diff --git a/res/layout/widget.xml b/res/layout/widget.xml
index 98f579e..268ed34 100644
--- a/res/layout/widget.xml
+++ b/res/layout/widget.xml
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@
         android:layout_width="match_parent"
         android:layout_height="match_parent"
         android:gravity="center"
-        android:text="@string/no_conversations"
+        android:text="@string/loading_conversations"
         android:textColor="@android:color/black"
         android:textSize="16sp"
         android:textStyle="bold"
diff --git a/res/values/strings.xml b/res/values/strings.xml
index 159acd3..e2bf243 100644
--- a/res/values/strings.xml
+++ b/res/values/strings.xml
@@ -359,9 +359,13 @@
     <!-- Dialog text: confirm discard -->
     <string name="confirm_discard_text">Discard this message?</string>
 
-    <!-- Undo bar strings -->
+    <!-- Conversation list shared between the Activity and Widget -->
+    <!-- Displayed in the middle of the screen when conversations are being loaded [CHAR LIMIT 100]-->
+    <string name="loading_conversations">Loading\u2026</string>
     <!-- Displayed in the middle of the screen when the inbox is empty [CHAR LIMIT 100]-->
     <string name="no_conversations">No conversations.</string>
+
+    <!-- Undo bar strings -->
     <!-- Menu item: undo latest action [CHAR LIMIT=12]-->
     <string name="undo">Undo</string>
 
@@ -769,6 +773,17 @@
     <!-- Dialog title when showing message header details in a popup window. [CHAR LIMIT=100]-->
     <string name="message_details_title">Message details</string>
 
+    <!-- General preference: Label of the setting for the direction to move to
+         when deleting the current message.
+         Options contain "newer message","older message", etc. [CHAR LIMIT=32] -->
+    <string name="auto_advance_label">Auto-advance</string>
+
+    <!-- General preference: Description of the setting for the direction to move to
+         when deleting the current message.
+         Options contain "newer message","older message", etc. [CHAR LIMIT=64] -->
+    <string name="auto_advance_summary">Choose which screen to show after you
+         delete a message</string>
+
     <!-- Title of the dialog that appears the first time they perform an action that would cause
          auto advance logic to fire [CHAR LIMIT=70] -->
     <string name="auto_advance_help_title">Set auto-advance preference\n(after you delete, etc.)</string>
diff --git a/src/com/android/mail/compose/ComposeActivity.java b/src/com/android/mail/compose/ComposeActivity.java
index 2600c74..5427dea 100644
--- a/src/com/android/mail/compose/ComposeActivity.java
+++ b/src/com/android/mail/compose/ComposeActivity.java
@@ -480,6 +480,7 @@
 
     private void finishSetup(int action, Intent intent, Bundle savedInstanceState,
             boolean showQuotedText) {
+        setFocus(action);
         if (action == COMPOSE) {
             mQuotedTextView.setVisibility(View.GONE);
         }
@@ -493,7 +494,6 @@
         initFromSpinner(savedInstanceState != null ? savedInstanceState : intent.getExtras(),
                 action);
         initChangeListeners();
-        setFocus(action);
         updateHideOrShowCcBcc();
         updateHideOrShowQuotedText(showQuotedText);
     }
@@ -1427,7 +1427,6 @@
         // This is the email address of the current user, i.e. the one composing
         // the reply.
         final String accountEmail = Address.getEmailAddress(account).getAddress();
-        String fromAddress = getAddress(refMessage.from);
         String[] sentToAddresses = refMessage.getToAddresses();
         String replytoAddress = refMessage.replyTo;
         final Collection<String> toAddresses;
@@ -1437,12 +1436,12 @@
         // message, excluding the current user's email address and any addresses
         // already on the To list.
         if (action == ComposeActivity.REPLY) {
-            toAddresses = initToRecipients(account, accountEmail, fromAddress, replytoAddress,
+            toAddresses = initToRecipients(account, accountEmail, refMessage.from, replytoAddress,
                     sentToAddresses);
             addToAddresses(toAddresses);
         } else if (action == ComposeActivity.REPLY_ALL) {
             final Set<String> ccAddresses = Sets.newHashSet();
-            toAddresses = initToRecipients(account, accountEmail, fromAddress, replytoAddress,
+            toAddresses = initToRecipients(account, accountEmail, refMessage.from, replytoAddress,
                     sentToAddresses);
             addToAddresses(toAddresses);
             addRecipients(accountEmail, ccAddresses, sentToAddresses);
@@ -1541,7 +1540,8 @@
 
     @VisibleForTesting
     protected Collection<String> initToRecipients(String account, String accountEmail,
-            String senderAddress, String replyToAddress, String[] inToAddresses) {
+            String fullSenderAddress, String replyToAddress,
+            String[] inToAddresses) {
         // The To recipient is the reply-to address specified in the original
         // message, unless it is:
         // the current user OR a custom from of the current user, in which case
@@ -1552,8 +1552,8 @@
                 && !recipientMatchesThisAccount(account, replyToAddress)) {
             toAddresses.add(replyToAddress);
         } else {
-            if (!recipientMatchesThisAccount(account, senderAddress)) {
-                toAddresses.add(senderAddress);
+            if (!recipientMatchesThisAccount(account, fullSenderAddress)) {
+                toAddresses.add(fullSenderAddress);
             } else {
                 // This happens if the user replies to a message they originally
                 // wrote. In this case, "reply" really means "re-send," so we
diff --git a/src/com/android/mail/persistence/Persistence.java b/src/com/android/mail/persistence/Persistence.java
index 408a814..4b5319c 100644
--- a/src/com/android/mail/persistence/Persistence.java
+++ b/src/com/android/mail/persistence/Persistence.java
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 package com.android.mail.persistence;
 
 import com.google.common.annotations.VisibleForTesting;
+import com.google.common.collect.Maps;
 
 import android.content.Context;
 import android.content.SharedPreferences;
@@ -24,6 +25,7 @@
 
 import com.android.mail.utils.LogTag;
 
+import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.Set;
 
 /**
@@ -36,7 +38,7 @@
 
     private static Persistence mInstance = null;
 
-    private static SharedPreferences sSharedPrefs;
+    private static final Map<String, SharedPreferences> SHARED_PREFS_MAP = Maps.newHashMap();
 
     protected Persistence() {
         //  Singleton only, use getInstance()
@@ -58,11 +60,15 @@
     }
 
     public SharedPreferences getPreferences(Context context) {
-        if (sSharedPrefs == null) {
-            sSharedPrefs = context.getSharedPreferences(
-                    getSharedPreferencesName(), Context.MODE_PRIVATE);
+        final String sharedPrefName = getSharedPreferencesName();
+        synchronized (SHARED_PREFS_MAP) {
+            SharedPreferences preferences = SHARED_PREFS_MAP.get(sharedPrefName);
+            if (preferences == null) {
+                preferences = context.getSharedPreferences(sharedPrefName, Context.MODE_PRIVATE);
+                SHARED_PREFS_MAP.put(sharedPrefName, preferences);
+            }
+            return preferences;
         }
-        return sSharedPrefs;
     }
 
     protected String makeKey(String account, String key) {
diff --git a/src/com/android/mail/widget/BaseWidgetProvider.java b/src/com/android/mail/widget/BaseWidgetProvider.java
index 63bd122..e0dd5ac 100644
--- a/src/com/android/mail/widget/BaseWidgetProvider.java
+++ b/src/com/android/mail/widget/BaseWidgetProvider.java
@@ -288,6 +288,9 @@
             remoteViews.setViewVisibility(R.id.widget_folder_not_synced, View.GONE);
             remoteViews.setViewVisibility(R.id.widget_configuration, View.VISIBLE);
 
+            remoteViews.setTextViewText(R.id.empty_conversation_list,
+                    context.getString(R.string.loading_conversations));
+
             final Intent configureIntent = new Intent(context, MailboxSelectionActivity.class);
             configureIntent.putExtra(AppWidgetManager.EXTRA_APPWIDGET_ID, appWidgetId);
             configureIntent.setData(Uri.parse(configureIntent.toUri(Intent.URI_INTENT_SCHEME)));
diff --git a/src/com/android/mail/widget/WidgetService.java b/src/com/android/mail/widget/WidgetService.java
index f662a8f..4e8c555 100644
--- a/src/com/android/mail/widget/WidgetService.java
+++ b/src/com/android/mail/widget/WidgetService.java
@@ -488,6 +488,8 @@
         @Override
         public void onLoadComplete(Loader<Cursor> loader, Cursor data) {
             final AppWidgetManager appWidgetManager = AppWidgetManager.getInstance(mContext);
+            final RemoteViews remoteViews =
+                    new RemoteViews(mContext.getPackageName(), R.layout.widget);
 
             if (loader == mFolderLoader) {
                 if (!isDataValid(data)) {
@@ -498,9 +500,6 @@
                 final String folderName = data.getString(UIProvider.FOLDER_NAME_COLUMN);
                 mFolderCount = data.getInt(UIProvider.FOLDER_TOTAL_COUNT_COLUMN);
 
-                final RemoteViews remoteViews =
-                        new RemoteViews(mContext.getPackageName(), R.layout.widget);
-
                 if (!mFolderInformationShown && !TextUtils.isEmpty(folderName) &&
                         !TextUtils.isEmpty(mAccount.name)) {
                     // We want to do a full update to the widget at least once, as the widget
@@ -529,7 +528,6 @@
 
                 appWidgetManager.partiallyUpdateAppWidget(mAppWidgetId, remoteViews);
             } else if (loader == mConversationCursorLoader) {
-
                 // We want to cache the new cursor
                 synchronized (sWidgetLock) {
                     if (!isDataValid(data)) {
@@ -538,8 +536,15 @@
                         mConversationCursor = data;
                     }
                 }
-                appWidgetManager.notifyAppWidgetViewDataChanged(
-                        mAppWidgetId, R.id.conversation_list);
+
+                appWidgetManager.notifyAppWidgetViewDataChanged(mAppWidgetId,
+                        R.id.conversation_list);
+
+                if (mConversationCursor == null || mConversationCursor.getCount() == 0) {
+                    remoteViews.setTextViewText(R.id.empty_conversation_list,
+                            mContext.getString(R.string.no_conversations));
+                    appWidgetManager.partiallyUpdateAppWidget(mAppWidgetId, remoteViews);
+                }
             }
         }