diff --git a/src/js/controller/app/mail-list.js b/src/js/controller/app/mail-list.js
index 0daa922..460c2e7 100644
--- a/src/js/controller/app/mail-list.js
+++ b/src/js/controller/app/mail-list.js
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ var INIT_DISPLAY_LEN = 20,
     FOLDER_TYPE_INBOX = 'Inbox',
     NOTIFICATION_INBOX_TIMEOUT = 5000;
 
-var MailListCtrl = function($scope, $routeParams, statusDisplay, notification, email, keychain, dialog, search, dummy) {
+var MailListCtrl = function($scope, $timeout, $routeParams, statusDisplay, notification, email, keychain, dialog, search, dummy) {
 
     //
     // Init
@@ -197,12 +197,15 @@ var MailListCtrl = function($scope, $routeParams, statusDisplay, notification, e
      * Sync current folder when client comes back online
      */
     $scope.watchOnline = $scope.$watch('account.online', function(isOnline) {
-        if (isOnline) {
-            statusDisplay.update('Online');
-            openCurrentFolder();
-        } else {
-            statusDisplay.update('Offline mode');
-        }
+        // wait one cycle for the status display controllers to init
+        $timeout(function() {
+            if (isOnline) {
+                statusDisplay.update('Online');
+                openCurrentFolder();
+            } else {
+                statusDisplay.update('Offline mode');
+            }
+        });
     }, true);
 
     //
diff --git a/src/js/controller/app/status-display.js b/src/js/controller/app/status-display.js
index ce021f7..f20c898 100644
--- a/src/js/controller/app/status-display.js
+++ b/src/js/controller/app/status-display.js
@@ -1,26 +1,15 @@
 'use strict';
 
-var StatusDisplayCtrl = function($scope, $timeout, statusDisplay) {
+var StatusDisplayCtrl = function($scope) {
 
-    $scope.state.statusDisplay = {
-        text: '',
-        time: undefined,
-        searching: false
-    };
+    $scope.$on('status', function(e, text, time) {
+        $scope.text = text;
+        $scope.time = (time) ? time : '';
+    });
 
-    // set the show functions
-    statusDisplay.showStatus = function(lbl, time) {
-        return $timeout(function() {
-            $scope.state.statusDisplay.text = lbl;
-            $scope.state.statusDisplay.time = (time) ? time : '';
-        });
-    };
-
-    statusDisplay.showSearching = function(state) {
-        return $timeout(function() {
-            $scope.state.statusDisplay.searching = state;
-        });
-    };
+    $scope.$on('searching', function(e, state) {
+        $scope.searching = state;
+    });
 
 };
 
diff --git a/src/js/util/status-display.js b/src/js/util/status-display.js
index e0961c4..4379b18 100644
--- a/src/js/util/status-display.js
+++ b/src/js/util/status-display.js
@@ -7,26 +7,19 @@ module.exports = StatusDisplay;
 /**
  * A central service to display status updates to the user
  */
-function StatusDisplay($q, axe) {
-    this._q = $q;
+function StatusDisplay($rootScope, axe) {
+    this._rootScope = $rootScope;
     this._axe = axe;
 }
 
 /**
  * Update the status disply in the lower left of the screen
- * @param  {String} msg     The status message that is to be displayed to the user
+ * @param  {String} text     The status message that is to be displayed to the user
  * @param  {Date} time		The time of the last update
  */
-StatusDisplay.prototype.update = function(msg, time) {
-    var self = this;
-    self._axe.info('status display', msg);
-    return self._q(function(resolve, reject) {
-        if (self.showStatus) {
-            return resolve(self.showStatus(msg, time));
-        } else {
-            reject(new Error('Status display service showStatus not set!'));
-        }
-    });
+StatusDisplay.prototype.update = function(text, time) {
+    this._axe.info('status display', text);
+    this._rootScope.$broadcast('status', text, time);
 };
 
 /**
@@ -34,12 +27,5 @@ StatusDisplay.prototype.update = function(msg, time) {
  * @param {Boolean} state	If the spinner should be displayed or not
  */
 StatusDisplay.prototype.setSearching = function(state) {
-    var self = this;
-    return self._q(function(resolve, reject) {
-        if (self.showSearching) {
-            return resolve(self.showSearching(state));
-        } else {
-            reject(new Error('Status display service showSearching not set!'));
-        }
-    });
+    this._rootScope.$broadcast('searching', state);
 };
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/tpl/nav.html b/src/tpl/nav.html
index 188aad3..575ee37 100644
--- a/src/tpl/nav.html
+++ b/src/tpl/nav.html
@@ -69,5 +69,5 @@
     </li>
   </ul><!--/nav__secondary-->
 
-  <footer ng-include="'tpl/status-display.html'" ng-controller="StatusDisplayCtrl"></footer>
+  <footer ng-include="'tpl/status-display.html'"></footer>
 </nav>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/tpl/status-display.html b/src/tpl/status-display.html
index 3a441f9..55f16d9 100644
--- a/src/tpl/status-display.html
+++ b/src/tpl/status-display.html
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
-<div>
-  <span class="spinner" ng-show="account.loggingIn || account.busy || state.statusDisplay.searching"></span>
+<div ng-controller="StatusDisplayCtrl">
+  <span class="spinner" ng-show="account.loggingIn || account.busy || searching"></span>
   <span class="text" ng-switch="account.online">
     <span ng-switch-when="false">
       <svg><use xlink:href="#icon-offline" /></svg>
     </span>
-    {{state.statusDisplay.text}} {{state.statusDisplay.time | date:'shortTime'}}
+    {{text}} {{time | date:'shortTime'}}
   </span>
 </div>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/unit/util/status-display-test.js b/test/unit/util/status-display-test.js
index 6f6e9e5..70499a0 100644
--- a/test/unit/util/status-display-test.js
+++ b/test/unit/util/status-display-test.js
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 'use strict';
 
 describe('Status Display Service unit test', function() {
-    var statusDisplay, logInfoStub;
+    var statusDisplay, logInfoStub, rootScope, broadcastSpy;
 
     beforeEach(function() {
         angular.module('statusDisplay-test', ['woUtil']);
@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@ describe('Status Display Service unit test', function() {
         angular.mock.inject(function($injector, axe) {
             logInfoStub = sinon.stub(axe, 'info');
             statusDisplay = $injector.get('statusDisplay');
+            rootScope = $injector.get('$rootScope');
+            broadcastSpy = sinon.spy(rootScope, '$broadcast');
         });
     });
 
@@ -17,49 +19,23 @@ describe('Status Display Service unit test', function() {
     });
 
     describe('update', function() {
-        it('should work', inject(function($rootScope) {
+        it('should work', function() {
             var message = 'Tada!',
                 time = new Date();
-            statusDisplay.showStatus = function() {};
-            var showStatusStub = sinon.stub(statusDisplay, 'showStatus');
 
-            statusDisplay.update(message, time).then(function(result) {
-                expect(result).to.not.exist;
-            });
+            statusDisplay.update(message, time);
 
-            expect(logInfoStub.calledOnce).to.be.true;
-            $rootScope.$apply();
-            expect(showStatusStub.withArgs(message, time).calledOnce).to.be.true;
-        }));
-        it('should fail for no display function', inject(function($rootScope) {
-            statusDisplay.update().catch(function(err) {
-                expect(err.message).to.match(/showStatus/);
-            });
-
-            expect(logInfoStub.calledOnce).to.be.true;
-            $rootScope.$apply();
-        }));
+            expect(broadcastSpy.withArgs('status', message, time).calledOnce).to.be.true;
+            expect(logInfoStub.withArgs('status display', message).calledOnce).to.be.true;
+        });
     });
 
     describe('setSearching', function() {
-        it('should work', inject(function($rootScope) {
-            statusDisplay.showSearching = function() {};
-            var showSearchingStub = sinon.stub(statusDisplay, 'showSearching');
+        it('should work', function() {
+            statusDisplay.setSearching(true);
 
-            statusDisplay.setSearching(true).then(function(result) {
-                expect(result).to.not.exist;
-            });
-
-            $rootScope.$apply();
-            expect(showSearchingStub.withArgs(true).calledOnce).to.be.true;
-        }));
-        it('should fail for no display function', inject(function($rootScope) {
-            statusDisplay.setSearching().catch(function(err) {
-                expect(err.message).to.match(/showSearching/);
-            });
-
-            $rootScope.$apply();
-        }));
+            expect(broadcastSpy.withArgs('searching', true).calledOnce).to.be.true;
+        });
     });
 
 });
\ No newline at end of file