diff --git a/deltachat-ffi/src/lib.rs b/deltachat-ffi/src/lib.rs
index 299d92ba2..1eb0bf9cc 100644
--- a/deltachat-ffi/src/lib.rs
+++ b/deltachat-ffi/src/lib.rs
@@ -966,7 +966,7 @@ pub unsafe extern "C" fn dc_get_msg_cnt(context: *mut dc_context_t, chat_id: u32
     }
     let ffi_context = &*context;
     ffi_context
-        .with_inner(|ctx| chat::get_msg_cnt(ctx, ChatId::new(chat_id)) as libc::c_int)
+        .with_inner(|ctx| ChatId::new(chat_id).get_msg_cnt(ctx) as libc::c_int)
         .unwrap_or(0)
 }
 
@@ -981,7 +981,7 @@ pub unsafe extern "C" fn dc_get_fresh_msg_cnt(
     }
     let ffi_context = &*context;
     ffi_context
-        .with_inner(|ctx| chat::get_fresh_msg_cnt(ctx, ChatId::new(chat_id)) as libc::c_int)
+        .with_inner(|ctx| ChatId::new(chat_id).get_fresh_msg_cnt(ctx) as libc::c_int)
         .unwrap_or(0)
 }
 
diff --git a/examples/repl/cmdline.rs b/examples/repl/cmdline.rs
index d03a943fb..adefb5926 100644
--- a/examples/repl/cmdline.rs
+++ b/examples/repl/cmdline.rs
@@ -514,7 +514,7 @@ pub fn dc_cmdline(context: &Context, line: &str) -> Result<(), failure::Error> {
                         chat_prefix(&chat),
                         chat.get_id(),
                         chat.get_name(),
-                        chat::get_fresh_msg_cnt(context, chat.get_id()),
+                        chat.get_id().get_fresh_msg_cnt(context),
                     );
                     let lot = chatlist.get_summary(context, i, Some(&chat));
                     let statestr = if chat.is_archived() {
@@ -602,10 +602,7 @@ pub fn dc_cmdline(context: &Context, line: &str) -> Result<(), failure::Error> {
                 log_msg(context, "Draft", &draft);
             }
 
-            println!(
-                "{} messages.",
-                chat::get_msg_cnt(context, sel_chat.get_id())
-            );
+            println!("{} messages.", sel_chat.get_id().get_msg_cnt(context));
             chat::marknoticed_chat(context, sel_chat.get_id())?;
         }
         "createchat" => {
diff --git a/src/chat.rs b/src/chat.rs
index 226bfd100..e5f11b6b5 100644
--- a/src/chat.rs
+++ b/src/chat.rs
@@ -327,6 +327,33 @@ impl ChatId {
         Ok(())
     }
 
+    /// Returns number of messages in a chat.
+    pub fn get_msg_cnt(self, context: &Context) -> usize {
+        context
+            .sql
+            .query_get_value::<_, i32>(
+                context,
+                "SELECT COUNT(*) FROM msgs WHERE chat_id=?;",
+                params![self],
+            )
+            .unwrap_or_default() as usize
+    }
+
+    pub fn get_fresh_msg_cnt(self, context: &Context) -> usize {
+        context
+            .sql
+            .query_get_value::<_, i32>(
+                context,
+                "SELECT COUNT(*)
+               FROM msgs
+              WHERE state=10
+                AND hidden=0
+                AND chat_id=?;",
+                params![self],
+            )
+            .unwrap_or_default() as usize
+    }
+
     /// Bad evil escape hatch.
     ///
     /// Avoid using this, eventually types should be cleaned up enough
@@ -1453,33 +1480,6 @@ pub fn get_chat_msgs(
     }
 }
 
-/// Returns number of messages in a chat.
-pub fn get_msg_cnt(context: &Context, chat_id: ChatId) -> usize {
-    context
-        .sql
-        .query_get_value::<_, i32>(
-            context,
-            "SELECT COUNT(*) FROM msgs WHERE chat_id=?;",
-            params![chat_id],
-        )
-        .unwrap_or_default() as usize
-}
-
-pub fn get_fresh_msg_cnt(context: &Context, chat_id: ChatId) -> usize {
-    context
-        .sql
-        .query_get_value::<_, i32>(
-            context,
-            "SELECT COUNT(*)
-               FROM msgs
-              WHERE state=10
-                AND hidden=0
-                AND chat_id=?;",
-            params![chat_id],
-        )
-        .unwrap_or_default() as usize
-}
-
 pub fn marknoticed_chat(context: &Context, chat_id: ChatId) -> Result<(), Error> {
     if !context.sql.exists(
         "SELECT id FROM msgs  WHERE chat_id=? AND state=?;",
@@ -2535,7 +2535,7 @@ mod tests {
         assert_eq!(msg2.text.as_ref().unwrap(), "second message");
 
         // check device chat
-        assert_eq!(get_msg_cnt(&t.ctx, msg2.chat_id), 2);
+        assert_eq!(msg2.chat_id.get_msg_cnt(&t.ctx), 2);
     }
 
     #[test]
@@ -2568,7 +2568,7 @@ mod tests {
 
         // check device chat
         let chat_id = msg1.chat_id;
-        assert_eq!(get_msg_cnt(&t.ctx, chat_id), 1);
+        assert_eq!(chat_id.get_msg_cnt(&t.ctx), 1);
         assert!(!chat_id.is_special());
         let chat = Chat::load_from_db(&t.ctx, chat_id);
         assert!(chat.is_ok());