diff --git a/src/components/App.tsx b/src/components/App.tsx
index acfc77a67..4756f9e02 100644
--- a/src/components/App.tsx
+++ b/src/components/App.tsx
@@ -16,6 +16,8 @@ import { addActiveTabChangeListener } from '../util/activeTabMonitor';
 import { hasStoredSession } from '../util/sessions';
 import buildClassName from '../util/buildClassName';
 import { parseInitialLocationHash } from '../util/routing';
+import { setupBeforeInstallPrompt } from '../util/installPrompt';
+
 import useFlag from '../hooks/useFlag';
 import usePrevious from '../hooks/usePrevious';
 import useAppLayout from '../hooks/useAppLayout';
@@ -26,10 +28,9 @@ import LockScreen from './main/LockScreen.async';
 import AppInactive from './main/AppInactive';
 import Transition from './ui/Transition';
 import UiLoader from './common/UiLoader';
-// import Test from './components/test/TestNoRedundancy';
+// import Test from './test/TestUpdateRef';
 
 import styles from './App.module.scss';
-import { setupBeforeInstallPrompt } from '../util/installPrompt';
 
 type StateProps = {
   authState: GlobalState['authState'];
diff --git a/src/components/test/TestUpdateRef.tsx b/src/components/test/TestUpdateRef.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..727e4622c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/components/test/TestUpdateRef.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+import React, { useEffect, useRef, useState } from '../../lib/teact/teact';
+
+function TestUpdateRef() {
+  const [isShown, setIsShown] = useState(true);
+  // eslint-disable-next-line no-null/no-null
+  const shownRef = useRef<HTMLInputElement>(null);
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    // Input content should preserve, but ref should clean up
+    // eslint-disable-next-line no-console
+    console.log('!!!', shownRef.current);
+  }, [isShown]);
+
+  return (
+    <div onClick={() => setIsShown(!isShown)}>
+      {isShown ? (
+        <input ref={shownRef} />
+      ) : (
+        <input />
+      )}
+    </div>
+  );
+}
+
+export default TestUpdateRef;
diff --git a/src/lib/teact/teact-dom.ts b/src/lib/teact/teact-dom.ts
index 0604cbf89..c90b29e4d 100644
--- a/src/lib/teact/teact-dom.ts
+++ b/src/lib/teact/teact-dom.ts
@@ -173,7 +173,13 @@ function renderWithVirtual<T extends VirtualElement | undefined>(
         if (isTag) {
           const $newAsTag = $new as VirtualElementTag;
 
-          $newAsTag.props.ref = $current.props.ref;
+          if ($current.props.ref?.current === currentTarget) {
+            $current.props.ref.current = undefined;
+          }
+
+          if ($newAsTag.props.ref) {
+            $newAsTag.props.ref.current = currentTarget;
+          }
 
           if (nextSibling || options.forceMoveToEnd) {
             insertBefore(parentEl, currentTarget, nextSibling);