diff --git a/ts/components/conversation/MessageDetail.tsx b/ts/components/conversation/MessageDetail.tsx
index 6df791229..8fd84177a 100644
--- a/ts/components/conversation/MessageDetail.tsx
+++ b/ts/components/conversation/MessageDetail.tsx
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 // SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-only
 
 import type { ReactChild, ReactNode } from 'react';
-import React, { useEffect, useRef } from 'react';
+import React, { useRef } from 'react';
 import classNames from 'classnames';
 import { noop } from 'lodash';
 
@@ -149,20 +149,8 @@ export function MessageDetail({
   toggleSafetyNumberModal,
   viewStory,
 }: Props): JSX.Element {
-  const focusRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
   const messageContainerRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
 
-  useEffect(() => {
-    const timer = setTimeout(() => {
-      // When this component is created, it's initially not part of the DOM, and then it's
-      //   added off-screen and animated in. This ensures that the focus takes.
-      focusRef.current?.focus();
-    });
-    return () => {
-      clearTimeout(timer);
-    };
-  }, []);
-
   function renderAvatar(contact: Contact): JSX.Element {
     const {
       acceptedMessageRequest,
@@ -327,8 +315,7 @@ export function MessageDetail({
     : undefined;
 
   return (
-    // eslint-disable-next-line jsx-a11y/no-noninteractive-tabindex
-    <div className="module-message-detail" tabIndex={0} ref={focusRef}>
+    <div className="module-message-detail">
       <PanelSection>
         <div
           className="module-message-detail__message-container"
diff --git a/ts/util/lint/exceptions.json b/ts/util/lint/exceptions.json
index e8ebd7fe7..9e43111bf 100644
--- a/ts/util/lint/exceptions.json
+++ b/ts/util/lint/exceptions.json
@@ -1131,7 +1131,7 @@
     "path": "node_modules/make-dir/node_modules/pify/index.js",
     "line": "\t\tif (options.multiArgs) {",
     "reasonCategory": "falseMatch",
-    "updated": "2023-08-17T21:23:20.930Z"
+    "updated": "2023-08-18T19:09:30.283Z"
   },
   {
     "rule": "DOM-innerHTML",
@@ -2120,8 +2120,7 @@
     "path": "ts/components/CallsList.tsx",
     "line": "  const prevOptionsRef = useRef<CallHistoryFilterOptions | null>(null);",
     "reasonCategory": "usageTrusted",
-    "updated": "2023-08-17T00:07:01.015Z",
-    "reasonDetail": "<optional>"
+    "updated": "2023-08-18T19:09:30.283Z"
   },
   {
     "rule": "React-useRef",
@@ -2690,13 +2689,6 @@
     "updated": "2023-06-30T22:12:49.259Z",
     "reasonDetail": "Used for excluding the message metadata from triple-click selections."
   },
-  {
-    "rule": "React-useRef",
-    "path": "ts/components/conversation/MessageDetail.tsx",
-    "line": "  const focusRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);",
-    "reasonCategory": "usageTrusted",
-    "updated": "2023-04-12T15:51:28.066Z"
-  },
   {
     "rule": "React-useRef",
     "path": "ts/components/conversation/MessageDetail.tsx",