diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/services/presence.js b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/services/presence.js
index d0394aef89c..98fa6445f25 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/services/presence.js
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/services/presence.js
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 import Service from "@ember/service";
-import EmberObject, { computed, defineProperty } from "@ember/object";
-import { readOnly } from "@ember/object/computed";
+import EmberObject, { computed } from "@ember/object";
 import { ajax } from "discourse/lib/ajax";
 import {
   cancel,
@@ -20,6 +19,7 @@ import userPresent, {
   removeOnPresenceChange,
 } from "discourse/lib/user-presence";
 import { bind } from "discourse-common/utils/decorators";
+import Evented from "@ember/object/evented";
 
 const PRESENCE_INTERVAL_S = 30;
 const PRESENCE_DEBOUNCE_MS = isTesting() ? 0 : 500;
@@ -45,17 +45,12 @@ export class PresenceChannelNotFound extends Error {}
 
 // Instances of this class are handed out to consumers. They act as
 // convenient proxies to the PresenceService and PresenceServiceState
-class PresenceChannel extends EmberObject {
+// The 'change' event is fired whenever the users list or the count change
+class PresenceChannel extends EmberObject.extend(Evented) {
   init({ name, presenceService }) {
     super.init(...arguments);
     this.name = name;
     this.presenceService = presenceService;
-    defineProperty(
-      this,
-      "_presenceState",
-      readOnly(`presenceService._presenceChannelStates.${name}`)
-    );
-
     this.set("present", false);
     this.set("subscribed", false);
   }
@@ -91,8 +86,12 @@ class PresenceChannel extends EmberObject {
     if (this.subscribed) {
       return;
     }
-    await this.presenceService._subscribe(this, initialData);
+    const state = await this.presenceService._subscribe(this, initialData);
     this.set("subscribed", true);
+    this.set("_presenceState", state);
+
+    this._publishChange();
+    state.on("change", this._publishChange);
   }
 
   async unsubscribe() {
@@ -101,6 +100,14 @@ class PresenceChannel extends EmberObject {
     }
     await this.presenceService._unsubscribe(this);
     this.set("subscribed", false);
+    this._presenceState.off("change", this._publishChange);
+    this.set("_presenceState", null);
+    this._publishChange();
+  }
+
+  @bind
+  _publishChange() {
+    this.trigger("change", this);
   }
 
   @computed("_presenceState.users", "subscribed")
@@ -128,7 +135,7 @@ class PresenceChannel extends EmberObject {
   }
 }
 
-class PresenceChannelState extends EmberObject {
+class PresenceChannelState extends EmberObject.extend(Evented) {
   init({ name, presenceService }) {
     super.init(...arguments);
     this.name = name;
@@ -179,6 +186,7 @@ class PresenceChannelState extends EmberObject {
     );
 
     this.set("_subscribedCallback", callback);
+    this.trigger("change");
   }
 
   // Stop subscribing to updates from the server about this channel
@@ -191,6 +199,7 @@ class PresenceChannelState extends EmberObject {
       this.set("_subscribedCallback", null);
       this.set("users", null);
       this.set("count", null);
+      this.trigger("change");
     }
   }
 
@@ -221,6 +230,7 @@ class PresenceChannelState extends EmberObject {
 
     if (this.countOnly && data.count_delta !== undefined) {
       this.set("count", this.count + data.count_delta);
+      this.trigger("change");
     } else if (
       !this.countOnly &&
       (data.entering_users || data.leaving_user_ids)
@@ -235,6 +245,7 @@ class PresenceChannelState extends EmberObject {
         this.users.removeObjects(toRemove);
       }
       this.set("count", this.users.length);
+      this.trigger("change");
     } else {
       // Unexpected message
       await this._resubscribe();
@@ -247,7 +258,7 @@ export default class PresenceService extends Service {
   init() {
     super.init(...arguments);
     this._queuedEvents = [];
-    this._presenceChannelStates = EmberObject.create();
+    this._presenceChannelStates = new Map();
     this._presentProxies = new Map();
     this._subscribedProxies = new Map();
     this._initialDataRequests = new Map();
@@ -429,7 +440,7 @@ export default class PresenceService extends Service {
 
     this._addSubscribed(channelProxy);
     const channelName = channelProxy.name;
-    let state = this._presenceChannelStates[channelName];
+    let state = this._presenceChannelStates.get(channelName);
     if (!state) {
       state = PresenceChannelState.create({
         name: channelName,
@@ -438,14 +449,15 @@ export default class PresenceService extends Service {
       this._presenceChannelStates.set(channelName, state);
       await state.subscribe(initialData);
     }
+    return state;
   }
 
   _unsubscribe(channelProxy) {
     const subscribedCount = this._removeSubscribed(channelProxy);
     if (subscribedCount === 0) {
       const channelName = channelProxy.name;
-      this._presenceChannelStates[channelName].unsubscribe();
-      this._presenceChannelStates.set(channelName, undefined);
+      this._presenceChannelStates.get(channelName).unsubscribe();
+      this._presenceChannelStates.delete(channelName);
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/tests/unit/services/presence-test.js b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/tests/unit/services/presence-test.js
index f8f63a61c50..40e07a66c3d 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/tests/unit/services/presence-test.js
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/tests/unit/services/presence-test.js
@@ -59,12 +59,17 @@ acceptance("Presence - Subscribing", function (needs) {
   test("subscribing and receiving updates", async function (assert) {
     let presenceService = this.container.lookup("service:presence");
     let channel = presenceService.getChannel("/test/ch1");
+    let changes = 0;
+    const countChanges = () => changes++;
+    channel.on("change", countChanges);
+
     assert.strictEqual(channel.name, "/test/ch1");
 
     await channel.subscribe({
       users: usersFixture(),
       last_message_id: 1,
     });
+    assert.strictEqual(changes, 1);
 
     assert.strictEqual(channel.users.length, 3, "it starts with three users");
 
@@ -78,6 +83,7 @@ acceptance("Presence - Subscribing", function (needs) {
     );
 
     assert.strictEqual(channel.users.length, 2, "one user is removed");
+    assert.strictEqual(changes, 2);
 
     publishToMessageBus(
       "/presence/test/ch1",
@@ -89,6 +95,8 @@ acceptance("Presence - Subscribing", function (needs) {
     );
 
     assert.strictEqual(channel.users.length, 3, "one user is added");
+    assert.strictEqual(changes, 3);
+    channel.off("change", countChanges);
   });
 
   test("fetches data when no initial state", async function (assert) {
@@ -216,14 +224,14 @@ acceptance("Presence - Subscribing", function (needs) {
     assert.strictEqual(channel.subscribed, false, "channel can unsubscribe");
     assert.strictEqual(
       channelDup._presenceState,
-      channel._presenceState,
-      "state is maintained"
+      presenceService._presenceChannelStates.get(channel.name),
+      "state is maintained in the subscribed channel"
     );
 
     await channelDup.unsubscribe();
     assert.strictEqual(channel.subscribed, false, "channelDup can unsubscribe");
     assert.strictEqual(
-      channelDup._presenceState,
+      presenceService._presenceChannelStates.get(channel.name),
       undefined,
       "state is cleared"
     );