diff --git a/sample-app/src/App.tsx b/sample-app/src/App.tsx
index ffdabfc..0080d73 100644
--- a/sample-app/src/App.tsx
+++ b/sample-app/src/App.tsx
@@ -11,12 +11,16 @@ import './App.css';
 
 function App() {
     const [messages, updateMessages] = useState<Types.Message[]>([]);
-    const { channel, ably } = useChannel('your-channel-name', (message) => {
-        updateMessages((prev) => [...prev, message]);
-    });
+    const [skip, setSkip] = useState(false);
+    const { channel, ably } = useChannel(
+        { channelName: 'your-channel-name', skip },
+        (message) => {
+            updateMessages((prev) => [...prev, message]);
+        }
+    );
 
     const { presenceData, updateStatus } = usePresence(
-        'your-channel-name',
+        { channelName: 'your-channel-name', skip },
         { foo: 'bar' },
         (update) => {
             console.log(update);
@@ -38,7 +42,7 @@ function App() {
         undefined | Types.ErrorInfo
     >();
 
-    useChannelStateListener('your-channel-name', 'detached', (stateChange) => {
+    useChannelStateListener('your-channel-name', (stateChange) => {
         setAblyErr(JSON.stringify(stateChange.reason));
         setChannelState(stateChange.current);
         setPreviousChannelState(stateChange.previous);
@@ -80,6 +84,10 @@ function App() {
                 <ConnectionState />
             </div>
             <div style={{ marginLeft: '250px' }}>
+                <h2>Skip</h2>
+                <button onClick={() => setSkip(!skip)}>
+                    Toggle skip param
+                </button>
                 <h2>Channel detach</h2>
                 <button onClick={() => channel.detach()}>Detach</button>
                 <button onClick={() => ably.close()}>Close</button>
diff --git a/src/AblyReactHooks.ts b/src/AblyReactHooks.ts
index a337f6d..a2ccd9c 100644
--- a/src/AblyReactHooks.ts
+++ b/src/AblyReactHooks.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@ export type ChannelNameAndOptions = {
     options?: Types.ChannelOptions;
     id?: string;
     subscribeOnly?: boolean;
+    skip?: boolean;
+
     onConnectionError?: (error: Types.ErrorInfo) => unknown;
     onChannelError?: (error: Types.ErrorInfo) => unknown;
 };
diff --git a/src/fakes/ably.ts b/src/fakes/ably.ts
index 1fd7914..a0fc49d 100644
--- a/src/fakes/ably.ts
+++ b/src/fakes/ably.ts
@@ -384,7 +384,7 @@ export class ChannelPresence {
 
     public unsubscribe(clientId: string, key: string) {
         const subsForClient = this.subscriptionsPerClient.get(clientId);
-        subsForClient.set(key, []);
+        subsForClient?.set(key, []);
     }
 
     private triggerSubs(subType: string, data: any) {
diff --git a/src/hooks/useChannel.test.tsx b/src/hooks/useChannel.test.tsx
index a9904e7..8d8252d 100644
--- a/src/hooks/useChannel.test.tsx
+++ b/src/hooks/useChannel.test.tsx
@@ -46,7 +46,9 @@ describe('useChannel', () => {
         );
 
         await act(async () => {
-            otherClient.channels.get('blah').publish({ text: 'message text' });
+            await otherClient.channels
+                .get('blah')
+                .publish({ text: 'message text' });
         });
 
         const messageUl = screen.getAllByRole('messages')[0];
@@ -61,8 +63,12 @@ describe('useChannel', () => {
         );
 
         await act(async () => {
-            otherClient.channels.get('blah').publish({ text: 'message text1' });
-            otherClient.channels.get('blah').publish({ text: 'message text2' });
+            await otherClient.channels
+                .get('blah')
+                .publish({ text: 'message text1' });
+            await otherClient.channels
+                .get('blah')
+                .publish({ text: 'message text2' });
         });
 
         const messageUl = screen.getAllByRole('messages')[0];
@@ -82,8 +88,12 @@ describe('useChannel', () => {
         );
 
         await act(async () => {
-            ablyClient.channels.get('blah').publish({ text: 'message text1' });
-            otherClient.channels.get('bleh').publish({ text: 'message text2' });
+            await ablyClient.channels
+                .get('blah')
+                .publish({ text: 'message text1' });
+            await otherClient.channels
+                .get('bleh')
+                .publish({ text: 'message text2' });
         });
 
         const messageUl = screen.getAllByRole('messages')[0];
@@ -143,6 +153,22 @@ describe('useChannel', () => {
         expect(onConnectionError).toHaveBeenCalledWith(reason);
     });
 
+    it('skip param', async () => {
+        renderInCtxProvider(
+            ablyClient,
+            <UseChannelComponent skip={true}></UseChannelComponent>
+        );
+
+        await act(async () => {
+            await otherClient.channels
+                .get('blah')
+                .publish({ text: 'message text' });
+        });
+
+        const messageUl = screen.getAllByRole('messages')[0];
+        expect(messageUl.childElementCount).toBe(0);
+    });
+
     it('should use the latest version of the message callback', async () => {
         let callbackCount = 0;
 
@@ -220,9 +246,9 @@ const UseChannelComponentMultipleClients = () => {
     return <ul role="messages">{messagePreviews}</ul>;
 };
 
-const UseChannelComponent = () => {
+const UseChannelComponent = ({ skip }: { skip?: boolean }) => {
     const [messages, updateMessages] = useState<Types.Message[]>([]);
-    useChannel('blah', (message) => {
+    useChannel({ channelName: 'blah', skip }, (message) => {
         updateMessages((prev) => [...prev, message]);
     });
 
diff --git a/src/hooks/useChannel.ts b/src/hooks/useChannel.ts
index 9fa1b53..a11f10e 100644
--- a/src/hooks/useChannel.ts
+++ b/src/hooks/useChannel.ts
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ export function useChannel(
 
     const ably = useAbly(channelHookOptions.id);
 
-    const { channelName, options: channelOptions } = channelHookOptions;
+    const { channelName, options: channelOptions, skip } = channelHookOptions;
 
     const channelEvent =
         typeof eventOrCallback === 'string' ? eventOrCallback : null;
@@ -75,11 +75,14 @@ export function useChannel(
         const subscribeArgs: SubscribeArgs =
             channelEvent === null ? [listener] : [channelEvent, listener];
 
-        handleChannelMount(channel, ...subscribeArgs);
+        if (!skip) {
+            handleChannelMount(channel, ...subscribeArgs);
+        }
+
         return () => {
-            handleChannelUnmount(channel, ...subscribeArgs);
+            !skip && handleChannelUnmount(channel, ...subscribeArgs);
         };
-    }, [channelEvent, channel]);
+    }, [channelEvent, channel, skip]);
 
     return { channel, ably, connectionError, channelError };
 }
diff --git a/src/hooks/usePresence.test.tsx b/src/hooks/usePresence.test.tsx
index 9ca8243..eaa971d 100644
--- a/src/hooks/usePresence.test.tsx
+++ b/src/hooks/usePresence.test.tsx
@@ -105,6 +105,20 @@ describe('usePresence', () => {
         expect(values).toContain(`"data":{"foo":"bar"}`);
     });
 
+    it('skip param', async () => {
+        renderInCtxProvider(
+            ablyClient,
+            <UsePresenceComponent skip={true}></UsePresenceComponent>
+        );
+
+        await act(async () => {
+            await wait(2);
+        });
+
+        const values = screen.getByRole('presence').innerHTML;
+        expect(values).to.not.contain(`"bar"`);
+    });
+
     it('usePresence works with multiple clients', async () => {
         renderInCtxProvider(
             ablyClient,
@@ -180,8 +194,11 @@ describe('usePresence', () => {
     });
 });
 
-const UsePresenceComponent = () => {
-    const { presenceData, updateStatus } = usePresence(testChannelName, 'bar');
+const UsePresenceComponent = ({ skip }: { skip?: boolean }) => {
+    const { presenceData, updateStatus } = usePresence(
+        { channelName: testChannelName, skip },
+        'bar'
+    );
 
     const presentUsers = presenceData.map((presence, index) => {
         return (
diff --git a/src/hooks/usePresence.ts b/src/hooks/usePresence.ts
index 0b34856..f6d0ae1 100644
--- a/src/hooks/usePresence.ts
+++ b/src/hooks/usePresence.ts
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ export function usePresence<T = any>(
             : params.subscribeOnly;
 
     const channel = ably.channels.get(params.channelName, params.options);
+    const skip = params.skip;
 
     const { connectionError, channelError } = useStateErrors(params);
 
@@ -75,14 +76,14 @@ export function usePresence<T = any>(
     };
 
     const useEffectHook = () => {
-        onMount();
+        !skip && onMount();
         return () => {
             onUnmount();
         };
     };
 
     // eslint-disable-next-line react-hooks/exhaustive-deps
-    useEffect(useEffectHook, []);
+    useEffect(useEffectHook, [skip]);
 
     const updateStatus = useCallback(
         (messageOrPresenceObject: T) => {