diff --git a/src/views/new-topic-view.jsx b/src/views/new-topic-view.jsx
index eeec3b85..6cebbcbb 100644
--- a/src/views/new-topic-view.jsx
+++ b/src/views/new-topic-view.jsx
@@ -22,7 +22,12 @@ const messages = defineMessages({
     id: "search_no_results",
     defaultMessage: "Search returned no results",
     description: "Text shown in contacts view when query returned no results."
-  }
+  },
+  search_placeholder: {
+    id: "search_placeholder",
+    defaultMessage: "List like email:alice@example.com, tel:17025550003...",
+    description: "Placeholder in contacts search field"
+  },
 });
 
 class NewTopicView extends React.Component {
@@ -78,6 +83,7 @@ class NewTopicView extends React.Component {
     const {formatMessage} = this.props.intl;
     const no_contacts_placeholder = formatMessage(this.state.searchQuery ?
       messages.search_no_results : messages.search_for_contacts);
+    const search_placeholder = formatMessage(messages.search_placeholder);
     return (
       <div className="flex-column">
         <ul className="tabbar">
@@ -111,6 +117,7 @@ class NewTopicView extends React.Component {
             <div className="flex-column">
               <SearchContacts
                 type="p2p"
+                placeholder={search_placeholder}
                 onSearchContacts={this.handleSearchContacts} />
               <ContactList
                 tinode={this.props.tinode}
diff --git a/src/widgets/forward-dialog.jsx b/src/widgets/forward-dialog.jsx
index 30823e03..e8579d57 100644
--- a/src/widgets/forward-dialog.jsx
+++ b/src/widgets/forward-dialog.jsx
@@ -63,8 +63,12 @@ export default class ForwardDialog extends React.Component {
               desription="Title of the contact selector dialog when forwarding a message" /></div>
             <div><a href="#" onClick={this.handleClose}><i className="material-icons">close</i></a></div>
           </div>
-          <SearchContacts
-            onSearchContacts={this.handleSearchContacts} />
+          <FormattedMessage id="forward_to_dearch_placeholder"  defaultMessage="Search contacts"
+            description="Contact search prompt when forwarding a message.">{
+            (search_placeholder) => <SearchContacts
+              placeholder={search_placeholder}
+              onSearchContacts={this.handleSearchContacts} />
+          }</FormattedMessage>
           <FormattedMessage id="search_no_results" defaultMessage="Search returned no results"
               description="Text shown in contacts view when query returned no results.">{
             (not_found_placeholder) => <ContactList
diff --git a/src/widgets/search-contacts.jsx b/src/widgets/search-contacts.jsx
index 0c4f997b..eb0f9cc0 100644
--- a/src/widgets/search-contacts.jsx
+++ b/src/widgets/search-contacts.jsx
@@ -57,13 +57,10 @@ export default class SearchContacts extends React.PureComponent {
       <div className="panel-form">
         <div className="panel-form-row">
           <i className="material-icons search">search</i>
-          <FormattedMessage id="search_placeholder" defaultMessage="List like email:alice@example.com, tel:17025550003..."
-            description="Placeholder in contacts search field">{
-            (search_placeholder) => <input className="search" type="text"
-              placeholder={search_placeholder}
+          <input className="search" type="text"
+              placeholder={this.props.placeholder}
               value={this.state.search} onChange={this.handleSearchChange}
               onKeyDown={this.handleKeyDown} required autoFocus />
-          }</FormattedMessage>
           {this.state.search ?
             <a href="#" onClick={this.handleClear}><i className="material-icons">highlight_off</i></a>
             :