diff --git a/js/ui/messageTray.js b/js/ui/messageTray.js
index d7b764742..cde3e9500 100644
--- a/js/ui/messageTray.js
+++ b/js/ui/messageTray.js
@@ -1039,6 +1039,7 @@ const SourceActor = new Lang.Class({
 
     _init: function(source, size) {
         this._source = source;
+        this._size = size;
 
         this.actor = new Shell.GenericContainer();
         this.actor.connect('get-preferred-width', Lang.bind(this, this._getPreferredWidth));
@@ -1064,10 +1065,14 @@ const SourceActor = new Lang.Class({
 
         this._source.connect('count-changed', Lang.bind(this, this._updateCount));
         this._updateCount();
+
+        this._source.connect('icon-updated', Lang.bind(this, this._updateIcon));
+        this._updateIcon();
     },
 
     setIcon: function(icon) {
         this._iconBin.child = icon;
+        this._iconSet = true;
     },
 
     _getPreferredWidth: function (actor, forHeight, alloc) {
@@ -1105,13 +1110,21 @@ const SourceActor = new Lang.Class({
         this._counterBin.allocate(childBox, flags);
     },
 
+    _updateIcon: function() {
+        if (this._actorDestroyed)
+            return;
+
+        if (!this._iconSet)
+            this._iconBin.child = this._source.createIcon(this._size);
+    },
+
     _updateCount: function() {
         if (this._actorDestroyed)
             return;
 
         this._counterBin.visible = this._source.countVisible;
         this._counterLabel.set_text(this._source.count.toString());
-    },
+    }
 });
 
 const Source = new Lang.Class({
@@ -1133,7 +1146,6 @@ const Source = new Lang.Class({
         this.notifications = [];
 
         this.mainIcon = new SourceActor(this, this.ICON_SIZE);
-        this._setSummaryIcon(this.createIcon(this.ICON_SIZE));
     },
 
     _setCount: function(count, visible) {
@@ -1222,9 +1234,14 @@ const Source = new Lang.Class({
         return false;
     },
 
+    iconUpdated: function() {
+        this.emit('icon-updated');
+    },
+
     //// Protected methods ////
     _setSummaryIcon: function(icon) {
         this.mainIcon.setIcon(icon);
+        this.iconUpdated();
     },
 
     open: function(notification) {
diff --git a/js/ui/notificationDaemon.js b/js/ui/notificationDaemon.js
index 8fdb9e022..4c7a6404e 100644
--- a/js/ui/notificationDaemon.js
+++ b/js/ui/notificationDaemon.js
@@ -557,7 +557,8 @@ const Source = new Lang.Class({
     processNotification: function(notification, gicon) {
         if (gicon)
             this._gicon = gicon;
-        this._setSummaryIcon(this.createIcon(this.ICON_SIZE));
+        if (!this.trayIcon)
+            this.iconUpdated();
 
         let tracker = Shell.WindowTracker.get_default();
         if (notification.resident && this.app && tracker.focus_app == this.app)
@@ -625,7 +626,7 @@ const Source = new Lang.Class({
         // notification-based icons (ie, not a trayicon) or if it was unset before
         if (!this.trayIcon) {
             this.useNotificationIcon = false;
-            this._setSummaryIcon(this.createIcon(this.ICON_SIZE));
+            this.iconUpdated();
         }
     },
 
diff --git a/js/ui/screenShield.js b/js/ui/screenShield.js
index fe6d5116b..88a6bd42d 100644
--- a/js/ui/screenShield.js
+++ b/js/ui/screenShield.js
@@ -134,9 +134,7 @@ const NotificationsBox = new Lang.Class({
     _makeNotificationSource: function(source) {
         let box = new St.BoxLayout({ style_class: 'screen-shield-notification-source' });
 
-        let iconClone = source.createIcon(SUMMARY_ICON_SIZE);
         let sourceActor = new MessageTray.SourceActor(source, SUMMARY_ICON_SIZE);
-        sourceActor.setIcon(iconClone);
         box.add(sourceActor.actor, { y_fill: true });
 
         let textBox = new St.BoxLayout({ vertical: true });
diff --git a/js/ui/telepathyClient.js b/js/ui/telepathyClient.js
index 240969bdf..bba6e1272 100644
--- a/js/ui/telepathyClient.js
+++ b/js/ui/telepathyClient.js
@@ -532,7 +532,7 @@ const ChatSource = new Lang.Class({
     },
 
     _updateAvatarIcon: function() {
-        this._setSummaryIcon(this.createIcon(this.ICON_SIZE));
+        this.iconUpdated();
         this._notification.update(this._notification.title, null, { customContent: true });
     },