diff --git a/briar-api/src/org/briarproject/api/properties/TransportPropertyManager.java b/briar-api/src/org/briarproject/api/properties/TransportPropertyManager.java
index 0e8b76d68f9281b89391913a3324385db23ab431..9dc655543950ec88500749ffc6c0d68c177d0cb9 100644
--- a/briar-api/src/org/briarproject/api/properties/TransportPropertyManager.java
+++ b/briar-api/src/org/briarproject/api/properties/TransportPropertyManager.java
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 package org.briarproject.api.properties;
 
+import org.briarproject.api.DeviceId;
 import org.briarproject.api.TransportId;
 import org.briarproject.api.contact.ContactId;
 import org.briarproject.api.db.DbException;
@@ -8,6 +9,13 @@ import java.util.Map;
 
 public interface TransportPropertyManager {
 
+	/**
+	 * Stores the given properties received while adding a contact - they will
+	 * be superseded by any properties synced from the contact.
+	 */
+	void addRemoteProperties(ContactId c, DeviceId dev,
+			Map<TransportId, TransportProperties> props) throws DbException;
+
 	/** Returns the local transport properties for all transports. */
 	Map<TransportId, TransportProperties> getLocalProperties()
 			throws DbException;
diff --git a/briar-core/src/org/briarproject/properties/TransportPropertyManagerImpl.java b/briar-core/src/org/briarproject/properties/TransportPropertyManagerImpl.java
index 9d42269ada92b2e8c8f643e261d617fd5570300b..1df75db183f034f588f0184a951ecc8143226020 100644
--- a/briar-core/src/org/briarproject/properties/TransportPropertyManagerImpl.java
+++ b/briar-core/src/org/briarproject/properties/TransportPropertyManagerImpl.java
@@ -103,8 +103,10 @@ class TransportPropertyManagerImpl implements TransportPropertyManager,
 			// Copy the latest local properties into the group
 			DeviceId dev = db.getDeviceId();
 			Map<TransportId, TransportProperties> local = getLocalProperties();
-			for (Entry<TransportId, TransportProperties> e : local.entrySet())
-				storeMessage(g.getId(), dev, e.getKey(), e.getValue(), 0);
+			for (Entry<TransportId, TransportProperties> e : local.entrySet()) {
+				storeMessage(g.getId(), dev, e.getKey(), e.getValue(), 1, true,
+						true);
+			}
 		} catch (DbException e) {
 			if (LOG.isLoggable(WARNING)) LOG.log(WARNING, e.toString(), e);
 		} catch (FormatException e) {
@@ -121,16 +123,16 @@ class TransportPropertyManagerImpl implements TransportPropertyManager,
 	}
 
 	private void storeMessage(GroupId g, DeviceId dev, TransportId t,
-			TransportProperties p, long version) throws DbException,
-			IOException {
+			TransportProperties p, long version, boolean local, boolean shared)
+			throws DbException, IOException {
 		byte[] body = encodeProperties(dev, t, p, version);
 		long now = clock.currentTimeMillis();
 		Message m = messageFactory.createMessage(g, now, body);
 		BdfDictionary d = new BdfDictionary();
 		d.put("transportId", t.getString());
 		d.put("version", version);
-		d.put("local", true);
-		db.addLocalMessage(m, CLIENT_ID, metadataEncoder.encode(d), true);
+		d.put("local", local);
+		db.addLocalMessage(m, CLIENT_ID, metadataEncoder.encode(d), shared);
 	}
 
 	private byte[] encodeProperties(DeviceId dev, TransportId t,
@@ -163,6 +165,23 @@ class TransportPropertyManagerImpl implements TransportPropertyManager,
 		}
 	}
 
+	@Override
+	public void addRemoteProperties(ContactId c, DeviceId dev,
+			Map<TransportId, TransportProperties> props) throws DbException {
+		lock.writeLock().lock();
+		try {
+			Group g = getContactGroup(db.getContact(c));
+			for (Entry<TransportId, TransportProperties> e : props.entrySet()) {
+				storeMessage(g.getId(), dev, e.getKey(), e.getValue(), 0, false,
+						false);
+			}
+		} catch (IOException e) {
+			throw new DbException(e);
+		} finally {
+			lock.writeLock().unlock();
+		}
+	}
+
 	@Override
 	public Map<TransportId, TransportProperties> getLocalProperties()
 			throws DbException {
@@ -292,14 +311,15 @@ class TransportPropertyManagerImpl implements TransportPropertyManager,
 			}
 			// Store the merged properties in the local group
 			DeviceId dev = db.getDeviceId();
-			long version = latest == null ? 0 : latest.version + 1;
-			storeMessage(localGroup.getId(), dev, t, merged, version);
+			long version = latest == null ? 1 : latest.version + 1;
+			storeMessage(localGroup.getId(), dev, t, merged, version, true,
+					false);
 			// Store the merged properties in each contact's group
 			for (Contact c : db.getContacts()) {
 				Group g = getContactGroup(c);
 				latest = findLatest(g.getId(), true).get(t);
-				version = latest == null ? 0 : latest.version + 1;
-				storeMessage(g.getId(), dev, t, merged, version);
+				version = latest == null ? 1 : latest.version + 1;
+				storeMessage(g.getId(), dev, t, merged, version, true, true);
 			}
 		} catch (IOException e) {
 			throw new DbException(e);