diff --git a/_locales/en/messages.json b/_locales/en/messages.json
index 02ad93d38..c89d62f92 100644
--- a/_locales/en/messages.json
+++ b/_locales/en/messages.json
@@ -157,6 +157,17 @@
     "description":
       "Message shown on the loading screen while we are doing application optimizations"
   },
+  "migratingToSQLCipher": {
+    "message": "Optimizing messages... $status$ complete.",
+    "description":
+      "Message shown on the loading screen while we are doing application optimizations",
+    "placeholders": {
+      "status": {
+        "content": "$1",
+        "example": "45/200"
+      }
+    }
+  },
   "chooseDirectory": {
     "message": "Choose folder",
     "description": "Button to allow the user to find a folder on disk"
diff --git a/js/background.js b/js/background.js
index 723210bfa..b1a02af86 100644
--- a/js/background.js
+++ b/js/background.js
@@ -319,12 +319,34 @@
     await upgradeMessages();
 
     const db = await Whisper.Database.open();
-    await window.Signal.migrateToSQL({
-      db,
-      clearStores: Whisper.Database.clearStores,
-      handleDOMException: Whisper.Database.handleDOMException,
+    const totalMessages = await MessageDataMigrator.getNumMessages({
+      connection: db,
     });
 
+    function showMigrationStatus(current) {
+      const status = `${current}/${totalMessages}`;
+      Views.Initialization.setMessage(
+        window.i18n('migratingToSQLCipher', [status])
+      );
+    }
+
+    if (totalMessages) {
+      window.log.info(`About to migrate ${totalMessages} messages`);
+
+      showMigrationStatus(0);
+      await window.Signal.migrateToSQL({
+        db,
+        clearStores: Whisper.Database.clearStores,
+        handleDOMException: Whisper.Database.handleDOMException,
+        countCallback: count => {
+          window.log.info(`Migration: ${count} messages complete`);
+          showMigrationStatus(count);
+        },
+      });
+    }
+
+    Views.Initialization.setMessage(window.i18n('loading'));
+
     // Note: We are not invoking the second set of IndexedDB migrations because it is
     //   likely that any future migrations will simply extracting things from IndexedDB.
 
diff --git a/js/models/conversations.js b/js/models/conversations.js
index d0fb93012..75a4a1025 100644
--- a/js/models/conversations.js
+++ b/js/models/conversations.js
@@ -155,7 +155,6 @@
           return;
         }
 
-        window.log.info('Merging updated message into collection');
         existing.merge(message.attributes);
       };
 
diff --git a/js/modules/messages_data_migrator.js b/js/modules/messages_data_migrator.js
index 6b9581ba7..77417126d 100644
--- a/js/modules/messages_data_migrator.js
+++ b/js/modules/messages_data_migrator.js
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ exports.dangerouslyProcessAllWithoutIndex = async ({
   // NOTE: Even if we make this async using `then`, requesting `count` on an
   // IndexedDB store blocks all subsequent transactions, so we might as well
   // explicitly wait for it here:
-  const numTotalMessages = await _getNumMessages({ connection });
+  const numTotalMessages = await exports.getNumMessages({ connection });
 
   const migrationStartTime = Date.now();
   let numCumulativeMessagesProcessed = 0;
@@ -366,7 +366,7 @@ const _dangerouslyFetchMessagesRequiringSchemaUpgradeWithoutIndex = ({
   });
 };
 
-const _getNumMessages = async ({ connection } = {}) => {
+exports.getNumMessages = async ({ connection } = {}) => {
   if (!isObject(connection)) {
     throw new TypeError("'connection' is required");
   }
diff --git a/js/modules/migrate_to_sql.js b/js/modules/migrate_to_sql.js
index 006be1554..36c8cb015 100644
--- a/js/modules/migrate_to_sql.js
+++ b/js/modules/migrate_to_sql.js
@@ -10,6 +10,8 @@ const {
 const {
   getMessageExportLastIndex,
   setMessageExportLastIndex,
+  getMessageExportCount,
+  setMessageExportCount,
   getUnprocessedExportLastIndex,
   setUnprocessedExportLastIndex,
 } = require('./settings');
@@ -18,7 +20,12 @@ module.exports = {
   migrateToSQL,
 };
 
-async function migrateToSQL({ db, clearStores, handleDOMException }) {
+async function migrateToSQL({
+  db,
+  clearStores,
+  handleDOMException,
+  countCallback,
+}) {
   if (!db) {
     throw new Error('Need db for IndexedDB connection!');
   }
@@ -31,7 +38,10 @@ async function migrateToSQL({ db, clearStores, handleDOMException }) {
 
   window.log.info('migrateToSQL: start');
 
-  let lastIndex = await getMessageExportLastIndex(db);
+  let [lastIndex, doneSoFar] = await Promise.all([
+    getMessageExportLastIndex(db),
+    getMessageExportCount(db),
+  ]);
   let complete = false;
 
   while (!complete) {
@@ -48,7 +58,16 @@ async function migrateToSQL({ db, clearStores, handleDOMException }) {
     ({ complete, lastIndex } = status);
 
     // eslint-disable-next-line no-await-in-loop
-    await setMessageExportLastIndex(db, lastIndex);
+    await Promise.all([
+      setMessageExportCount(db, doneSoFar),
+      setMessageExportLastIndex(db, lastIndex),
+    ]);
+
+    const { count } = status;
+    doneSoFar += count;
+    if (countCallback) {
+      countCallback(doneSoFar);
+    }
   }
   window.log.info('migrateToSQL: migrate of messages complete');
 
@@ -85,7 +104,7 @@ async function migrateStoreToSQLite({
   storeName,
   handleDOMException,
   lastIndex = null,
-  batchSize = 20,
+  batchSize = 50,
 }) {
   if (!db) {
     throw new Error('Need db for IndexedDB connection!');
diff --git a/js/modules/settings.js b/js/modules/settings.js
index 2fa2310a7..391b548d6 100644
--- a/js/modules/settings.js
+++ b/js/modules/settings.js
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ const ITEMS_STORE_NAME = 'items';
 const LAST_PROCESSED_INDEX_KEY = 'attachmentMigration_lastProcessedIndex';
 const IS_MIGRATION_COMPLETE_KEY = 'attachmentMigration_isComplete';
 const MESSAGE_LAST_INDEX_KEY = 'sqlMigration_messageLastIndex';
+const MESSAGE_COUNT_KEY = 'sqlMigration_messageCount';
 const UNPROCESSED_LAST_INDEX_KEY = 'sqlMigration_unprocessedLastIndex';
 
 // Public API
@@ -25,6 +26,10 @@ exports.getMessageExportLastIndex = connection =>
   exports._getItem(connection, MESSAGE_LAST_INDEX_KEY);
 exports.setMessageExportLastIndex = (connection, lastIndex) =>
   exports._setItem(connection, MESSAGE_LAST_INDEX_KEY, lastIndex);
+exports.getMessageExportCount = connection =>
+  exports._getItem(connection, MESSAGE_COUNT_KEY);
+exports.setMessageExportCount = (connection, count) =>
+  exports._setItem(connection, MESSAGE_COUNT_KEY, count);
 
 exports.getUnprocessedExportLastIndex = connection =>
   exports._getItem(connection, UNPROCESSED_LAST_INDEX_KEY);
diff --git a/js/modules/views/initialization.js b/js/modules/views/initialization.js
index f543e81c9..1f70e32da 100644
--- a/js/modules/views/initialization.js
+++ b/js/modules/views/initialization.js
@@ -2,26 +2,44 @@
 
 /* global i18n: false */
 
-const OPTIMIZATION_MESSAGE_DISPLAY_THRESHOLD = 1000; // milliseconds
+const DISPLAY_THRESHOLD = 3000; // milliseconds
+const SELECTOR = '.app-loading-screen .message';
 
-const setMessage = () => {
-  const message = document.querySelector('.app-loading-screen .message');
-  if (!message) {
-    return () => {};
+let timeout;
+let targetString;
+let didTimeout = false;
+
+const clear = () => {
+  if (timeout) {
+    clearTimeout(timeout);
+    timeout = null;
   }
-  message.innerText = i18n('loading');
+};
 
-  const optimizingMessageTimeoutId = setTimeout(() => {
-    const innerMessage = document.querySelector('.app-loading-screen .message');
+const setMessage = loadingText => {
+  const message = document.querySelector(SELECTOR);
+  if (!message) {
+    return clear;
+  }
+
+  targetString = loadingText || i18n('optimizingApplication');
+
+  message.innerText = didTimeout ? targetString : i18n('loading');
+
+  if (timeout) {
+    return clear;
+  }
+
+  timeout = setTimeout(() => {
+    didTimeout = true;
+    const innerMessage = document.querySelector(SELECTOR);
     if (!innerMessage) {
       return;
     }
-    innerMessage.innerText = i18n('optimizingApplication');
-  }, OPTIMIZATION_MESSAGE_DISPLAY_THRESHOLD);
+    innerMessage.innerText = targetString;
+  }, DISPLAY_THRESHOLD);
 
-  return () => {
-    clearTimeout(optimizingMessageTimeoutId);
-  };
+  return clear;
 };
 
 module.exports = {