diff --git a/src/components/views/rooms/MessageComposer.tsx b/src/components/views/rooms/MessageComposer.tsx
index 3698f87d2e9..bf95f722e4d 100644
--- a/src/components/views/rooms/MessageComposer.tsx
+++ b/src/components/views/rooms/MessageComposer.tsx
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
 See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 limitations under the License.
 */
-import React, { createRef } from 'react';
+import React, { ComponentProps, createRef } from 'react';
 import classNames from 'classnames';
 import { MatrixEvent, IEventRelation } from "matrix-js-sdk/src/models/event";
 import { Room } from "matrix-js-sdk/src/models/room";
@@ -80,10 +80,22 @@ function SendButton(props: ISendButtonProps) {
     );
 }
 
-interface IEmojiButtonProps {
+interface ICollapsibleButtonProps extends ComponentProps<typeof AccessibleTooltipButton> {
+    narrowMode: boolean;
+    title: string;
+}
+
+const CollapsibleButton = ({ narrowMode, title, ...props }: ICollapsibleButtonProps) => {
+    return <AccessibleTooltipButton
+        {...props}
+        title={narrowMode ? undefined : title}
+        label={narrowMode ? title : undefined}
+    />;
+};
+
+interface IEmojiButtonProps extends Pick<ICollapsibleButtonProps, "narrowMode"> {
     addEmoji: (unicode: string) => boolean;
     menuPosition: AboveLeftOf;
-    narrowMode: boolean;
 }
 
 const EmojiButton: React.FC<IEmojiButtonProps> = ({ addEmoji, menuPosition, narrowMode }) => {
@@ -108,18 +120,18 @@ const EmojiButton: React.FC<IEmojiButtonProps> = ({ addEmoji, menuPosition, narr
     // TODO: replace ContextMenuTooltipButton with a unified representation of
     // the header buttons and the right panel buttons
     return <React.Fragment>
-        <AccessibleTooltipButton
+        <CollapsibleButton
             className={className}
             onClick={openMenu}
-            title={!narrowMode && _t('Emoji picker')}
-            label={narrowMode ? _t("Add emoji") : null}
+            narrowMode={narrowMode}
+            title={_t("Add emoji")}
         />
 
         { contextMenu }
     </React.Fragment>;
 };
 
-interface ILocationButtonProps {
+interface ILocationButtonProps extends Pick<ICollapsibleButtonProps, "narrowMode"> {
     room: Room;
     shareLocation: (uri: string, ts: number, type: LocationShareType, description: string) => boolean;
     menuPosition: AboveLeftOf;
@@ -148,11 +160,11 @@ const LocationButton: React.FC<ILocationButtonProps> = ({ shareLocation, menuPos
     // TODO: replace ContextMenuTooltipButton with a unified representation of
     // the header buttons and the right panel buttons
     return <React.Fragment>
-        <AccessibleTooltipButton
+        <CollapsibleButton
             className={className}
             onClick={openMenu}
-            title={!narrowMode && _t('Share location')}
-            label={narrowMode ? _t('Share location') : null}
+            narrowMode={narrowMode}
+            title={_t("Share location")}
         />
 
         { contextMenu }
@@ -233,7 +245,7 @@ class UploadButton extends React.Component<IUploadButtonProps> {
     }
 }
 
-interface IPollButtonProps {
+interface IPollButtonProps extends Pick<ICollapsibleButtonProps, "narrowMode"> {
     room: Room;
 }
 
@@ -265,10 +277,11 @@ class PollButton extends React.PureComponent<IPollButtonProps> {
 
     render() {
         return (
-            <AccessibleTooltipButton
+            <CollapsibleButton
                 className="mx_MessageComposer_button mx_MessageComposer_poll"
                 onClick={this.onCreateClick}
-                title={_t('Create poll')}
+                narrowMode={this.props.narrowMode}
+                title={_t("Create poll")}
             />
         );
     }
@@ -567,16 +580,12 @@ export default class MessageComposer extends React.Component<IProps, IState> {
         if (!this.state.haveRecording) {
             if (this.state.showPollsButton) {
                 buttons.push(
-                    <PollButton key="polls" room={this.props.room} />,
+                    <PollButton key="polls" room={this.props.room} narrowMode={this.state.narrowMode} />,
                 );
             }
             uploadButtonIndex = buttons.length;
             buttons.push(
-                <UploadButton
-                    key="controls_upload"
-                    roomId={this.props.room.roomId}
-                    relation={this.props.relation}
-                />,
+                <UploadButton key="controls_upload" roomId={this.props.room.roomId} relation={this.props.relation} />,
             );
             if (SettingsStore.getValue("feature_location_share")) {
                 buttons.push(
@@ -610,53 +619,58 @@ export default class MessageComposer extends React.Component<IProps, IState> {
                 />,
             );
         }
+
+        // XXX: the recording UI does not work well in narrow mode, so we hide this button for now
         if (!this.state.haveRecording && !this.state.narrowMode) {
             buttons.push(
-                <AccessibleTooltipButton
+                <CollapsibleButton
                     key="voice_message_send"
                     className="mx_MessageComposer_button mx_MessageComposer_voiceMessage"
                     onClick={() => this.voiceRecordingButton.current?.onRecordStartEndClick()}
                     title={_t("Send voice message")}
+                    narrowMode={this.state.narrowMode}
                 />,
             );
         }
 
         if (!this.state.narrowMode) {
             return buttons;
-        } else {
-            const classnames = classNames({
-                mx_MessageComposer_button: true,
-                mx_MessageComposer_buttonMenu: true,
-                mx_MessageComposer_closeButtonMenu: this.state.isMenuOpen,
-            });
-
-            return <>
-                { buttons[uploadButtonIndex] }
-                <AccessibleTooltipButton
-                    className={classnames}
-                    onClick={this.toggleButtonMenu}
-                    title={_t("More options")}
-                    tooltip={false}
-                />
-                { this.state.isMenuOpen && (
-                    <ContextMenu
-                        onFinished={this.toggleButtonMenu}
-                        {...menuPosition}
-                        menuPaddingRight={10}
-                        menuPaddingTop={5}
-                        menuPaddingBottom={5}
-                        menuWidth={150}
-                        wrapperClassName="mx_MessageComposer_Menu"
-                    >
-                        { buttons.slice(1).map((button, index) => (
-                            <MenuItem className="mx_CallContextMenu_item" key={index} onClick={this.toggleButtonMenu}>
-                                { button }
-                            </MenuItem>
-                        )) }
-                    </ContextMenu>
-                ) }
-            </>;
         }
+
+        const classnames = classNames({
+            mx_MessageComposer_button: true,
+            mx_MessageComposer_buttonMenu: true,
+            mx_MessageComposer_closeButtonMenu: this.state.isMenuOpen,
+        });
+
+        // we render the uploadButton at top level as it is a very common interaction, splice it out of the rest
+        const [uploadButton] = buttons.splice(uploadButtonIndex, 1);
+        return <>
+            { uploadButton }
+            <AccessibleTooltipButton
+                className={classnames}
+                onClick={this.toggleButtonMenu}
+                title={_t("More options")}
+                tooltip={false}
+            />
+            { this.state.isMenuOpen && (
+                <ContextMenu
+                    onFinished={this.toggleButtonMenu}
+                    {...menuPosition}
+                    menuPaddingRight={10}
+                    menuPaddingTop={5}
+                    menuPaddingBottom={5}
+                    menuWidth={150}
+                    wrapperClassName="mx_MessageComposer_Menu"
+                >
+                    { buttons.map((button, index) => (
+                        <MenuItem className="mx_CallContextMenu_item" key={index} onClick={this.toggleButtonMenu}>
+                            { button }
+                        </MenuItem>
+                    )) }
+                </ContextMenu>
+            ) }
+        </>;
     }
 
     render() {
diff --git a/src/i18n/strings/en_EN.json b/src/i18n/strings/en_EN.json
index 6cc5f8ca463..363ff13427b 100644
--- a/src/i18n/strings/en_EN.json
+++ b/src/i18n/strings/en_EN.json
@@ -1649,7 +1649,6 @@
     "Filter room members": "Filter room members",
     "%(userName)s (power %(powerLevelNumber)s)": "%(userName)s (power %(powerLevelNumber)s)",
     "Send message": "Send message",
-    "Emoji picker": "Emoji picker",
     "Add emoji": "Add emoji",
     "Share location": "Share location",
     "Upload file": "Upload file",