diff --git a/fluxer_app/src/features/app/state/Updater.ts b/fluxer_app/src/features/app/state/Updater.ts
index adb3c3d70..88d8bb50d 100644
--- a/fluxer_app/src/features/app/state/Updater.ts
+++ b/fluxer_app/src/features/app/state/Updater.ts
@@ -155,6 +155,7 @@ class Updater {
 	private unsubscribeNativeEvents: (() => void) | null = null;
 	private unsubscribeDesktopUpdate: (() => void) | null = null;
 	private desktopUpdateReported = false;
+	private desktopUpdateReportedReplacesShell = false;
 	private desktopUpdateRunning = false;
 	private olderShellModuleUpdateReady = false;
 	private olderShellUpdateDownloaded = false;
@@ -203,6 +204,10 @@ class Updater {
 		return this.desktopUpdateReported || this.olderShellModuleUpdateReady || this.olderShellUpdateAvailable;
 	}
 
+	get desktopUpdateReplacesShell(): boolean {
+		return (this.desktopUpdateReported && this.desktopUpdateReportedReplacesShell) || this.olderShellUpdateAvailable;
+	}
+
 	private get olderShellUpdateAvailable(): boolean {
 		const electronApi = getElectronAPI();
 		if (electronApi == null || electronApi.desktopUpdate != null || electronApi.updaterInstall == null) {
@@ -281,6 +286,7 @@ class Updater {
 		this.unsubscribeDesktopUpdate = desktopUpdate.onStateChanged((state) => {
 			runInAction(() => {
 				this.desktopUpdateReported = state.available;
+				this.desktopUpdateReportedReplacesShell = state.replacesShell === true;
 				this.desktopUpdateRunning = state.updating === true;
 			});
 		});
@@ -314,6 +320,7 @@ class Updater {
 			const state = await desktopUpdate.state();
 			runInAction(() => {
 				this.desktopUpdateReported = state.available;
+				this.desktopUpdateReportedReplacesShell = state.replacesShell === true;
 				this.desktopUpdateRunning = state.updating === true;
 			});
 		} catch (error) {
@@ -669,6 +676,7 @@ class Updater {
 			this.unsubscribeDesktopUpdate = null;
 		}
 		this.desktopUpdateReported = false;
+		this.desktopUpdateReportedReplacesShell = false;
 		this.desktopUpdateRunning = false;
 		this.olderShellModuleUpdateReady = false;
 		this.olderShellUpdateDownloaded = false;
diff --git a/fluxer_app/src/features/channel/components/channel_header_components/UpdaterIcon.tsx b/fluxer_app/src/features/channel/components/channel_header_components/UpdaterIcon.tsx
index ef9477c90..fc024e91f 100644
--- a/fluxer_app/src/features/channel/components/channel_header_components/UpdaterIcon.tsx
+++ b/fluxer_app/src/features/channel/components/channel_header_components/UpdaterIcon.tsx
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ import FocusRing from '@app/features/ui/focus_ring/FocusRing';
 import {Tooltip} from '@app/features/ui/tooltip/Tooltip';
 import {msg} from '@lingui/core/macro';
 import {useLingui} from '@lingui/react/macro';
-import {ArrowClockwiseIcon} from '@phosphor-icons/react';
+import {ArrowClockwiseIcon, DownloadSimpleIcon} from '@phosphor-icons/react';
 import {observer} from 'mobx-react-lite';
 import {useCallback} from 'react';
 
@@ -67,6 +67,10 @@ export const UpdaterIcon = observer(() => {
 			? i18n._(CLICK_TO_RELOAD_AND_UPDATE_DESCRIPTOR, {version, productName: RuntimeConfig.productName})
 			: i18n._(CLICK_TO_RELOAD_AND_UPDATE_2_DESCRIPTOR, {productName: RuntimeConfig.productName});
 	}
+	const Icon =
+		affordance === 'manual' || (affordance === 'desktop' && Updater.desktopUpdateReplacesShell)
+			? DownloadSimpleIcon
+			: ArrowClockwiseIcon;
 	return (
 		<Tooltip text={tooltip} position="bottom" data-flx="channel.channel-header-components.updater-icon.tooltip">
 			<FocusRing offset={-2} data-flx="channel.channel-header-components.updater-icon.focus-ring">
@@ -79,7 +83,7 @@ export const UpdaterIcon = observer(() => {
 					aria-label={tooltip}
 					data-flx="channel.channel-header-components.updater-icon.button.click"
 				>
-					<ArrowClockwiseIcon
+					<Icon
 						weight="bold"
 						className={affordance === 'updating' ? styles.updateIconSpinning : styles.updateIcon}
 						data-flx="channel.channel-header-components.updater-icon.update-icon"
diff --git a/fluxer_desktop/src/main/DesktopUpdateGate.test.mjs b/fluxer_desktop/src/main/DesktopUpdateGate.test.mjs
index 554e146e2..c36a3b943 100644
--- a/fluxer_desktop/src/main/DesktopUpdateGate.test.mjs
+++ b/fluxer_desktop/src/main/DesktopUpdateGate.test.mjs
@@ -25,8 +25,8 @@ function deferred() {
 
 describe('DesktopUpdateGate', () => {
 	test('nothing is available and nothing starts before the bootstrap arms the gate', async () => {
-		assert.deepEqual(getDesktopUpdateState(), {available: false, updating: false});
-		assert.deepEqual(await checkDesktopUpdateNow(), {available: false, updating: false});
+		assert.deepEqual(getDesktopUpdateState(), {available: false, updating: false, replacesShell: false});
+		assert.deepEqual(await checkDesktopUpdateNow(), {available: false, updating: false, replacesShell: false});
 		assert.equal(startDesktopUpdate(), false);
 	});
 
@@ -44,17 +44,17 @@ describe('DesktopUpdateGate', () => {
 			},
 		});
 
-		assert.deepEqual(await checkDesktopUpdateNow(), {available: true, updating: false});
+		assert.deepEqual(await checkDesktopUpdateNow(), {available: true, updating: false, replacesShell: false});
 		assert.equal(startDesktopUpdate(), true);
 		assert.equal(startDesktopUpdate(), false, 'a second click while the update runs is a no-op');
 		assert.deepEqual(
 			getDesktopUpdateState(),
-			{available: false, updating: true},
+			{available: false, updating: true, replacesShell: false},
 			'the affordance hides the moment it is clicked',
 		);
 		assert.deepEqual(
 			await checkDesktopUpdateNow(),
-			{available: false, updating: true},
+			{available: false, updating: true, replacesShell: false},
 			'a poll during the update changes nothing',
 		);
 
@@ -62,11 +62,11 @@ describe('DesktopUpdateGate', () => {
 		await new Promise((resolve) => setImmediate(resolve));
 
 		assert.equal(starts, 1);
-		assert.deepEqual(getDesktopUpdateState(), {available: false, updating: false});
+		assert.deepEqual(getDesktopUpdateState(), {available: false, updating: false, replacesShell: false});
 		assert.deepEqual(states, [
-			{available: true, updating: false},
-			{available: false, updating: true},
-			{available: false, updating: false},
+			{available: true, updating: false, replacesShell: false},
+			{available: false, updating: true, replacesShell: false},
+			{available: false, updating: false, replacesShell: false},
 		]);
 		stop();
 	});
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ describe('DesktopUpdateGate', () => {
 		pending.resolve();
 		await background;
 
-		assert.deepEqual(await manual, {available: true, updating: false});
+		assert.deepEqual(await manual, {available: true, updating: false, replacesShell: true});
 		assert.deepEqual(calls, [false, true]);
 	});
 
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@ describe('DesktopUpdateGate', () => {
 		assert.equal(startDesktopUpdate(), true);
 		await new Promise((resolve) => setImmediate(resolve));
 
-		assert.deepEqual(getDesktopUpdateState(), {available: true, updating: false});
+		assert.deepEqual(getDesktopUpdateState(), {available: true, updating: false, replacesShell: true});
 		assert.equal(startDesktopUpdate(), true);
 	});
 });
diff --git a/fluxer_desktop/src/main/DesktopUpdateGate.ts b/fluxer_desktop/src/main/DesktopUpdateGate.ts
index 716c8dcb9..f7ae693f5 100644
--- a/fluxer_desktop/src/main/DesktopUpdateGate.ts
+++ b/fluxer_desktop/src/main/DesktopUpdateGate.ts
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ interface DesktopUpdateGateState {
 	checking: {readonly manual: boolean; readonly settled: Promise<void>} | null;
 	notifiedAvailable: boolean;
 	notifiedUpdating: boolean;
+	notifiedReplacesShell: boolean;
 	readonly listeners: Set<DesktopUpdateStateListener>;
 }
 
@@ -34,6 +35,7 @@ const gateState: DesktopUpdateGateState = {
 	checking: null,
 	notifiedAvailable: false,
 	notifiedUpdating: false,
+	notifiedReplacesShell: false,
 	listeners: new Set(),
 };
 
@@ -42,9 +44,11 @@ function isAvailable(check: DesktopUpdateCheck | null): boolean {
 }
 
 export function getDesktopUpdateState(): DesktopUpdateState {
+	const available = gateState.running == null && isAvailable(gateState.lastCheck);
 	return {
-		available: gateState.running == null && isAvailable(gateState.lastCheck),
+		available,
 		updating: gateState.running != null,
+		replacesShell: available && gateState.lastCheck?.shellNewer === true,
 	};
 }
 
@@ -55,11 +59,17 @@ export function desktopUpdateReplacesShell(): boolean {
 function notify(): void {
 	const state = getDesktopUpdateState();
 	const updating = state.updating === true;
-	if (state.available === gateState.notifiedAvailable && updating === gateState.notifiedUpdating) {
+	const replacesShell = state.replacesShell === true;
+	if (
+		state.available === gateState.notifiedAvailable &&
+		updating === gateState.notifiedUpdating &&
+		replacesShell === gateState.notifiedReplacesShell
+	) {
 		return;
 	}
 	gateState.notifiedAvailable = state.available;
 	gateState.notifiedUpdating = updating;
+	gateState.notifiedReplacesShell = replacesShell;
 	for (const listener of Array.from(gateState.listeners)) {
 		try {
 			listener(state);
diff --git a/packages/desktop_ipc/src/ModuleContract.ts b/packages/desktop_ipc/src/ModuleContract.ts
index 802087194..268580c06 100644
--- a/packages/desktop_ipc/src/ModuleContract.ts
+++ b/packages/desktop_ipc/src/ModuleContract.ts
@@ -57,6 +57,7 @@ export interface DesktopModuleAPI {
 export interface DesktopUpdateState {
 	readonly available: boolean;
 	readonly updating?: boolean;
+	readonly replacesShell?: boolean;
 }
 
 export interface DesktopUpdateAPI {