diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/nextcloud/talk/chat/ChatActivity.kt b/app/src/main/java/com/nextcloud/talk/chat/ChatActivity.kt
index fa07b43ab8..2710b73b47 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/com/nextcloud/talk/chat/ChatActivity.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/nextcloud/talk/chat/ChatActivity.kt
@@ -2398,13 +2398,12 @@ class ChatActivity :
         cursor?.close()
     }
 
-    fun getReplyToMessageId(): Int {
-        var replyMessageId = messageInputViewModel.getReplyChatMessage.value?.jsonMessageId
-        if (replyMessageId == null || replyMessageId == 0) {
-            replyMessageId = conversationThreadInfo?.thread?.id ?: 0
-        }
-        return replyMessageId
-    }
+    fun getReplyToMessageId(): Int =
+        resolveReplyToMessageId(
+            messageInputViewModel.getReplyChatMessage.value?.jsonMessageId,
+            chatViewModel.messageDraft.quotedJsonId,
+            conversationThreadInfo?.thread?.id
+        )
 
     @Throws(IllegalStateException::class)
     private fun onPickCameraResult(intent: Intent?) {
@@ -4035,3 +4034,12 @@ class ChatActivity :
         private const val SEARCH_CENTER_STABILIZE_DELAY_MS = 200L
     }
 }
+
+/**
+ * The reply is only kept in the view model, so it is gone when the activity was recreated.
+ * The saved draft still holds it, so use it as fallback before falling back to the thread.
+ */
+internal fun resolveReplyToMessageId(replyMessageId: Int?, draftQuotedJsonId: Int?, threadId: Int?): Int {
+    val replyId = replyMessageId?.takeIf { it != 0 } ?: draftQuotedJsonId?.takeIf { it != 0 }
+    return replyId ?: threadId ?: 0
+}
diff --git a/app/src/test/java/com/nextcloud/talk/chat/ResolveReplyToMessageIdTest.kt b/app/src/test/java/com/nextcloud/talk/chat/ResolveReplyToMessageIdTest.kt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8d77647ca3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/src/test/java/com/nextcloud/talk/chat/ResolveReplyToMessageIdTest.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+/*
+ * Nextcloud Talk - Android Client
+ *
+ * SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2026 Nextcloud GmbH and Nextcloud contributors
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-3.0-or-later
+ */
+package com.nextcloud.talk.chat
+
+import org.junit.Assert
+import org.junit.Test
+
+class ResolveReplyToMessageIdTest {
+
+    @Test
+    fun replyFromViewModelIsUsed() {
+        Assert.assertEquals(7, resolveReplyToMessageId(7, null, 42))
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun replyFromDraftIsUsedWhenViewModelIsEmpty() {
+        Assert.assertEquals(7, resolveReplyToMessageId(null, 7, 42))
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun replyFromDraftIsUsedWhenViewModelIsZero() {
+        Assert.assertEquals(7, resolveReplyToMessageId(0, 7, 42))
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun threadIsUsedWithoutReply() {
+        Assert.assertEquals(42, resolveReplyToMessageId(null, null, 42))
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun zeroWithoutReplyAndThread() {
+        Assert.assertEquals(0, resolveReplyToMessageId(null, 0, null))
+    }
+}