diff --git a/src/cheogram/res/values/strings.xml b/src/cheogram/res/values/strings.xml
index e8176d5b4d7d2c75420ccb672e8a9c7d2404f473..8081674cd231c213836ca82de7a70bda95bee4f4 100644
--- a/src/cheogram/res/values/strings.xml
+++ b/src/cheogram/res/values/strings.xml
@@ -39,4 +39,6 @@
     <string name="pref_broadcast_last_activity_summary">Allow contacts to see when you were last active in the app</string>
     <string name="visitor">Muted</string>
     <string name="you_are_not_participating">You are muted</string>
+    <string name="pref_follow_thread_in_channel">Auto-follow thread in channels</string>
+    <string name="pref_follow_thread_in_channel_summary">Set the thread marker to match the message currently being looked at</string>
 </resources>
diff --git a/src/main/java/eu/siacs/conversations/ui/ConversationFragment.java b/src/main/java/eu/siacs/conversations/ui/ConversationFragment.java
index 993509a4cf7e74d988f4bb4141e38a9ba4333452..691061ae4b32b80763e06604455970ea4fccc045 100644
--- a/src/main/java/eu/siacs/conversations/ui/ConversationFragment.java
+++ b/src/main/java/eu/siacs/conversations/ui/ConversationFragment.java
@@ -2502,6 +2502,10 @@ public class ConversationFragment extends XmppFragment
             if (message == null) {
                 newThread();
             } else {
+                if (conversation.getMode() == Conversation.MODE_MULTI) {
+                    if (!activity.xmppConnectionService.getBooleanPreference("follow_thread_in_channel", R.bool.follow_thread_in_channel)) return;
+                }
+
                 setThread(message.getThread());
             }
         }
diff --git a/src/main/res/values/defaults.xml b/src/main/res/values/defaults.xml
index bbe9f906d8e5b14bdfa5b9a04edcc3ba548a9370..1af57f68fb37128ec0bed181ceeec1f1eceec2ee 100644
--- a/src/main/res/values/defaults.xml
+++ b/src/main/res/values/defaults.xml
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@
     <string name="default_channel_discovery">JABBER_NETWORK</string>
     <bool name="prevent_screenshots">false</bool>
     <bool name="dialler_integration_incoming">true</bool>
+    <bool name="follow_thread_in_channel">false</bool>
     <string name="default_push_server">up.conversations.im</string>
     <string name="default_push_account">none</string>
 </resources>
diff --git a/src/main/res/xml/preferences.xml b/src/main/res/xml/preferences.xml
index c0a016686c83fdd05baf2c65dacb42a9d223f896..a0ec085948b0d650e024b10e2bc71db4768e4168 100644
--- a/src/main/res/xml/preferences.xml
+++ b/src/main/res/xml/preferences.xml
@@ -355,6 +355,11 @@
                     android:title="@string/pref_show_connection_options" />
             </PreferenceCategory>
             <PreferenceCategory android:title="@string/pref_input_options">
+                <CheckBoxPreference
+                    android:defaultValue="@bool/follow_thread_in_channel"
+                    android:key="follow_thread_in_channel"
+                    android:summary="@string/pref_follow_thread_in_channel_summary"
+                    android:title="@string/pref_follow_thread_in_channel" />
                 <CheckBoxPreference
                     android:defaultValue="@bool/start_searching"
                     android:key="start_searching"