diff --git a/app/Navigation/_layout.js b/app/Navigation/_layout.js
index 85c4557..90350de 100644
--- a/app/Navigation/_layout.js
+++ b/app/Navigation/_layout.js
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ export default function () {
   // these axios calls need to move somewhere else
   useEffect(() => {
     axios
-      .get(`http://18.219.151.178:3000/users/vY1hQh5wpwgI1zzaweeooEqyJAi1`)
+      .get(`http://127.0.0.1:3000/users/vY1hQh5wpwgI1zzaweeooEqyJAi1`)
       .then((response) => {
         // set message count to equal number of notifications
         setMessageCount(response.data.notifications);
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ export default function () {
   const handleBadgePress = () => {
     // insted of resetting the state, send a put request using axios to users/notifications/reset/:uid
     axios
-      .patch(`http://18.219.151.178:3000/users/notifications/reset/vY1hQh5wpwgI1zzaweeooEqyJAi1`)
+      .patch(`http://127.0.0.1:3000/users/notifications/reset/vY1hQh5wpwgI1zzaweeooEqyJAi1`)
       .then((response) => {
         // set message count to equal number of notifications
         setMessageCount(0);
diff --git a/app/Screens/message/Data.js b/app/Screens/message/Data.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5d34e50
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/Screens/message/Data.js
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+const Messages = [
+  {
+    id: '1',
+    userName: 'Brandon',
+    ProfileImg: require('../../../assets/users/Brandon.png'),
+    messageTime: '4 mins ago',
+    messageText: 'Approvals are looking great',
+  },
+  {
+    id: '2',
+    userName: 'Kyle',
+    ProfileImg: 'https://i.imgur.com/O9IwNcx.png',
+    messageTime: '2 hours ago',
+    messageText: 'I created a new profile recently',
+  },
+  {
+    id: '3',
+    userName: 'Nam',
+    ProfileImg: 'https://i.imgur.com/swnqERH.png',
+    messageTime: '1 hours ago',
+    messageText: 'The design is finished on Figma',
+  },
+  {
+    id: 'pbbQjIfF7abqfvKD38DOBAbgoHr2',
+    userName: 'Mev',
+    ProfileImg: 'https://i.imgur.com/Biw5Jsb.png',
+    messageTime: '1 day ago',
+    messageText: 'Thanks!',
+  },
+  {
+    id: '5',
+    userName: 'Jenessa',
+    ProfileImg: require('../../../assets/users/Jenessa.png'),
+    messageTime: '2 days ago',
+    messageText: 'I finished setting up the database',
+  },
+  {
+    id: '6',
+    userName: 'Majd',
+    ProfileImg: require('../../../assets/users/Majd.png'),
+    messageTime: '2 days ago',
+    messageText: 'my code is polished',
+  },
+  {
+    id: '7',
+    userName: 'Donn',
+    ProfileImg: require('../../../assets/users/Donn.png'),
+    messageTime: '2 days ago',
+    messageText: 'Navigation is good to go',
+  },
+];
+
+export default Messages;
diff --git a/app/Screens/message/MessageScreens/ChatScreen.js b/app/Screens/message/MessageScreens/ChatScreen.js
index 80099ac..ec0fe2c 100644
--- a/app/Screens/message/MessageScreens/ChatScreen.js
+++ b/app/Screens/message/MessageScreens/ChatScreen.js
@@ -1,30 +1,21 @@
 import React, { useCallback, useEffect, useState } from 'react';
-import { Button, ScrollView, StyleSheet, Text, View } from 'react-native';
+import { View } from 'react-native';
 
 import axios from 'axios';
-import { nanoid } from 'nanoid';
 import { Bubble, GiftedChat, Send } from 'react-native-gifted-chat';
 import FontAwesome from 'react-native-vector-icons/FontAwesome';
 import MaterialCommunityIcons from 'react-native-vector-icons/MaterialCommunityIcons';
-import { useDispatch, useSelector } from 'react-redux';
+import { useSelector } from 'react-redux';
 
 function ChatScreen({ route }) {
   const uid = useSelector((store) => store.currentUser.uid) || 'vY1hQh5wpwgI1zzaweeooEqyJAi1';
   const { id } = route.params;
-
-  // console.log('id: ', id);
-  // console.log('userId: ', uid);
-
   const [messages, setMessages] = useState([]);
 
-  // redux message data
-  // const { message } = useSelector((state) => state.message);
-
   useEffect(() => {
-    // Fetch messages every 1 second
     const fetchMessages = () => {
       axios
-        .get(`http://18.219.151.178:3000/users/${uid}`)
+        .get(`http://127.0.0.1:3000/users/${uid}`)
         .then((response) => {
           const messagesThread = response.data.messages[id];
           // reverse the order of messages
@@ -49,17 +40,10 @@ function ChatScreen({ route }) {
   }, []);
 
   const onSend = useCallback((messages = []) => {
-    // console.log('on send', messages);
     const postObj = { message: messages[0] };
-    // setSentMessages(postObj);
-    axios
-      .post(`http://18.219.151.178:3000/users/messages/${uid}/${id}`, postObj)
-      .then((response) => {
-        // console.log('post sucessful', response);
-      })
-      .catch((error) => {
-        console.log(error);
-      });
+    axios.post(`http://127.0.0.1:3000/users/messages/${uid}/${id}`, postObj).catch((error) => {
+      console.log(error);
+    });
 
     setMessages((previousMessages) => GiftedChat.append(previousMessages, messages));
   }, []);
diff --git a/app/Screens/message/MessageScreens/Connections.js b/app/Screens/message/MessageScreens/Connections.js
index 52aadb3..535140a 100644
--- a/app/Screens/message/MessageScreens/Connections.js
+++ b/app/Screens/message/MessageScreens/Connections.js
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import React from 'react';
-import { Button, FlatList, StyleSheet, Text, View } from 'react-native';
+import { FlatList, StyleSheet } from 'react-native';
 
+import Messages from '../Data';
 import {
   Container,
   ProfileImg,
@@ -11,43 +12,7 @@ import {
   UserName,
 } from '../MessageStyles/MessageStyles';
 
-const contacts = [
-  {
-    id: '1',
-    userName: 'Brandon',
-    ProfileImg: require('../../../../assets/users/Brandon.png'),
-  },
-  {
-    id: '2',
-    userName: 'Kyle',
-    ProfileImg: require('../../../../assets/users/Kyle.png'),
-  },
-  {
-    id: '3',
-    userName: 'Nam',
-    ProfileImg: require('../../../../assets/users/Nam.png'),
-  },
-  {
-    id: 'pbbQjIfF7abqfvKD38DOBAbgoHr2',
-    userName: 'Mev',
-    ProfileImg: require('../../../../assets/users/Mev.png'),
-  },
-  {
-    id: '5',
-    userName: 'Jenessa',
-    ProfileImg: require('../../../../assets/users/Jenessa.png'),
-  },
-  {
-    id: '6',
-    userName: 'Majd',
-    ProfileImg: require('../../../../assets/users/Majd.png'),
-  },
-  {
-    id: '7',
-    userName: 'Donn',
-    ProfileImg: require('../../../../assets/users/Donn.png'),
-  },
-];
+const contacts = Messages;
 
 function Connections({ navigation }) {
   return (
diff --git a/app/Screens/message/MessageScreens/MessagesScreen.js b/app/Screens/message/MessageScreens/MessagesScreen.js
index 6b261e9..5272cc0 100644
--- a/app/Screens/message/MessageScreens/MessagesScreen.js
+++ b/app/Screens/message/MessageScreens/MessagesScreen.js
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import React from 'react';
-import { Button, FlatList, StyleSheet, Text, View } from 'react-native';
+import { FlatList, StyleSheet } from 'react-native';
 
+import Messages from '../Data';
 import {
   Container,
   MessageText,
@@ -14,58 +15,6 @@ import {
   UserName,
 } from '../MessageStyles/MessageStyles';
 
-const Messages = [
-  {
-    id: '1',
-    userName: 'Brandon',
-    ProfileImg: require('../../../../assets/users/Brandon.png'),
-    messageTime: '4 mins ago',
-    messageText: 'Approvals are looking great',
-  },
-  {
-    id: '2',
-    userName: 'Kyle',
-    ProfileImg: 'https://i.imgur.com/O9IwNcx.png',
-    messageTime: '2 hours ago',
-    messageText: 'I created a new profile recently',
-  },
-  {
-    id: '3',
-    userName: 'Nam',
-    ProfileImg: 'https://i.imgur.com/swnqERH.png',
-    messageTime: '1 hours ago',
-    messageText: 'The design is finished on Figma',
-  },
-  {
-    id: 'pbbQjIfF7abqfvKD38DOBAbgoHr2',
-    userName: 'Mev',
-    ProfileImg: 'https://i.imgur.com/Biw5Jsb.png',
-    messageTime: '1 day ago',
-    messageText: 'hi',
-  },
-  {
-    id: '5',
-    userName: 'Jenessa',
-    ProfileImg: require('../../../../assets/users/Jenessa.png'),
-    messageTime: '2 days ago',
-    messageText: 'I finished setting up the database',
-  },
-  {
-    id: '6',
-    userName: 'Majd',
-    ProfileImg: require('../../../../assets/users/Majd.png'),
-    messageTime: '2 days ago',
-    messageText: 'my code is polished',
-  },
-  {
-    id: '7',
-    userName: 'Donn',
-    ProfileImg: require('../../../../assets/users/Donn.png'),
-    messageTime: '2 days ago',
-    messageText: 'Navigation is good to go',
-  },
-];
-
 function MessagesScreen({ navigation }) {
   return (
     <Container>
@@ -74,8 +23,8 @@ function MessagesScreen({ navigation }) {
         keyExtractor={(item) => item.id}
         renderItem={({ item }) => (
           <Tile
-            onPress={
-              () => navigation.navigate('ChatScreen', { userName: item.userName, id: item.id }) // change item.id to _id to match incoming data object properties
+            onPress={() =>
+              navigation.navigate('ChatScreen', { userName: item.userName, id: item.id })
             }
           >
             <UserInfo>