diff --git a/src/platform/react-hooks/src/hooks/usePresence.ts b/src/platform/react-hooks/src/hooks/usePresence.ts
index ff474271a..eebf541bd 100644
--- a/src/platform/react-hooks/src/hooks/usePresence.ts
+++ b/src/platform/react-hooks/src/hooks/usePresence.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import type * as Ably from 'ably';
-import { useCallback, useEffect } from 'react';
+import { useCallback, useEffect, useMemo, useRef, useState } from 'react';
 import { ChannelParameters } from '../AblyReactHooks.js';
 import { useAbly } from './useAbly.js';
 import { useChannelInstance } from './useChannelInstance.js';
@@ -27,26 +27,29 @@ export function usePresence<T = any>(
   const { channel } = useChannelInstance(params.id, params.channelName);
   const { connectionError, channelError } = useStateErrors(params);
 
-  const onMount = async () => {
+  const onMount = useCallback(async () => {
     await channel.presence.enter(messageOrPresenceObject);
-  };
+    // don't add messageOrPresenceObject to dependency list, since it will most likely cause an infinite loop of updates,
+    // in cases when user calls this hook with an object literal instead of a state or memoized object.
+    // it does however prevent us from re-entering presence with new data automatically if it changes.
+    // eslint-disable-next-line react-hooks/exhaustive-deps
+  }, [channel.presence]);
 
-  const onUnmount = () => {
+  const onUnmount = useCallback(() => {
     // if connection is in one of inactive states, leave call will produce exception
     if (channel.state === 'attached' && !INACTIVE_CONNECTION_STATES.includes(ably.connection.state)) {
       channel.presence.leave();
     }
-  };
+  }, [channel, ably.connection.state]);
 
-  const useEffectHook = () => {
-    if (!skip) onMount();
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (skip) return;
+
+    onMount();
     return () => {
       onUnmount();
     };
-  };
-
-  // eslint-disable-next-line react-hooks/exhaustive-deps
-  useEffect(useEffectHook, [skip]);
+  }, [skip, onMount, onUnmount]);
 
   const updateStatus = useCallback(
     (messageOrPresenceObject: T) => {