diff --git a/src/stores/RoomListStore.js b/src/stores/RoomListStore.js
index 561d865b66..aec307d28e 100644
--- a/src/stores/RoomListStore.js
+++ b/src/stores/RoomListStore.js
@@ -479,12 +479,6 @@ class RoomListStore extends Store {
     _setRoomCategory(room, category) {
         if (!room) return; // This should only happen in tests
 
-        if (!this._state.orderImportantFirst) {
-            // XXX bail here early to avoid https://github.com/vector-im/riot-web/issues/9216
-            // this may mean that category updates are missed whilst not ordering by importance first
-            return;
-        }
-
         const listsClone = {};
 
         // Micro optimization: Support lazily loading the last timestamp in a room