diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/application.js b/app/assets/javascripts/application.js
index d8cc43eb254..6f7f08f23b5 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/application.js
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/application.js
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 
 // Stuff we need to load first
 //= require ./discourse/lib/utilities
+//= require ./discourse/lib/page-visible
 //= require ./discourse/lib/ajax
 //= require ./discourse/lib/text
 //= require ./discourse/lib/hash
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/initializers/message-bus.js.es6 b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/initializers/message-bus.js.es6
index 3ce1a033c38..a0b113765cb 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/initializers/message-bus.js.es6
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/initializers/message-bus.js.es6
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
 // Initialize the message bus to receive messages.
+import pageVisible from 'discourse/lib/page-visible';
+
 export default {
   name: "message-bus",
   after: 'inject-objects',
@@ -36,9 +38,21 @@ export default {
       messageBus.ajax = function(opts) {
         opts.headers = opts.headers || {};
         opts.headers['X-Shared-Session-Key'] = $('meta[name=shared_session_key]').attr('content');
+        if (pageVisible()) {
+          opts.headers['Discourse-Visible'] = "true";
+        }
         return $.ajax(opts);
       };
     } else {
+
+      messageBus.ajax = function(opts) {
+        opts.headers = opts.headers || {};
+        if (pageVisible()) {
+          opts.headers['Discourse-Visible'] = "true";
+        }
+        return $.ajax(opts);
+      };
+
       messageBus.baseUrl = Discourse.getURL('/');
     }
 
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/lib/ajax.js.es6 b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/lib/ajax.js.es6
index 48f259fd4c9..612d1614994 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/lib/ajax.js.es6
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/lib/ajax.js.es6
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+import pageVisible from 'discourse/lib/page-visible';
+
 let _trackView = false;
 let _transientHeader = null;
 
@@ -14,6 +16,7 @@ export function viewTrackingRequired() {
   for performance reasons. Also automatically adjusts the URL to support installs
   in subfolders.
 **/
+
 export function ajax() {
   let url, args;
   let ajaxObj;
@@ -47,6 +50,10 @@ export function ajax() {
       args.headers['Discourse-Track-View'] = "true";
     }
 
+    if (pageVisible()) {
+      args.headers['Discourse-Visible'] = "true";
+    }
+
     args.success = (data, textStatus, xhr) => {
       if (xhr.getResponseHeader('Discourse-Readonly')) {
         Ember.run(() => Discourse.Site.currentProp('isReadOnly', true));
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/lib/page-visible.js.es6 b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/lib/page-visible.js.es6
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..e32e68d0d73
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/lib/page-visible.js.es6
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+// for android we test webkit
+var hiddenProperty = document.hidden !== undefined ? "hidden" : (
+      document.webkitHidden !== undefined ? "webkitHidden" : undefined
+  );
+
+export default function() {
+  if (hiddenProperty !== undefined){
+    return !document[hiddenProperty];
+  } else {
+    return document && document.hasFocus;
+  }
+};
diff --git a/lib/auth/default_current_user_provider.rb b/lib/auth/default_current_user_provider.rb
index 0cdfe7ad76a..3326f12dabf 100644
--- a/lib/auth/default_current_user_provider.rb
+++ b/lib/auth/default_current_user_provider.rb
@@ -225,7 +225,11 @@ class Auth::DefaultCurrentUserProvider
   end
 
   def should_update_last_seen?
-    !(@request.path =~ /^\/message-bus\//)
+    if @request.xhr?
+      @env["HTTP_DISCOURSE_VISIBLE".freeze] == "true".freeze
+    else
+      true
+    end
   end
 
   protected
diff --git a/spec/components/auth/default_current_user_provider_spec.rb b/spec/components/auth/default_current_user_provider_spec.rb
index b33b44641b1..bbdde400fc5 100644
--- a/spec/components/auth/default_current_user_provider_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/components/auth/default_current_user_provider_spec.rb
@@ -82,12 +82,22 @@ describe Auth::DefaultCurrentUserProvider do
     expect(provider("/?api_key=hello&api_username=#{user.username.downcase}").current_user.id).to eq(user.id)
   end
 
-  it "should not update last seen for message bus" do
-    expect(provider("/message-bus/anything/goes", method: "POST").should_update_last_seen?).to eq(false)
-    expect(provider("/message-bus/anything/goes", method: "GET").should_update_last_seen?).to eq(false)
+  it "should not update last seen for ajax calls without Discourse-Visible header" do
+    expect(provider("/topic/anything/goes",
+                    :method => "POST",
+                    "HTTP_X_REQUESTED_WITH" => "XMLHttpRequest"
+          ).should_update_last_seen?).to eq(false)
   end
 
-  it "should update last seen for others" do
+  it "should update ajax reqs with discourse visible" do
+    expect(provider("/topic/anything/goes",
+                    :method => "POST",
+                    "HTTP_X_REQUESTED_WITH" => "XMLHttpRequest",
+                    "HTTP_DISCOURSE_VISIBLE" => "true"
+          ).should_update_last_seen?).to eq(true)
+  end
+
+  it "should update last seen for non ajax" do
     expect(provider("/topic/anything/goes", method: "POST").should_update_last_seen?).to eq(true)
     expect(provider("/topic/anything/goes", method: "GET").should_update_last_seen?).to eq(true)
   end