diff --git a/src/node/db/API.js b/src/node/db/API.js
index 97d5162d..7b5a7b37 100644
--- a/src/node/db/API.js
+++ b/src/node/db/API.js
@@ -510,15 +510,19 @@ exports.appendChatMessage = function(padID, text, authorID, time, callback)
     callback(new customError("text is no string","apierror"));
     return;
   }
-
-  //get the pad
-  getPadSafe(padID, true, function(err, pad)
+  
+  // if time is not an integer value
+  if(time === undefined || !is_int(time))
   {
-    if(ERR(err, callback)) return;
-    
-    pad.appendChatMessage(text, authorID, parseInt(time));
-    callback();
-  });
+    // set time to current timestamp
+    time = new Date().getTime();
+  }
+
+  var padMessage = require("ep_etherpad-lite/node/handler/PadMessageHandler.js");
+  // save chat message to database and send message to all connected clients
+  padMessage.sendChatMessageToPadClients(parseInt(time), authorID, text, padID);
+
+  callback();
 }
 
 /*****************/
diff --git a/src/node/handler/PadMessageHandler.js b/src/node/handler/PadMessageHandler.js
index 248dc128..91fa37e4 100644
--- a/src/node/handler/PadMessageHandler.js
+++ b/src/node/handler/PadMessageHandler.js
@@ -375,6 +375,17 @@ function handleChatMessage(client, message)
   var text = message.data.text;
   var padId = sessioninfos[client.id].padId;
 
+  exports.sendChatMessageToPadClients(time, userId, text, padId);
+}
+
+/**
+ * Sends a chat message to all clients of this pad
+ * @param time the timestamp of the chat message
+ * @param userId the author id of the chat message
+ * @param text the text of the chat message
+ * @param padId the padId to send the chat message to
+ */
+exports.sendChatMessageToPadClients = function (time, userId, text, padId) {
   var pad;
   var userName;