diff --git a/apps/ios/Shared/Views/ChatList/ChatListView.swift b/apps/ios/Shared/Views/ChatList/ChatListView.swift
index 8cf8830ad..955e68941 100644
--- a/apps/ios/Shared/Views/ChatList/ChatListView.swift
+++ b/apps/ios/Shared/Views/ChatList/ChatListView.swift
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ struct ChatListView: View {
     @State private var searchMode = false
     @FocusState private var searchFocussed
     @State private var searchText = ""
+    @State private var searchShowingSimplexLink = false
     @State private var newChatMenuOption: NewChatMenuOption? = nil
     @State private var userPickerVisible = false
     @State private var showConnectDesktop = false
@@ -145,9 +146,14 @@ struct ChatListView: View {
             VStack {
                 List {
                     if !chatModel.chats.isEmpty {
-                        ChatListSearchBar(searchMode: $searchMode, searchFocussed: $searchFocussed, searchText: $searchText)
-                            .listRowSeparator(.hidden)
-                            .frame(maxWidth: .infinity)
+                        ChatListSearchBar(
+                            searchMode: $searchMode,
+                            searchFocussed: $searchFocussed,
+                            searchText: $searchText,
+                            searchShowingSimplexLink: $searchShowingSimplexLink
+                        )
+                        .listRowSeparator(.hidden)
+                        .frame(maxWidth: .infinity)
                     }
                     ForEach(cs, id: \.viewId) { chat in
                         ChatListNavLink(chat: chat)
@@ -221,7 +227,7 @@ struct ChatListView: View {
 
     private func filteredChats() -> [Chat] {
         let s = searchText.trimmingCharacters(in: .whitespaces).localizedLowercase
-        return s == "" && !showUnreadAndFavorites
+        return (s == "" && !showUnreadAndFavorites || searchShowingSimplexLink)
             ? chatModel.chats
             : chatModel.chats.filter { chat in
                 let cInfo = chat.chatInfo
@@ -260,6 +266,7 @@ struct ChatListSearchBar: View {
     @Binding var searchMode: Bool
     @FocusState.Binding var searchFocussed: Bool
     @Binding var searchText: String
+    @Binding var searchShowingSimplexLink: Bool
     @State private var cancelVisible = false
     @State private var pasteboardHasString = false
     @State private var showScanCodeSheet = false
@@ -272,11 +279,10 @@ struct ChatListSearchBar: View {
                 HStack(spacing: 4) {
                     Image(systemName: "magnifyingglass")
                     TextField("Search or paste SimpleX link", text: $searchText)
-                        .truncationMode(.middle)
                         .focused($searchFocussed)
                         .foregroundColor(.primary)
                         .frame(maxWidth: .infinity)
-                    if searchMode {
+                    if searchMode || searchShowingSimplexLink {
                         Image(systemName: "xmark.circle.fill")
                             .opacity(searchText == "" ? 0 : 1)
                             .onTapGesture {
@@ -328,7 +334,7 @@ struct ChatListSearchBar: View {
         .onChange(of: searchFocussed) { sf in
             if sf {
                 withAnimation { searchMode = true }
-                DispatchQueue.main.asyncAfter(deadline: .now() + 0.5) {
+                DispatchQueue.main.asyncAfter(deadline: .now() + 0.2) {
                     withAnimation { cancelVisible = true }
                 }
             } else {
@@ -339,12 +345,16 @@ struct ChatListSearchBar: View {
             }
         }
         .onChange(of: searchText) { t in
-            let link = t.trimmingCharacters(in: .whitespaces)
-            if strIsSimplexLink(link) { // if SimpleX link is pasted, show connection dialogue
+            if let link = strHasSingleSimplexLink(t.trimmingCharacters(in: .whitespaces)) { // if SimpleX link is pasted, show connection dialogue
                 searchFocussed = false
-                connect(link)
-            } else if t != "" { // if some other text is pasted, enter search mode
-                searchFocussed = true
+                searchText = link.text
+                searchShowingSimplexLink = true
+                connect(link.text)
+            } else {
+                if t != "" { // if some other text is pasted, enter search mode
+                    searchFocussed = true
+                }
+                searchShowingSimplexLink = false
             }
         }
         .alert(item: $alert) { a in
diff --git a/apps/ios/Shared/Views/NewChat/NewChatView.swift b/apps/ios/Shared/Views/NewChat/NewChatView.swift
index 92562766f..ef48e1e65 100644
--- a/apps/ios/Shared/Views/NewChat/NewChatView.swift
+++ b/apps/ios/Shared/Views/NewChat/NewChatView.swift
@@ -330,9 +330,8 @@ private struct ConnectView: View {
         if pastedLink == "" {
             Button {
                 if let str = UIPasteboard.general.string {
-                    let link = str.trimmingCharacters(in: .whitespaces)
-                    if strIsSimplexLink(link) {
-                        pastedLink = link
+                    if let link = strHasSingleSimplexLink(str.trimmingCharacters(in: .whitespaces)) {
+                        pastedLink = link.text
                         // It would be good to hide it, but right now it is not clear how to release camera in CodeScanner
                         // https://github.com/twostraws/CodeScanner/issues/121
                         // No known tricks worked (changing view ID, wrapping it in another view, etc.)
@@ -350,7 +349,14 @@ private struct ConnectView: View {
             }
             .frame(maxWidth: .infinity, alignment: .center)
         } else {
-            linkTextView(pastedLink)
+            HStack {
+                linkTextView(pastedLink)
+                Button {
+                    pastedLink = ""
+                } label: {
+                    Image(systemName: "xmark.circle")
+                }
+            }
         }
     }
 
@@ -406,7 +412,7 @@ private struct ConnectView: View {
         switch resp {
         case let .success(r):
             let link = r.string
-            if strIsSimplexLink(link) {
+            if strIsSimplexLink(r.string) {
                 connect(link)
             } else {
                 alert = .newChatSomeAlert(alert: .someAlert(
@@ -470,6 +476,19 @@ func strIsSimplexLink(_ str: String) -> Bool {
     }
 }
 
+func strHasSingleSimplexLink(_ str: String) -> FormattedText? {
+    if let parsedMd = parseSimpleXMarkdown(str) {
+       let parsedLinks = parsedMd.filter({ $0.format?.isSimplexLink ?? false })
+        if parsedLinks.count == 1 {
+            return parsedLinks[0]
+        } else {
+            return nil
+        }
+    } else {
+        return nil
+    }
+}
+
 struct IncognitoToggle: View {
     @Binding var incognitoEnabled: Bool
     @State private var showIncognitoSheet = false
diff --git a/apps/ios/SimpleXChat/ChatTypes.swift b/apps/ios/SimpleXChat/ChatTypes.swift
index dc4cdda46..4f82382b3 100644
--- a/apps/ios/SimpleXChat/ChatTypes.swift
+++ b/apps/ios/SimpleXChat/ChatTypes.swift
@@ -3120,6 +3120,15 @@ public enum Format: Decodable, Equatable {
     case simplexLink(linkType: SimplexLinkType, simplexUri: String, smpHosts: [String])
     case email
     case phone
+
+    public var isSimplexLink: Bool {
+        get {
+            switch (self) {
+            case .simplexLink: return true
+            default: return false
+            }
+        }
+    }
 }
 
 public enum SimplexLinkType: String, Decodable {