diff --git a/app/containers/MessageSeparator.tsx b/app/containers/MessageSeparator.tsx
index 90fe044954d..3a07087d270 100644
--- a/app/containers/MessageSeparator.tsx
+++ b/app/containers/MessageSeparator.tsx
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import { type ReactElement } from 'react';
 import { StyleSheet, Text, View } from 'react-native';
 
-import dayjs from '../lib/dayjs';
+import { formatLongDate } from '../lib/dayjs';
 import I18n from '../i18n';
 import sharedStyles from '../views/Styles';
 import { themes } from '../lib/constants/colors';
@@ -26,6 +26,11 @@ const styles = StyleSheet.create({
 	},
 	marginHorizontal: {
 		marginHorizontal: 14
+	},
+	label: {
+		paddingHorizontal: 8,
+		paddingVertical: 2,
+		borderRadius: 16
 	}
 });
 
@@ -36,9 +41,11 @@ const MessageSeparator = ({ ts, unread }: { ts?: Date | string | null; unread?:
 		return null;
 	}
 
-	const date = ts ? dayjs(ts).format('LL') : null;
+	const date = ts ? formatLongDate(ts) : null;
 	const unreadLine = { backgroundColor: themes[theme].buttonBackgroundDangerDefault };
 	const unreadText = { color: themes[theme].fontDanger };
+	const lineBackground = { backgroundColor: themes[theme].strokeLight };
+
 	if (ts && unread) {
 		return (
 			<View style={styles.container}>
@@ -51,9 +58,12 @@ const MessageSeparator = ({ ts, unread }: { ts?: Date | string | null; unread?:
 	if (ts) {
 		return (
 			<View style={styles.container}>
-				<View style={[styles.line, { backgroundColor: themes[theme].strokeLight }]} />
-				<Text style={[styles.text, { color: themes[theme].fontSecondaryInfo }, styles.marginHorizontal]}>{date}</Text>
-				<View style={[styles.line, { backgroundColor: themes[theme].strokeLight }]} />
+				<View style={[styles.line, lineBackground]} />
+				<View
+					style={[styles.label, styles.marginHorizontal, { backgroundColor: themes[theme].buttonBackgroundSecondaryDefault }]}>
+					<Text style={[styles.text, { color: themes[theme].buttonFontSecondary }]}>{date}</Text>
+				</View>
+				<View style={[styles.line, lineBackground]} />
 			</View>
 		);
 	}
diff --git a/app/containers/message/components/__tests__/__snapshots__/Message.test.tsx.snap b/app/containers/message/components/__tests__/__snapshots__/Message.test.tsx.snap
index 674d94dd4b5..5aa8b20583e 100644
--- a/app/containers/message/components/__tests__/__snapshots__/Message.test.tsx.snap
+++ b/app/containers/message/components/__tests__/__snapshots__/Message.test.tsx.snap
@@ -22711,7 +22711,7 @@ exports[`Story Snapshots: DateAndUnreadSeparators should match snapshot 1`] = `
           ]
         }
       >
-        November 10, 2017
+        November 10th, 2017
       </Text>
     </View>
     <A11yOrderView
@@ -23922,27 +23922,42 @@ exports[`Story Snapshots: DateAndUnreadSeparators should match snapshot 1`] = `
           ]
         }
       />
-      <Text
+      <View
         style={
           [
             {
-              "backgroundColor": "transparent",
-              "fontFamily": "Inter",
-              "fontSize": 14,
-              "fontWeight": "500",
-              "textAlign": "left",
+              "borderRadius": 16,
+              "paddingHorizontal": 8,
+              "paddingVertical": 2,
             },
             {
-              "color": "#6C727A",
+              "marginHorizontal": 14,
             },
             {
-              "marginHorizontal": 14,
+              "backgroundColor": "#E4E7EA",
             },
           ]
         }
       >
-        November 10, 2017
-      </Text>
+        <Text
+          style={
+            [
+              {
+                "backgroundColor": "transparent",
+                "fontFamily": "Inter",
+                "fontSize": 14,
+                "fontWeight": "500",
+                "textAlign": "left",
+              },
+              {
+                "color": "#1F2329",
+              },
+            ]
+          }
+        >
+          November 10th, 2017
+        </Text>
+      </View>
       <View
         style={
           [
@@ -24945,7 +24960,7 @@ exports[`Story Snapshots: DateAndUnreadSeparatorsLargeFont should match snapshot
           ]
         }
       >
-        November 10, 2017
+        November 10th, 2017
       </Text>
     </View>
     <A11yOrderView
@@ -26156,27 +26171,42 @@ exports[`Story Snapshots: DateAndUnreadSeparatorsLargeFont should match snapshot
           ]
         }
       />
-      <Text
+      <View
         style={
           [
             {
-              "backgroundColor": "transparent",
-              "fontFamily": "Inter",
-              "fontSize": 14,
-              "fontWeight": "500",
-              "textAlign": "left",
+              "borderRadius": 16,
+              "paddingHorizontal": 8,
+              "paddingVertical": 2,
             },
             {
-              "color": "#6C727A",
+              "marginHorizontal": 14,
             },
             {
-              "marginHorizontal": 14,
+              "backgroundColor": "#E4E7EA",
             },
           ]
         }
       >
-        November 10, 2017
-      </Text>
+        <Text
+          style={
+            [
+              {
+                "backgroundColor": "transparent",
+                "fontFamily": "Inter",
+                "fontSize": 14,
+                "fontWeight": "500",
+                "textAlign": "left",
+              },
+              {
+                "color": "#1F2329",
+              },
+            ]
+          }
+        >
+          November 10th, 2017
+        </Text>
+      </View>
       <View
         style={
           [
diff --git a/app/lib/dayjs/index.ts b/app/lib/dayjs/index.ts
index 141d496ae68..98ab39343ab 100644
--- a/app/lib/dayjs/index.ts
+++ b/app/lib/dayjs/index.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import timezone from 'dayjs/plugin/timezone';
 import calendar from 'dayjs/plugin/calendar';
 import relativeTime from 'dayjs/plugin/relativeTime';
 import localizedFormat from 'dayjs/plugin/localizedFormat';
+import advancedFormat from 'dayjs/plugin/advancedFormat';
 
 import 'dayjs/locale/en';
 import 'dayjs/locale/ar';
@@ -36,6 +37,15 @@ dayjs.extend(timezone);
 dayjs.extend(calendar);
 dayjs.extend(relativeTime);
 dayjs.extend(localizedFormat);
+dayjs.extend(advancedFormat);
+
+// Web's date-fns `PPP` (its `LL`) uses an ordinal day in English only; dayjs' `LL` never does.
+const ORDINAL_DAY_LOCALES = ['en'];
+
+export const formatLongDate = (ts: Date | number | string): string => {
+	const date = dayjs(ts);
+	return ORDINAL_DAY_LOCALES.includes(date.locale()) ? date.format('MMMM Do, YYYY') : date.format('LL');
+};
 
 // WatermelonDB hands a message `ts` back as Date, ms number, or ISO string depending on the read path;
 // dayjs parses all three where Number(ts) / new Date(ts) each NaN on one. Normalize to ms since epoch.