports.createWriterForNew = (root) => {
   if (!isString(root)) {
     throw new TypeError('"root" must be a path');
   }
diff --git a/js/modules/types/attachment/migrate_data_to_file_system.js b/js/modules/types/attachment/migrate_data_to_file_system.js
index d2709d90f9..9fa4fc83d3 100644
--- a/js/modules/types/attachment/migrate_data_to_file_system.js
+++ b/js/modules/types/attachment/migrate_data_to_file_system.js
@@ -7,15 +7,15 @@ const {
 
 
 // type Context :: {
-//   writeAttachmentData :: ArrayBuffer -> Promise (IO Path)
+//   writeNewAttachmentData :: ArrayBuffer -> Promise (IO Path)
 // }
 //
 //      migrateDataToFileSystem :: Attachment ->
 //                                 Context ->
 //                                 Promise Attachment
-exports.migrateDataToFileSystem = async (attachment, { writeAttachmentData } = {}) => {
-  if (!isFunction(writeAttachmentData)) {
-    throw new TypeError('"writeAttachmentData" must be a function');
+exports.migrateDataToFileSystem = async (attachment, { writeNewAttachmentData } = {}) => {
+  if (!isFunction(writeNewAttachmentData)) {
+    throw new TypeError('"writeNewAttachmentData" must be a function');
   }
 
   const { data } = attachment;
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ exports.migrateDataToFileSystem = async (attachment, { writeAttachmentData } = {
       ` got: ${typeof attachment.data}`);
   }
 
-  const path = await writeAttachmentData(data);
+  const path = await writeNewAttachmentData(data);
 
   const attachmentWithoutData = omit(
     Object.assign({}, attachment, { path }),
diff --git a/js/modules/types/message.js b/js/modules/types/message.js
index d501532e75..c66579370a 100644
--- a/js/modules/types/message.js
+++ b/js/modules/types/message.js
@@ -166,13 +166,13 @@ const toVersion3 = exports._withSchemaVersion(
 );
 
 // UpgradeStep
-exports.upgradeSchema = async (message, { writeAttachmentData } = {}) => {
-  if (!isFunction(writeAttachmentData)) {
-    throw new TypeError('`context.writeAttachmentData` is required');
+exports.upgradeSchema = async (message, { writeNewAttachmentData } = {}) => {
+  if (!isFunction(writeNewAttachmentData)) {
+    throw new TypeError('`context.writeNewAttachmentData` is required');
   }
 
   return toVersion3(
     await toVersion2(await toVersion1(await toVersion0(message))),
-    { writeAttachmentData }
+    { writeNewAttachmentData }
   );
 };
diff --git a/preload.js b/preload.js
index 70938c04d3..f4985ecd3b 100644
--- a/preload.js
+++ b/preload.js
@@ -113,11 +113,11 @@ window.ProxyAgent = require('proxy-agent');
 const attachmentsPath = Attachments.getPath(app.getPath('userData'));
 const deleteAttachmentData = Attachments.createDeleter(attachmentsPath);
 const readAttachmentData = Attachments.createReader(attachmentsPath);
-const writeAttachmentData = Attachments.createWriter(attachmentsPath);
+const writeNewAttachmentData = Attachments.createWriterForNew(attachmentsPath);
 
 // Injected context functions to keep `Message` agnostic from Electron:
 const upgradeSchemaContext = {
-  writeAttachmentData,
+  writeNewAttachmentData,
 };
 const upgradeMessageSchema = message =>
   Message.upgradeSchema(message, upgradeSchemaContext);
diff --git a/test/app/attachments_test.js b/test/app/attachments_test.js
index 0fff99ac4c..1f1e8cc110 100644
--- a/test/app/attachments_test.js
+++ b/test/app/attachments_test.js
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ const NAME_LENGTH = 64;
 const PATH_LENGTH = PREFIX_LENGTH + NUM_SEPARATORS + NAME_LENGTH;
 
 describe('Attachments', () => {
-  describe('createWriter', () => {
+  describe('createWriterForNew', () => {
     let tempRootDirectory = null;
     before(() => {
       tempRootDirectory = tmp.dirSync().name;
@@ -25,9 +25,12 @@ describe('Attachments', () => {
 
     it('should write file to disk and return path', async () => {
       const input = stringToArrayBuffer('test string');
-      const tempDirectory = path.join(tempRootDirectory, 'Attachments_createWriter');
+      const tempDirectory = path.join(
+        tempRootDirectory,
+        'Attachments_createWriterForNew'
+      );
 
-      const outputPath = await Attachments.createWriter(tempDirectory)(input);
+      const outputPath = await Attachments.createWriterForNew(tempDirectory)(input);
       const output = await fse.readFile(path.join(tempDirectory, outputPath));
 
       assert.lengthOf(outputPath, PATH_LENGTH);
diff --git a/test/modules/types/attachment_test.js b/test/modules/types/attachment_test.js
index 5af44485aa..fe930a9999 100644
--- a/test/modules/types/attachment_test.js
+++ b/test/modules/types/attachment_test.js
@@ -120,14 +120,14 @@ describe('Attachment', () => {
       };
 
       const expectedAttachmentData = stringToArrayBuffer('Above us only sky');
-      const writeAttachmentData = async (attachmentData) => {
+      const writeNewAttachmentData = async (attachmentData) => {
         assert.deepEqual(attachmentData, expectedAttachmentData);
         return 'abc/abcdefgh123456789';
       };
 
       const actual = await Attachment.migrateDataToFileSystem(
         input,
-        { writeAttachmentData }
+        { writeNewAttachmentData }
       );
       assert.deepEqual(actual, expected);
     });
@@ -145,12 +145,12 @@ describe('Attachment', () => {
         size: 1111,
       };
 
-      const writeAttachmentData = async () =>
+      const writeNewAttachmentData = async () =>
         'abc/abcdefgh123456789';
 
       const actual = await Attachment.migrateDataToFileSystem(
         input,
-        { writeAttachmentData }
+        { writeNewAttachmentData }
       );
       assert.deepEqual(actual, expected);
     });
@@ -163,11 +163,11 @@ describe('Attachment', () => {
         size: 1111,
       };
 
-      const writeAttachmentData = async () =>
+      const writeNewAttachmentData = async () =>
         'abc/abcdefgh123456789';
 
       try {
-        await Attachment.migrateDataToFileSystem(input, { writeAttachmentData });
+        await Attachment.migrateDataToFileSystem(input, { writeNewAttachmentData });
       } catch (error) {
         assert.strictEqual(
           error.message,
diff --git a/test/modules/types/message_test.js b/test/modules/types/message_test.js
index a6afc05164..4f2e654e05 100644
--- a/test/modules/types/message_test.js
+++ b/test/modules/types/message_test.js
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ describe('Message', () => {
 
       const expectedAttachmentData = stringToArrayBuffer('It’s easy if you try');
       const context = {
-        writeAttachmentData: async (attachmentData) => {
+        writeNewAttachmentData: async (attachmentData) => {
           assert.deepEqual(attachmentData, expectedAttachmentData);
           return 'abc/abcdefg';
         },