diff --git a/message/classes/helper.php b/message/classes/helper.php
index 448df7a6c65..eac8c30fc41 100644
--- a/message/classes/helper.php
+++ b/message/classes/helper.php
@@ -140,9 +140,11 @@ class helper {
         $userpicture->size = 0; // Size f2.
         $data->profileimageurlsmall = $userpicture->get_url($PAGE)->out(false);
         // Store the message if we have it.
+        $data->ismessaging = false;
         $data->lastmessage = null;
         $data->messageid = null;
         if (isset($contact->smallmessage)) {
+            $data->ismessaging = true;
             $data->lastmessage = $contact->smallmessage;
             if (isset($contact->messageid)) {
                 $data->messageid = $contact->messageid;
diff --git a/message/classes/output/messagearea/contact.php b/message/classes/output/messagearea/contact.php
index 7ccfab2af3d..1a301da520a 100644
--- a/message/classes/output/messagearea/contact.php
+++ b/message/classes/output/messagearea/contact.php
@@ -69,6 +69,7 @@ class contact implements templatable, renderable {
         $contact->profileimageurl = $this->contact->profileimageurl;
         $contact->profileimageurlsmall = $this->contact->profileimageurlsmall;
         $contact->messageid = $this->contact->messageid;
+        $contact->ismessaging = $this->contact->ismessaging;
         if ($this->contact->lastmessage) {
             $contact->lastmessage = shorten_text($this->contact->lastmessage, self::MAX_MSG_LENGTH);
         } else {
diff --git a/message/classes/output/messagearea/contacts.php b/message/classes/output/messagearea/contacts.php
index 05b0ccdb931..0a80e298cb7 100644
--- a/message/classes/output/messagearea/contacts.php
+++ b/message/classes/output/messagearea/contacts.php
@@ -92,14 +92,26 @@ class contacts implements templatable, renderable {
         $data->userid = $this->userid;
         $data->otheruserid = $this->otheruserid;
         $data->contacts = array();
+        $userids = array();
         foreach ($this->contacts as $contact) {
             $contactdata = $contact->export_for_template($output);
+            $userids[$contactdata->userid] = $contactdata->userid;
             // Check if the contact was selected.
             if ($this->otheruserid == $contactdata->userid) {
                 $contactdata->selected = true;
             }
             $data->contacts[] = $contactdata;
         }
+        // Check if the other user is not part of the contacts. We may be sending a message to someone
+        // we have not had a conversation with, so we want to add a new item to the contacts array.
+        if ($this->otheruserid && !isset($userids[$this->otheruserid])) {
+            $user = \core_user::get_user($this->otheruserid);
+            // Set an empty message so that we know we are messaging the user, and not viewing their profile.
+            $user->smallmessage = '';
+            $contact = \core_message\helper::create_contact($user);
+            $data->contacts[] = $contact->export_for_template($output);
+        }
+
         $data->isconversation = $this->isconversation;
         return $data;
     }
diff --git a/message/externallib.php b/message/externallib.php
index 2fb75bd0cca..4d916fe2ac1 100644
--- a/message/externallib.php
+++ b/message/externallib.php
@@ -433,6 +433,7 @@ class core_message_external extends external_api {
                 'fullname' => new external_value(PARAM_NOTAGS, 'The user\'s name'),
                 'profileimageurl' => new external_value(PARAM_URL, 'User picture URL'),
                 'profileimageurlsmall' => new external_value(PARAM_URL, 'Small user picture URL'),
+                'ismessaging' => new external_value(PARAM_BOOL, 'If we are messaging the user'),
                 'lastmessage' => new external_value(PARAM_NOTAGS, 'The user\'s last message'),
                 'messageid' => new external_value(PARAM_INT, 'The unique search message id', VALUE_DEFAULT, null),
                 'isonline' => new external_value(PARAM_BOOL, 'The user\'s online status'),
diff --git a/message/templates/message_area_contact.mustache b/message/templates/message_area_contact.mustache
index ed4cb6de062..beaa4f04d20 100644
--- a/message/templates/message_area_contact.mustache
+++ b/message/templates/message_area_contact.mustache
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 <div class="row-fluid contact {{#selected}}selected{{/selected}} {{#lastmessage}}{{^isread}}unread{{/isread}}{{/lastmessage}}"
-     data-action="{{#lastmessage}}view-contact-msg{{/lastmessage}}{{^lastmessage}}view-contact-profile{{/lastmessage}}"
+     data-action="{{#ismessaging}}view-contact-msg{{/ismessaging}}{{^ismessaging}}view-contact-profile{{/ismessaging}}"
      data-userid="{{userid}}" data-messageid="{{#messageid}}{{.}}{{isread}}{{/messageid}}" data-region="contact" tabindex="0">
     <div class="span3 picture">
         <img src="{{profileimageurl}}" alt="" />