diff --git a/src/__mocks__/trystero.ts b/src/__mocks__/trystero.ts
index 8c7bd5e..1d6339c 100644
--- a/src/__mocks__/trystero.ts
+++ b/src/__mocks__/trystero.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ export const joinRoom: typeof trysteroJoinRoom = (
   _roomId: string
 ) => {
   const room: Room = {
-    makeAction: () => [() => {}, () => {}, () => {}],
+    makeAction: () => [() => Promise.resolve([]), () => {}, () => {}],
     ping: () => Promise.resolve(0),
     leave: () => {},
     getPeers: () => [],
diff --git a/src/components/ChatTranscript/ChatTranscript.tsx b/src/components/ChatTranscript/ChatTranscript.tsx
index e326255..64dedd8 100644
--- a/src/components/ChatTranscript/ChatTranscript.tsx
+++ b/src/components/ChatTranscript/ChatTranscript.tsx
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import Typography from '@mui/material/Typography'
 
-import { UnsentMessage, ReceivedMessage } from 'models/chat'
+import { isMessageReceived, UnsentMessage, ReceivedMessage } from 'models/chat'
 
 export interface ChatTranscriptProps {
   messageLog: Array<UnsentMessage | ReceivedMessage>
@@ -10,24 +10,35 @@ export interface ChatTranscriptProps {
 export const ChatTranscript = ({ messageLog, userId }: ChatTranscriptProps) => {
   return (
     <div className="ChatTranscript flex flex-col">
-      {messageLog.map((message, idx) => (
-        <div className="block">
-          <Typography
-            key={`${idx}_${message}`}
-            variant="body1"
-            sx={{
-              backgroundColor:
-                message.authorId === userId ? 'primary.dark' : 'grey.700',
-              margin: 0.5,
-              padding: 1,
-              borderRadius: 4,
-              float: message.authorId === userId ? 'right' : 'left',
-            }}
-          >
-            {message.text}
-          </Typography>
-        </div>
-      ))}
+      {messageLog.map(message => {
+        let backgroundColor: string
+
+        if (message.authorId === userId) {
+          backgroundColor = isMessageReceived(message)
+            ? 'primary.dark'
+            : 'primary.main'
+        } else {
+          backgroundColor = 'grey.700'
+        }
+
+        return (
+          <div className="block" key={message.id}>
+            <Typography
+              variant="body1"
+              sx={{
+                backgroundColor,
+                margin: 0.5,
+                padding: 1,
+                borderRadius: 6,
+                float: message.authorId === userId ? 'right' : 'left',
+                transition: 'background-color 1s',
+              }}
+            >
+              {message.text}
+            </Typography>
+          </div>
+        )
+      })}
     </div>
   )
 }
diff --git a/src/components/Room/Room.test.tsx b/src/components/Room/Room.test.tsx
index 482e179..5a0503c 100644
--- a/src/components/Room/Room.test.tsx
+++ b/src/components/Room/Room.test.tsx
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { PropsWithChildren } from 'react'
-import { render, screen } from '@testing-library/react'
+import { waitFor, render, screen } from '@testing-library/react'
 import userEvent from '@testing-library/user-event'
 import { MemoryRouter as Router, Route, Routes } from 'react-router-dom'
 
@@ -8,7 +8,9 @@ import { Room } from './'
 const stubUserId = 'user-id'
 
 const mockGetUuid = jest.fn()
-const mockMessagedSender = jest.fn()
+const mockMessagedSender = jest
+  .fn()
+  .mockImplementation(() => Promise.resolve([]))
 
 jest.mock('trystero', () => ({
   joinRoom: () => ({
@@ -73,7 +75,7 @@ describe('Room', () => {
     expect(sendButton).not.toBeDisabled()
   })
 
-  test('sending a message clears the text input', () => {
+  test('sending a message clears the text input', async () => {
     render(
       <RouteStub>
         <Room userId={stubUserId} />
@@ -83,11 +85,15 @@ describe('Room', () => {
     const sendButton = screen.getByText('Send')
     const textInput = screen.getByPlaceholderText('Your message')
     userEvent.type(textInput, 'hello')
-    userEvent.click(sendButton)
+
+    await waitFor(() => {
+      userEvent.click(sendButton)
+    })
+
     expect(textInput).toHaveValue('')
   })
 
-  test('message is sent to peer', () => {
+  test('message is sent to peer', async () => {
     render(
       <RouteStub>
         <Room
@@ -100,7 +106,11 @@ describe('Room', () => {
     const sendButton = screen.getByText('Send')
     const textInput = screen.getByPlaceholderText('Your message')
     userEvent.type(textInput, 'hello')
-    userEvent.click(sendButton)
+
+    await waitFor(() => {
+      userEvent.click(sendButton)
+    })
+
     expect(mockMessagedSender).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
       authorId: stubUserId,
       text: 'hello',
diff --git a/src/components/Room/Room.tsx b/src/components/Room/Room.tsx
index 25303d7..0baf3ed 100644
--- a/src/components/Room/Room.tsx
+++ b/src/components/Room/Room.tsx
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ export function Room({
 }: RoomProps) {
   const { roomId = '' } = useParams()
 
+  const [isMessageSending, setIsMessageSending] = useState(false)
   const [textMessage, setTextMessage] = useState('')
   const [messageLog, setMessageLog] = useState<
     Array<ReceivedMessage | UnsentMessage>
@@ -46,7 +47,7 @@ export function Room({
     setTextMessage(value)
   }
 
-  const handleMessageSubmit = (
+  const handleMessageSubmit = async (
     event: React.SyntheticEvent<HTMLFormElement>
   ) => {
     event.preventDefault()
@@ -58,10 +59,16 @@ export function Room({
       id: getUuid(),
     }
 
-    sendMessage(unsentMessage)
-
     setTextMessage('')
+    setIsMessageSending(true)
     setMessageLog([...messageLog, unsentMessage])
+    await sendMessage(unsentMessage)
+
+    setMessageLog([
+      ...messageLog,
+      { ...unsentMessage, timeReceived: Date.now() },
+    ])
+    setIsMessageSending(false)
   }
 
   receiveMessage(message => {
@@ -85,7 +92,7 @@ export function Room({
         <Button
           variant="contained"
           type="submit"
-          disabled={textMessage.length === 0}
+          disabled={textMessage.length === 0 || isMessageSending}
           sx={{
             marginTop: 2,
           }}
diff --git a/src/models/chat.ts b/src/models/chat.ts
index a733995..1cefd5d 100644
--- a/src/models/chat.ts
+++ b/src/models/chat.ts
@@ -8,3 +8,7 @@ export interface UnsentMessage {
 export interface ReceivedMessage extends UnsentMessage {
   timeReceived: number
 }
+
+export const isMessageReceived = (
+  message: UnsentMessage
+): message is ReceivedMessage => 'timeReceived' in message
diff --git a/src/react-app-env.d.ts b/src/react-app-env.d.ts
index 1a5ac24..3467e6a 100644
--- a/src/react-app-env.d.ts
+++ b/src/react-app-env.d.ts
@@ -25,13 +25,13 @@ declare module 'trystero' {
   export type RoomConfig = BaseRoomConfig &
     (BitTorrentRoomConfig | FirebaseRoomConfig | IpfsRoomConfig)
 
-  export interface ActionSender<T> {
+  export interface ActionSender<T> extends Promise {
     (
       data: T,
       targetPeers?: string[],
       metadata?: Record,
       progress?: (percent: number, peerId: string) => void
-    ): void
+    ): Promise<Array<undefined>>
   }
 
   export interface ActionReceiver<T> {