diff --git a/Monal/Classes/ActiveChatsViewController.m b/Monal/Classes/ActiveChatsViewController.m
index a62eab26d..56c1fcf1e 100755
--- a/Monal/Classes/ActiveChatsViewController.m
+++ b/Monal/Classes/ActiveChatsViewController.m
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@
 #import "MLIQProcessor.h"
 #import "Quicksy_Country.h"
 #import <Monal-Swift.h>
+#import "chatViewController.h"
 
 #define prependToViewQueue(firstArg, ...)                           metamacro_if_eq(0, metamacro_argcount(__VA_ARGS__))([self prependToViewQueue:firstArg withId:MLViewIDUnspecified andFile:(char*)__FILE__ andLine:__LINE__ andFunc:(char*)__func__])(_prependToViewQueue(firstArg, __VA_ARGS__))
 #define _prependToViewQueue(ownId, block)                           [self prependToViewQueue:block withId:ownId andFile:(char*)__FILE__ andLine:__LINE__ andFunc:(char*)__func__]
@@ -1057,19 +1058,37 @@ -(void) presentChatWithContact:(MLContact*) contact andCompletion:(monal_id_bloc
                 };
                 [self scrollToContact:contact];
                 [self showDetailViewController:chatView sender:self];
-                if(completion != nil)
-                    completion(@YES);
             };
             
             //open chat (make sure we have an active buddy for it and add it to our ui, if needed)
             //but don't animate this if the contact is already present in our list
             [[DataLayer sharedInstance] addActiveBuddies:contact.contactJid forAccount:contact.accountID];
             if([[self getChatArrayForSection:pinnedChats] containsObject:contact] || [[self getChatArrayForSection:unpinnedChats] containsObject:contact])
-                presentator();
+            {
+                if([[HelperTools defaultsDB] boolForKey:@"showNewChatView"])
+                    presentator();
+                else
+                {
+                    [self scrollToContact:contact];
+                    [self performSegueWithIdentifier:@"showConversation" sender:contact];
+                }
+                if(completion != nil)
+                    completion(@YES);
+            }
             else
+            {
                 [self insertOrMoveContact:contact completion:^(BOOL finished __unused) {
-                    presentator();
+                    if([[HelperTools defaultsDB] boolForKey:@"showNewChatView"])
+                        presentator();
+                    else
+                    {
+                        [self scrollToContact:contact];
+                        [self performSegueWithIdentifier:@"showConversation" sender:contact];
+                    }
+                    if(completion != nil)
+                        completion(@YES);
                 }];
+            }
         }];
     }];
 }
@@ -1106,6 +1125,16 @@ -(void) performSegueWithIdentifier:(NSString*) identifier sender:(id) sender
 -(void) prepareForSegue:(UIStoryboardSegue*) segue sender:(id) sender
 {
     DDLogInfo(@"Got segue identifier '%@'", segue.identifier);
+    
+    if([segue.identifier isEqualToString:@"showConversation"])
+    {
+        UINavigationController* nav = segue.destinationViewController;
+        chatViewController* chatVC = (chatViewController*)nav.topViewController;
+        UIBarButtonItem* barButtonItem = [[UIBarButtonItem alloc] initWithTitle:@"" style:UIBarButtonItemStylePlain target:nil action:nil];
+        self.navigationItem.backBarButtonItem = barButtonItem;
+        [chatVC setupWithContact:sender];
+    }
+    
     if([segue.identifier isEqualToString:@"showDetails"])
     {
         UIViewController* detailsViewController = [[SwiftuiInterface new] makeContactDetails:sender];
@@ -1523,8 +1552,9 @@ -(void) dismissRecursorWithViewControllers:(NSMutableArray*) viewControllers ani
 -(chatViewController* _Nullable) currentChatView
 {
     //TODO: this has to be adapted to the new chatui
-    return nil;
-    /*
+    if([[HelperTools defaultsDB] boolForKey:@"showNewChatView"])
+        return nil;
+    
     NSArray* controllers = ((UINavigationController*)self.splitViewController.viewControllers[0]).viewControllers;
     chatViewController* chatView = nil;
     if(controllers.count > 1)
@@ -1532,7 +1562,6 @@ -(chatViewController* _Nullable) currentChatView
     if(![chatView isKindOfClass:NSClassFromString(@"chatViewController")])
         chatView = nil;
     return chatView;
-    */
 }
 
 -(void) scrollToContact:(MLContact*) contact
diff --git a/Monal/Classes/DebugView.swift b/Monal/Classes/DebugView.swift
index d002f4839..71d88d0a8 100644
--- a/Monal/Classes/DebugView.swift
+++ b/Monal/Classes/DebugView.swift
@@ -21,6 +21,9 @@ class DebugDefaultDB: ObservableObject {
     
     @defaultsDB("hasCompletedOnboarding")
     var hasCompletedOnboarding: Bool
+    
+    @defaultsDB("showNewChatView")
+    var showNewChatView: Bool
 }
 
 struct LogFilesView: View {
@@ -123,6 +126,10 @@ struct CrashTestingView: View {
                     Toggle(isOn: $defaultDB.hasCompletedOnboarding) {
                         Text("Don't show onboarding")
                     }
+                    
+                    Toggle(isOn: $defaultDB.showNewChatView) {
+                        Text("Show new SwiftUI ChatView")
+                    }
                 }
                 
                 Text("The following buttons allow you to forcefully crash the app using several different methods to test the crash handling.")
diff --git a/Monal/Classes/MLXMPPManager.m b/Monal/Classes/MLXMPPManager.m
index 2083a2f07..25cc1df88 100644
--- a/Monal/Classes/MLXMPPManager.m
+++ b/Monal/Classes/MLXMPPManager.m
@@ -157,6 +157,8 @@ -(void) defaultSettings
     
     [self upgradeBoolUserSettingsIfUnset:@"showAdvancedUI" toDefault:NO];
     
+    [self upgradeBoolUserSettingsIfUnset:@"showNewChatView" toDefault:YES];
+    
 // //always show onboarding on simulator for now
 // #if TARGET_OS_SIMULATOR
 //     [[HelperTools defaultsDB] setBool:NO forKey:@"hasCompletedOnboarding"];