diff --git a/retroshare-qml-app/src/qml.qrc b/retroshare-qml-app/src/qml.qrc
index e225c4e39..861577e60 100644
--- a/retroshare-qml-app/src/qml.qrc
+++ b/retroshare-qml-app/src/qml.qrc
@@ -18,5 +18,6 @@
         <file>qml/icons/edit-image-face-detect.png</file>
         <file>qml/icons/document-share.png</file>
         <file>qml/icons/application-menu.png</file>
+        <file>qml/ContactSort.js</file>
     </qresource>
 </RCC>
diff --git a/retroshare-qml-app/src/qml/ContactSort.js b/retroshare-qml-app/src/qml/ContactSort.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..24b7fec5e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/retroshare-qml-app/src/qml/ContactSort.js
@@ -0,0 +1,95 @@
+/*
+ * RetroShare Android QML App
+ * Copyright (C) 2017  Gioacchino Mazzurco <gio@eigenlab.org>
+ *
+ * This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+ * it under the terms of the GNU Affero General Public License as
+ * published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the
+ * License, or (at your option) any later version.
+ *
+ * This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+ * GNU Affero General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU Affero General Public License
+ * along with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+ */
+
+function strcmp(left, right)
+{ return ( left < right ? -1 : ( left > right ? 1:0 ) ) }
+
+var unreadMessages = {}
+var contactsData = {}
+
+function cntcmp(left, right, searchText)
+{
+	if(typeof searchText !== 'undefined' && searchText.length > 0)
+	{
+		var mtc = searchText.toLowerCase()
+		var lfn = left.name.toLowerCase()
+		var rgn = right.name.toLowerCase()
+		var lfml = lfn.indexOf(mtc)
+		var rgml = rgn.indexOf(mtc)
+		if ( lfml !== rgml )
+		{
+			lfml = lfml >= 0 ? lfml : Number.MAX_VALUE
+			rgml = rgml >= 0 ? rgml : Number.MAX_VALUE
+			return lfml - rgml
+		}
+	}
+
+	var lfun = left.hasOwnProperty("unread_count") ? left.unread_count : 0
+	var rgun = right.hasOwnProperty("unread_count") ? right.unread_count : 0
+	if( lfun !== rgun ) return rgun - lfun
+	if(left.name !== right.name) return strcmp(left.name, right.name)
+	return strcmp(left.gxs_id, right.gxs_id)
+}
+
+function mergeContactsUnread()
+{
+	var jsonData = contactsData.data
+	var dataLen = jsonData.length
+	for ( var i=0; i<dataLen; ++i)
+	{
+		var el = jsonData[i]
+		if(unreadMessages.hasOwnProperty(el.gxs_id))
+			el['unread_count'] = unreadMessages[el.gxs_id]
+	}
+}
+
+function parseUnread(responseStr)
+{
+	var jsonData = JSON.parse(responseStr).data
+	var dataLen = jsonData.length
+	unreadMessages = {}
+	for ( var i=0; i<dataLen; ++i)
+	{
+		var el = jsonData[i]
+		if(el.is_distant_chat_id)
+			unreadMessages[el.remote_author_id] = el.unread_count
+	}
+
+	mergeContactsUnread()
+}
+
+function parseContacts(responseStr)
+{
+	contactsData = JSON.parse(responseStr)
+	mergeContactsUnread()
+}
+
+WorkerScript.onMessage = function(message)
+{
+	var sortFn = cntcmp
+	message.action = message.hasOwnProperty("action") ? message.action : "rSort"
+
+	if(message.action === "refreshContacts") parseContacts(message.response)
+	else if(message.action === "refreshUnread") parseUnread(message.response)
+	else if(message.action === "searchContact")
+		sortFn = function cmp(l,r) { return cntcmp(l,r, message.sexp) }
+
+	contactsData.data.sort(sortFn)
+
+	WorkerScript.sendMessage(contactsData)
+}
diff --git a/retroshare-qml-app/src/qml/Contacts.qml b/retroshare-qml-app/src/qml/Contacts.qml
index 35fdb5aa1..4bb859137 100644
--- a/retroshare-qml-app/src/qml/Contacts.qml
+++ b/retroshare-qml-app/src/qml/Contacts.qml
@@ -28,58 +28,83 @@ Item
 	property string own_gxs_id: ""
 	property string own_nick: ""
 	property bool searching: false
-	property var unreadMessages: ({})
+	onSearchingChanged: !searching && contactsSortWorker.sendMessage({})
 
-	Component.onCompleted: refreshOwn()
+	Component.onCompleted: refreshAll()
+	onFocusChanged: focus && refreshAll()
 
-	function refreshData()
+	WorkerScript
 	{
-		function refreshCallback(par)
+		id: contactsSortWorker
+		source: "qrc:/qml/ContactSort.js"
+		onMessage: contactsListModel.json = JSON.stringify(messageObject)
+	}
+
+	function refreshAll()
+	{
+		refreshOwn()
+		refreshContacts()
+		refreshUnread()
+	}
+
+	function refreshContactsCallback(par)
+	{
+		console.log("contactsView.refreshContactsCB()", visible)
+		if (contactsListModel.model.count < 1)
+			contactsListModel.json = par.response
+		var token = JSON.parse(par.response).statetoken
+		mainWindow.registerToken(token, refreshContacts)
+		contactsSortWorker.sendMessage(
+					{'action': 'refreshContacts', 'response': par.response})
+	}
+	function refreshContacts()
+	{
+		console.log("contactsView.refreshContacts()", visible)
+		if(!visible) return
+		rsApi.request("/identity/*/", "", refreshContactsCallback)
+	}
+
+	function refreshOwnCallback(par)
+	{
+		console.log("contactsView.refreshOwnCallback(par)", visible)
+		var json = JSON.parse(par.response)
+		var token = json.statetoken
+		mainWindow.registerToken(token, refreshOwn)
+
+		if(json.data.length > 0)
 		{
-			gxsIdsModel.json = par.response
-			if(contactsView.own_gxs_id == "") refreshOwn()
+			contactsView.own_gxs_id = json.data[0].gxs_id
+			contactsView.own_nick = json.data[0].name
 		}
-		rsApi.request("/identity/*/", "", refreshCallback)
+		else createIdentityDialog.visible = true
 	}
 	function refreshOwn()
 	{
-		rsApi.request("/identity/own", "", function(par)
-		{
-			var json = JSON.parse(par.response)
-			if(json.data.length > 0)
-			{
-				contactsView.own_gxs_id = json.data[0].gxs_id
-				contactsView.own_nick = json.data[0].name
-			}
-			else createIdentityDialog.visible = true
-		})
+		console.log("contactsView.refreshOwn()", visible)
+		rsApi.request("/identity/own", "", refreshOwnCallback)
 	}
+
+	function refreshUnreadCallback(par)
+	{
+		console.log("contactsView.refreshUnreadCB()", visible)
+		var json = JSON.parse(par.response)
+		mainWindow.registerToken(json.statetoken, refreshUnread)
+		contactsSortWorker.sendMessage(
+					{'action': 'refreshUnread', 'response': par.response})
+	}
+	function refreshUnread()
+	{
+		console.log("contactsView.refreshUnread()", visible)
+		if(!visible) return
+		rsApi.request("/chat/unread_msgs", "", refreshUnreadCallback)
+	}
+
 	function startChatCallback(par)
 	{
 		var chId = JSON.parse(par.response).data.chat_id
 		stackView.push("qrc:/qml/ChatView.qml", {'chatId': chId})
 	}
 
-	function refreshUnread()
-	{
-		rsApi.request("/chat/unread_msgs", "", function(par)
-		{
-			var jsonData = JSON.parse(par.response).data
-			var dataLen = jsonData.length
-			if(JSON.stringify(unreadMessages) != JSON.stringify(jsonData))
-			{
-				unreadMessages = {}
-				for ( var i=0; i<dataLen; ++i)
-				{
-					var el = jsonData[i]
-					if(el.is_distant_chat_id)
-						unreadMessages[el.remote_author_id] = el.unread_count
-				}
-
-				visualModel.resetSorting()
-			}
-		})
-	}
 
 	/** This must be equivalent to
 		p3GxsTunnelService::makeGxsTunnelId(...) */
@@ -88,116 +113,21 @@ Item
 		return from_gxs < to_gxs ? from_gxs + to_gxs : to_gxs + from_gxs
 	}
 
-
-
-	onFocusChanged: focus && refreshData()
-
 	JSONListModel
 	{
-		id: gxsIdsModel
+		id: contactsListModel
 		query: "$.data[*]"
 	}
 
-	DelegateModel
-	{
-/* More documentation about this is available at:
- * http://doc.qt.io/qt-5/qml-qtqml-models-delegatemodel.html
- * http://doc.qt.io/qt-5/qtquick-tutorials-dynamicview-dynamicview4-example.html
- * http://imaginativethinking.ca/use-qt-quicks-delegatemodelgroup/
- */
-		id: visualModel
-		model: gxsIdsModel.model
-
-		property var lessThan:
-		[
-			function(left, right)
-			{
-				var lfun = unreadMessages.hasOwnProperty(left.gxs_id) ?
-							unreadMessages[left.gxs_id] : 0
-				var rgun = unreadMessages.hasOwnProperty(right.gxs_id) ?
-							unreadMessages[right.gxs_id] : 0
-				if( lfun !== rgun ) return lfun > rgun
-				if(left.name !== right.name) return left.name < right.name
-				return left.gxs_id < right.gxs_id
-			},
-			function(left, right)
-			{
-				if(searchText.length > 0)
-				{
-					var mtc = searchText.text.toLowerCase()
-					var lfn = left.name.toLowerCase()
-					var rgn = right.name.toLowerCase()
-					var lfml = lfn.indexOf(mtc)
-					var rgml = rgn.indexOf(mtc)
-					if ( lfml !== rgml )
-					{
-						lfml = lfml >= 0 ? lfml : Number.MAX_VALUE
-						rgml = rgml >= 0 ? rgml : Number.MAX_VALUE
-						return lfml < rgml
-					}
-				}
-				return lessThan[0](left, right)
-			}
-		]
-
-		property int sortOrder: contactsView.searching ? 1 : 0
-		onSortOrderChanged: resetSorting()
-
-		property bool isSorting: false
-
-		function insertPosition(lessThan, item)
-		{
-			var lower = 0
-			var upper = items.count
-			while (lower < upper)
-			{
-				var middle = Math.floor(lower + (upper - lower) / 2)
-				var result = lessThan(item.model, items.get(middle).model);
-				if (result) upper = middle
-				else lower = middle + 1
-			}
-			return lower
-		}
-
-		function resetSorting() { items.setGroups(0, items.count, "unsorted") }
-
-		function sort()
-		{
-			while (unsortedItems.count > 0)
-			{
-				var item = unsortedItems.get(0)
-				var index = insertPosition(lessThan[visualModel.sortOrder],
-										   item)
-				item.groups = ["items"]
-				items.move(item.itemsIndex, index)
-			}
-		}
-
-		items.includeByDefault: false
-
-		groups:
-		[
-			DelegateModelGroup
-			{
-				id: unsortedItems
-				name: "unsorted"
-
-				includeByDefault: true
-				onChanged: visualModel.sort()
-			}
-		]
-
-		delegate: GxsIdentityDelegate {}
-	}
-
 	ListView
 	{
 		id: locationsListView
 		width: parent.width
 		height: contactsView.searching ?
 					parent.height - searchBox.height : parent.height
-		model: visualModel
+		model: contactsListModel.model
 		anchors.top: contactsView.searching ? searchBox.bottom : parent.top
+		delegate: GxsIdentityDelegate {}
 	}
 
 	Rectangle
@@ -224,7 +154,9 @@ Item
 			id: searchText
 			anchors.left: searchIcon.right
 			anchors.verticalCenter: parent.verticalCenter
-			onTextChanged: visualModel.resetSorting()
+			onTextChanged:
+				contactsSortWorker.sendMessage(
+					        {'action': 'searchContact', 'sexp': text})
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -238,21 +170,6 @@ Item
 		text: "Open Chat as: " + contactsView.own_nick + " " + contactsView.own_gxs_id
 	}
 
-	Timer
-	{
-		id: refreshTimer
-		interval: 5000
-		repeat: true
-		triggeredOnStart: true
-		onTriggered:
-			if(contactsView.visible)
-			{
-				contactsView.refreshUnread()
-				contactsView.refreshData()
-			}
-		Component.onCompleted: start()
-	}
-
 	Dialog
 	{
 		id: createIdentityDialog
diff --git a/retroshare-qml-app/src/qml/GxsIdentityDelegate.qml b/retroshare-qml-app/src/qml/GxsIdentityDelegate.qml
index 68e244982..3b14abcae 100644
--- a/retroshare-qml-app/src/qml/GxsIdentityDelegate.qml
+++ b/retroshare-qml-app/src/qml/GxsIdentityDelegate.qml
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ Item
 		}
 		Rectangle
 		{
-			visible: contactsView.unreadMessages.hasOwnProperty(model.gxs_id)
+			visible: model.unread_count > 0
 
 			anchors.right: parent.right
 			anchors.rightMargin: 10
@@ -130,8 +130,7 @@ Item
 			{
 				color: "white"
 				font.bold: true
-				text: contactsView.unreadMessages.hasOwnProperty(model.gxs_id) ?
-						  contactsView.unreadMessages[model.gxs_id] : ''
+				text: model.unread_count > 0 ? model.unread_count : ''
 				anchors.centerIn: parent
 			}
 		}