diff --git a/lnbits/core/services/notifications.py b/lnbits/core/services/notifications.py
index 9eadc646..02c4a5e1 100644
--- a/lnbits/core/services/notifications.py
+++ b/lnbits/core/services/notifications.py
@@ -277,7 +277,7 @@ async def send_payment_notification(wallet: Wallet, payment: Payment):
 
 async def send_ws_payment_notification(wallet: Wallet, payment: Payment):
     # TODO: websocket message should be a clean payment model
-    # await websocket_manager.send_data(payment.json(), wallet.inkey)
+    # await websocket_manager.send(wallet.inkey, payment.json())
     # TODO: figure out why we send the balance with the payment here.
     # cleaner would be to have a separate message for the balance
     # and send it with the id of the wallet so wallets can subscribe to it
@@ -288,12 +288,11 @@ async def send_ws_payment_notification(wallet: Wallet, payment: Payment):
             "payment": json.loads(payment.json()),
         },
     )
-    await websocket_manager.send_data(payment_notification, wallet.inkey)
-    await websocket_manager.send_data(payment_notification, wallet.adminkey)
-
-    await websocket_manager.send_data(
-        json.dumps({"pending": payment.pending, "status": payment.status}),
+    await websocket_manager.send(wallet.inkey, payment_notification)
+    await websocket_manager.send(wallet.adminkey, payment_notification)
+    await websocket_manager.send(
         payment.payment_hash,
+        json.dumps({"pending": payment.pending, "status": payment.status}),
     )
 
 
diff --git a/lnbits/core/services/websockets.py b/lnbits/core/services/websockets.py
index 509e060a..f4a74002 100644
--- a/lnbits/core/services/websockets.py
+++ b/lnbits/core/services/websockets.py
@@ -1,27 +1,65 @@
-from fastapi import WebSocket
+from asyncio import Queue
+from dataclasses import dataclass
+
+from fastapi import WebSocket, WebSocketDisconnect
 from loguru import logger
 
+from lnbits.settings import settings
+
+
+@dataclass
+class WebsocketConnection:
+    item_id: str
+    websocket: WebSocket
+    receive_queue: Queue[str]
+
 
 class WebsocketConnectionManager:
     def __init__(self) -> None:
-        self.active_connections: list[WebSocket] = []
+        self.active_connections: list[WebsocketConnection] = []
 
-    async def connect(self, websocket: WebSocket, item_id: str):
+    async def connect(self, item_id: str, websocket: WebSocket) -> WebsocketConnection:
         logger.debug(f"Websocket connected to {item_id}")
         await websocket.accept()
-        self.active_connections.append(websocket)
+        conn = WebsocketConnection(
+            item_id=item_id,
+            websocket=websocket,
+            receive_queue=Queue(),
+        )
+        self.active_connections.append(conn)
+        return conn
 
-    def disconnect(self, websocket: WebSocket):
-        self.active_connections.remove(websocket)
+    async def listen(self, conn: WebsocketConnection) -> None:
+        while settings.lnbits_running:
+            try:
+                data = await conn.websocket.receive_text()
+                logger.debug(f"WS received data from {conn.item_id}: {data}")
+                conn.receive_queue.put_nowait(data)
+            except WebSocketDisconnect:
+                for _conn in self.active_connections:
+                    if _conn.websocket == conn.websocket:
+                        self.active_connections.remove(_conn)
+                        logger.debug(f"WS disconnected from {conn.item_id}")
+                break  # out of the listen and the fastapi route
 
-    async def send_data(self, message: str, item_id: str):
-        for connection in self.active_connections:
-            if connection.path_params["item_id"] == item_id:
-                await connection.send_text(message)
+    def get_connections(self, item_id: str) -> list[WebsocketConnection]:
+        conns = []
+        for conn in self.active_connections:
+            if conn.item_id == item_id:
+                conns.append(conn)
+        return conns
+
+    def has_connection(self, item_id: str) -> bool:
+        return len(self.get_connections(item_id)) > 0
+
+    async def send(self, item_id: str, data: str) -> None:
+        for conn in self.get_connections(item_id):
+            await conn.websocket.send_text(data)
 
 
 websocket_manager = WebsocketConnectionManager()
 
 
-async def websocket_updater(item_id: str, data: str):
-    return await websocket_manager.send_data(data, item_id)
+# deprecated import and use `websocket_manager.send()` instead
+async def websocket_updater(item_id: str, data: str) -> None:
+    return await websocket_manager.send(item_id, data)
diff --git a/lnbits/core/views/websocket_api.py b/lnbits/core/views/websocket_api.py
index e0ea5392..956e2cbd 100644
--- a/lnbits/core/views/websocket_api.py
+++ b/lnbits/core/views/websocket_api.py
@@ -1,33 +1,20 @@
-from fastapi import (
-    APIRouter,
-    WebSocket,
-    WebSocketDisconnect,
-)
+from fastapi import APIRouter, WebSocket
 
-from lnbits.settings import settings
-
-from ..services import (
-    websocket_manager,
-    websocket_updater,
-)
+from ..services import websocket_manager
 
 websocket_router = APIRouter(prefix="/api/v1/ws", tags=["Websocket"])
 
 
 @websocket_router.websocket("/{item_id}")
-async def websocket_connect(websocket: WebSocket, item_id: str):
-    await websocket_manager.connect(websocket, item_id)
-    try:
-        while settings.lnbits_running:
-            await websocket.receive_text()
-    except WebSocketDisconnect:
-        websocket_manager.disconnect(websocket)
+async def websocket_connect(websocket: WebSocket, item_id: str) -> None:
+    conn = await websocket_manager.connect(item_id, websocket)
+    await websocket_manager.listen(conn)
 
 
 @websocket_router.post("/{item_id}")
 async def websocket_update_post(item_id: str, data: str):
     try:
-        await websocket_updater(item_id, data)
+        await websocket_manager.send(item_id, data)
         return {"sent": True, "data": data}
     except Exception:
         return {"sent": False, "data": data}
@@ -36,7 +23,7 @@ async def websocket_update_post(item_id: str, data: str):
 @websocket_router.get("/{item_id}/{data}")
 async def websocket_update_get(item_id: str, data: str):
     try:
-        await websocket_updater(item_id, data)
+        await websocket_manager.send(item_id, data)
         return {"sent": True, "data": data}
     except Exception:
         return {"sent": False, "data": data}