Create New personal chat is a bit odd

[Moin]

I have the impression you misinterpret the online indicator as a message indicator. The online indicator appears as soon as you open the chat

@khenmu

If you have new messages in Personal Chats, the icon will have a green dot.

Online users will have a green border around their avatar, unless this is suppressed due to them having toggled Hide my public profile and presence features in their interface preferences.