diff --git a/res/css/views/messages/_MessageActionBar.scss b/res/css/views/messages/_MessageActionBar.scss
index 7bd5fa5cf9..fc73d16d8f 100644
--- a/res/css/views/messages/_MessageActionBar.scss
+++ b/res/css/views/messages/_MessageActionBar.scss
@@ -55,8 +55,8 @@ limitations under the License.
             position: absolute;
             top: 0;
             left: 0;
-            bottom: 0;
-            right: 0;
+            height: 100%;
+            width: 100%;
             mask-repeat: no-repeat;
             mask-position: center;
             background-color: $primary-fg-color;
@@ -64,6 +64,10 @@ limitations under the License.
     }
 }
 
+.mx_MessageActionBar_replyButton::after {
+    mask-image: url('$(res)/img/reply.svg');
+}
+
 .mx_MessageActionBar_optionsButton::after {
     mask-image: url('$(res)/img/icon_context.svg');
 }
diff --git a/res/img/reply.svg b/res/img/reply.svg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8cbbad3550
--- /dev/null
+++ b/res/img/reply.svg
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+<svg width="13" height="13" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">
+  <g stroke="#2E2F32" stroke-width=".75" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round">
+    <path d="M8.75 4.75L12.5 8.5l-3.75 3.75"/>
+    <path d="M.5.25V5.5a3 3 0 0 0 3 3h9"/>
+  </g>
+</svg>
diff --git a/src/components/views/context_menus/MessageContextMenu.js b/src/components/views/context_menus/MessageContextMenu.js
index 504729f629..1191b6d66e 100644
--- a/src/components/views/context_menus/MessageContextMenu.js
+++ b/src/components/views/context_menus/MessageContextMenu.js
@@ -201,14 +201,6 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
         this.closeMenu();
     },
 
-    onReplyClick: function() {
-        dis.dispatch({
-            action: 'reply_to_event',
-            event: this.props.mxEvent,
-        });
-        this.closeMenu();
-    },
-
     onCollapseReplyThreadClick: function() {
         this.props.collapseReplyThread();
         this.closeMenu();
@@ -226,7 +218,6 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
         let unhidePreviewButton;
         let externalURLButton;
         let quoteButton;
-        let replyButton;
         let collapseReplyThread;
 
         // status is SENT before remote-echo, null after
@@ -265,12 +256,6 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
                     </div>
                 );
 
-                replyButton = (
-                    <div className="mx_MessageContextMenu_field" onClick={this.onReplyClick}>
-                        { _t('Reply') }
-                    </div>
-                );
-
                 if (this.state.canPin) {
                     pinButton = (
                         <div className="mx_MessageContextMenu_field" onClick={this.onPinClick}>
@@ -368,7 +353,6 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
                 { unhidePreviewButton }
                 { permalinkButton }
                 { quoteButton }
-                { replyButton }
                 { externalURLButton }
                 { collapseReplyThread }
                 { e2eInfo }
diff --git a/src/components/views/messages/MessageActionBar.js b/src/components/views/messages/MessageActionBar.js
index 3543c41ace..fa020612c4 100644
--- a/src/components/views/messages/MessageActionBar.js
+++ b/src/components/views/messages/MessageActionBar.js
@@ -16,8 +16,11 @@ limitations under the License.
 
 import React from 'react';
 import PropTypes from 'prop-types';
+import {EventStatus} from 'matrix-js-sdk';
+
 import { _t } from '../../../languageHandler';
 import sdk from '../../../index';
+import dis from '../../../dispatcher';
 import Modal from '../../../Modal';
 import { createMenu } from '../../structures/ContextualMenu';
 
@@ -45,7 +48,14 @@ export default class MessageActionBar extends React.PureComponent {
         );
     }
 
-    onOptionsClicked = (ev) => {
+    onReplyClick = (ev) => {
+        dis.dispatch({
+            action: 'reply_to_event',
+            event: this.props.mxEvent,
+        });
+    }
+
+    onOptionsClick = (ev) => {
         const MessageContextMenu = sdk.getComponent('context_menus.MessageContextMenu');
         const buttonRect = ev.target.getBoundingClientRect();
 
@@ -78,10 +88,33 @@ export default class MessageActionBar extends React.PureComponent {
     }
 
     render() {
+        const { mxEvent } = this.props;
+        const { status: eventStatus } = mxEvent;
+
+        // status is SENT before remote-echo, null after
+        const isSent = !eventStatus || eventStatus === EventStatus.SENT;
+
+        let replyButton;
+
+        if (isSent && mxEvent.getType() === 'm.room.message') {
+            const content = mxEvent.getContent();
+            if (
+                content.msgtype &&
+                content.msgtype !== 'm.bad.encrypted' &&
+                content.hasOwnProperty('body')
+            ) {
+                replyButton = <span className="mx_MessageActionBar_replyButton"
+                    title={_t("Reply")}
+                    onClick={this.onReplyClick}
+                />;
+            }
+        }
+
         return <div className="mx_MessageActionBar">
+            {replyButton}
             <span className="mx_MessageActionBar_optionsButton"
                 title={_t("Options")}
-                onClick={this.onOptionsClicked}
+                onClick={this.onOptionsClick}
             />
         </div>;
     }