diff --git a/src/Model/chatModel.ts b/src/Model/chatModel.ts
index 2cf82cd7..c11620eb 100644
--- a/src/Model/chatModel.ts
+++ b/src/Model/chatModel.ts
@@ -3,46 +3,42 @@ import * as React from "bloatless-react";
 import { UDN, isConnected } from "./model";
 import { decryptString, encryptString } from "../cryptUtility";
 
+import { Message } from "udn-frontend";
 import { senderName } from "./viewModel";
 import { storageKeys } from "../utility";
 
 // TYPES
 // message
-export interface Message {
+export interface ChatMessage {
   channel: string;
   sender: string;
   body: string;
   isoDate: string;
 }
 
-export class Message {
-  constructor(
-    public channel: string,
-    public sender: string,
-    public body: string,
-    public isoDate: string
-  ) {}
-}
-
 // chat
 export class Chat {
   id: string;
 
-  primaryChannel: React.State<string>;
+  isSubscribed = new React.State(false);
+  currentChannel = new React.State("");
+
+  primaryChannelInput: React.State<string>;
   secondaryChannels: React.ListState<string>;
 
   encryptionKey: React.State<string>;
-  messages: React.ListState<Message>;
+  messages: React.ListState<ChatMessage>;
 
   composingMessage: React.State<string>;
-  cannotSendMessage: React.State<boolean>;
-
   newSecondaryChannelName: React.State<string>;
+
+  cannotSendMessage: React.State<boolean>;
   cannotAddSecondaryChannel: React.State<boolean>;
+  cannotSetChannel: React.State<boolean>;
 
   // init
   constructor(id: string = React.UUID()) {
-    this.primaryChannel = React.restoreState(
+    this.primaryChannelInput = React.restoreState(
       storageKeys.primaryChannel(id),
       ""
     );
@@ -60,16 +56,48 @@ export class Chat {
     this.newSecondaryChannelName = new React.State("");
 
     this.cannotSendMessage = React.createProxyState(
-      [this.primaryChannel, this.composingMessage, isConnected],
+      [
+        this.primaryChannelInput,
+        this.composingMessage,
+        this.isSubscribed,
+        isConnected,
+      ],
       () =>
-        this.primaryChannel.value == "" ||
+        this.primaryChannelInput.value == "" ||
         this.composingMessage.value == "" ||
+        this.isSubscribed.value == false ||
         isConnected.value == false
     );
     this.cannotAddSecondaryChannel = React.createProxyState(
       [this.newSecondaryChannelName],
       () => this.newSecondaryChannelName.value == ""
     );
+    this.cannotSetChannel = React.createProxyState(
+      [this.primaryChannelInput, this.currentChannel],
+      () =>
+        this.primaryChannelInput.value == "" ||
+        this.primaryChannelInput.value == this.currentChannel.value
+    );
+  }
+
+  // handlers
+  onmessage(data: Message): void {
+    if (data.messageChannel && data.messageChannel != this.currentChannel.value)
+      return;
+
+    if (data.subscribed != undefined) this.handleSubscription(data.subscribed);
+
+    if (!data.messageBody) return;
+    const { sender, body, channel, isoDate } = JSON.parse(data.messageBody);
+    this.handleMessage({ sender, body, channel, isoDate });
+  }
+
+  handleSubscription(isSubscribed: boolean): void {
+    this.isSubscribed.value = isSubscribed;
+  }
+
+  handleMessage(chatMessage: ChatMessage): void {
+    this.messages.add(chatMessage);
   }
 
   // messages
@@ -81,7 +109,7 @@ export class Chat {
       ...this.secondaryChannels.value.values(),
     ].map((channel) => channel);
     const allChannelNames: string[] = [
-      this.primaryChannel.value,
+      this.primaryChannelInput.value,
       ...secondaryChannelNames,
     ];
 
@@ -95,12 +123,12 @@ export class Chat {
 
     // create object
     const joinedChannelName = allChannelNames.join("/");
-    const messageObject = new Message(
-      joinedChannelName,
-      senderName.value,
-      encrypted,
-      new Date().toISOString()
-    );
+    const messageObject: ChatMessage = {
+      channel: joinedChannelName,
+      sender: senderName.value,
+      body: encrypted,
+      isoDate: new Date().toISOString(),
+    };
     const messageString = JSON.stringify(messageObject);
 
     // send
@@ -114,17 +142,21 @@ export class Chat {
     this.messages.clear();
   }
 
-  deleteMessage(message: Message): void {
+  deleteMessage(message: ChatMessage): void {
     this.messages.remove(message);
   }
 
-  async decryptReceivedMessage(message: Message): Promise<void> {
+  async decryptReceivedMessage(message: ChatMessage): Promise<void> {
     message.body = await decryptString(message.body, this.encryptionKey.value);
     this.messages.callSubscriptions();
   }
 
   // channel
-  setChannel(): void {}
+  setChannel(): void {
+    if (this.cannotSetChannel.value == true) return;
+    this.currentChannel.value = this.primaryChannelInput.value;
+    UDN.subscribe(this.currentChannel.value);
+  }
 
   addSecondaryChannel(): void {
     if (this.cannotAddSecondaryChannel.value == true) return;
@@ -146,7 +178,7 @@ export const chats = new React.ListState<Chat>(chatArray);
 // METHODS
 export function createChatWithName(name: string): void {
   const newChat = new Chat();
-  newChat.primaryChannel.value = name;
+  newChat.primaryChannelInput.value = name;
   chatIds.add(newChat.id);
 }
 
diff --git a/src/Model/model.ts b/src/Model/model.ts
index 34525a6f..e9a8a504 100644
--- a/src/Model/model.ts
+++ b/src/Model/model.ts
@@ -1,17 +1,8 @@
 import * as React from "bloatless-react";
 
-import {
-  arrayToUint8,
-  decrypt,
-  encrypt,
-  generateIV,
-  importKey,
-  uInt8ToArray,
-} from "../cryptUtility";
-
 import UDNFrontend from "udn-frontend";
+import { chats } from "./chatModel";
 import { serverAddress } from "./viewModel";
-import { translation } from "../translations";
 
 export const UDN = new UDNFrontend();
 
@@ -52,7 +43,9 @@ UDN.onconnect = () => {
 
 
 UDN.onmessage = (data) => {
-
+  chats.value.forEach((chat) => {
+    chat.onmessage(data);
+  })
 };
 
 UDN.ondisconnect = () => {
diff --git a/src/Model/viewModel.ts b/src/Model/viewModel.ts
index 085771b9..66b5287c 100644
--- a/src/Model/viewModel.ts
+++ b/src/Model/viewModel.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import * as React from "bloatless-react";
 
+import { Chat } from "./chatModel";
 import { translation } from "../translations";
 
 // connection
@@ -16,6 +17,4 @@ export const isEncryptionUnavailable = window.crypto.subtle == undefined;
 export const senderName = React.restoreState("sender-name", "");
 
 // chat
-export const newChatPrimaryChannelName = new React.State("");
-export const newChatSecondaryChannelName = new React.State("");
-export const newChatSecondaryChannelNames = new React.ListState<string>();
\ No newline at end of file
+export const selectedChat = new React.State<Chat | undefined>(undefined);