diff --git a/app/scripts/background.js b/app/scripts/background.js
index 732f47590..d9a2b0a6e 100644
--- a/app/scripts/background.js
+++ b/app/scripts/background.js
@@ -50,8 +50,12 @@ async function loadStateFromPersistence () {
   // read from disk
   let versionedData = diskStore.getState() || migrator.generateInitialState(firstTimeState)
   // fetch from extension store and merge in data
-  const extensionData = await extensionStore.fetch() // TODO: handle possible exceptions (https://developer.chrome.com/apps/runtime#property-lastError)
-  versionedData = { ...versionedData, ...extensionData }
+
+  if (extensionStore.isSupported && extensionStore.isEnabled) {
+    const extensionData = await extensionStore.fetch() // TODO: handle possible exceptions (https://developer.chrome.com/apps/runtime#property-lastError)
+    versionedData = { ...versionedData, ...extensionData }
+  }
+
   // migrate data
   versionedData = await migrator.migrateData(versionedData)
   // write to disk
@@ -92,7 +96,9 @@ function setupController (initState) {
   }
 
   function syncDataWithExtension(state) {
-    extensionStore.sync(state) // TODO: handle possible exceptions (https://developer.chrome.com/apps/runtime#property-lastError)
+    if (extensionStore.isSupported && extensionStore.isEnabled) {
+      extensionStore.sync(state) // TODO: handle possible exceptions (https://developer.chrome.com/apps/runtime#property-lastError)
+    }
     return state
   }
 
diff --git a/app/scripts/lib/extension-store.js b/app/scripts/lib/extension-store.js
index dd0f82f36..67ee71f16 100644
--- a/app/scripts/lib/extension-store.js
+++ b/app/scripts/lib/extension-store.js
@@ -14,6 +14,10 @@ const handleDisabledSyncAndResolve = (resolve, toResolve) => {
 }
 
 module.exports = class ExtensionStore {
+  constructor() {
+    this.isSupported = !!(extension.storage.sync)
+    this.isEnabled = true // TODO: get value from user settings
+  }
   async fetch() {
     return new Promise((resolve) => {
       extension.storage.sync.get(KEYS_TO_SYNC, (data) => {