diff --git a/packages/react/package.json b/packages/react/package.json
index f4c51b441..287480777 100644
--- a/packages/react/package.json
+++ b/packages/react/package.json
@@ -63,14 +63,12 @@
   },
   "dependencies": {
     "@babel/runtime": "^7.20.13",
-    "@lingui/core": "4.4.1",
-    "use-sync-external-store": "^1.2.0"
+    "@lingui/core": "4.4.1"
   },
   "devDependencies": {
     "@lingui/jest-mocks": "*",
     "@testing-library/react": "^14.0.0",
     "@types/react": "^18.2.13",
-    "@types/use-sync-external-store": "^0.0.3",
     "eslint-plugin-react": "^7.32.2",
     "eslint-plugin-react-hooks": "^4.6.0",
     "react": "^18.2.0",
diff --git a/packages/react/src/I18nProvider.test.tsx b/packages/react/src/I18nProvider.test.tsx
index 2e4022177..3f7e73f91 100644
--- a/packages/react/src/I18nProvider.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/react/src/I18nProvider.test.tsx
@@ -132,6 +132,53 @@ describe("I18nProvider", () => {
     expect(container.textContent).toEqual("1_cs2_cs")
   })
 
+  it(
+    "given 'en' locale, if activate('cs') call happens before i18n.on-change subscription in useEffect(), " +
+      "I18nProvider detects that it's stale and re-renders with the 'cs' locale value",
+    () => {
+      const i18n = setupI18n({
+        locale: "en",
+        messages: { en: {} },
+      })
+      let renderCount = 0
+
+      const CurrentLocaleContextConsumer = () => {
+        const { i18n } = useLingui()
+        renderCount++
+        return <span data-testid="child">{i18n.locale}</span>
+      }
+
+      /**
+       * Note that we're doing exactly what the description says:
+       * but to simulate the equivalent situation, we pass our own mock subscriber
+       * to i18n.on("change", ...) and in it we call i18n.activate("cs") ourselves
+       * so that the condition in useEffect() is met and the component re-renders
+       * */
+      const mockSubscriber = jest.fn(() => {
+        i18n.load("cs", {})
+        i18n.activate("cs")
+        return () => {
+          // unsubscriber - noop to make TS happy
+        }
+      })
+      jest.spyOn(i18n, "on").mockImplementation(mockSubscriber)
+
+      const { getByTestId } = render(
+        <I18nProvider i18n={i18n}>
+          <CurrentLocaleContextConsumer />
+        </I18nProvider>
+      )
+
+      expect(mockSubscriber).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+        "change",
+        expect.any(Function)
+      )
+
+      expect(getByTestId("child").textContent).toBe("cs")
+      expect(renderCount).toBe(2)
+    }
+  )
+
   it("should render children", () => {
     const i18n = setupI18n({
       locale: "en",
@@ -179,36 +226,4 @@ describe("I18nProvider", () => {
 
     expect(getByText("Ahoj světe")).toBeTruthy()
   })
-
-  it("when re-rendered with new i18n instance, it will forward it to children", () => {
-    const i18nCs = setupI18n({
-      locale: "cs",
-      messages: { cs: {} },
-    })
-
-    const i18nEn = setupI18n({
-      locale: "en",
-      messages: { en: {} },
-    })
-
-    const CurrentLocaleContextConsumer = () => {
-      const { i18n } = useLingui()
-      return <span data-testid="dynamic">{i18n.locale}</span>
-    }
-
-    const { container, rerender } = render(
-      <I18nProvider i18n={i18nCs}>
-        <CurrentLocaleContextConsumer />
-      </I18nProvider>
-    )
-
-    expect(container.textContent).toEqual("cs")
-
-    rerender(
-      <I18nProvider i18n={i18nEn}>
-        <CurrentLocaleContextConsumer />
-      </I18nProvider>
-    )
-    expect(container.textContent).toEqual("en")
-  })
 })
diff --git a/packages/react/src/I18nProvider.tsx b/packages/react/src/I18nProvider.tsx
index bce3debbb..e3021cf88 100644
--- a/packages/react/src/I18nProvider.tsx
+++ b/packages/react/src/I18nProvider.tsx
@@ -1,11 +1,4 @@
-import React, {
-  ComponentType,
-  FunctionComponent,
-  useCallback,
-  useRef,
-} from "react"
-import { useSyncExternalStore } from "use-sync-external-store/shim"
-
+import React, { ComponentType, FunctionComponent } from "react"
 import type { I18n } from "@lingui/core"
 import type { TransRenderProps } from "./TransNoContext"
 
@@ -38,6 +31,7 @@ export const I18nProvider: FunctionComponent<I18nProviderProps> = ({
   defaultComponent,
   children,
 }) => {
+  const latestKnownLocale = React.useRef<string | undefined>(i18n.locale)
   /**
    * We can't pass `i18n` object directly through context, because even when locale
    * or messages are changed, i18n object is still the same. Context provider compares
@@ -49,7 +43,7 @@ export const I18nProvider: FunctionComponent<I18nProviderProps> = ({
    *
    * We can't use useMemo hook either, because we want to recalculate value manually.
    */
-  const makeContext = useCallback(
+  const makeContext = React.useCallback(
     () => ({
       i18n,
       defaultComponent,
@@ -57,43 +51,34 @@ export const I18nProvider: FunctionComponent<I18nProviderProps> = ({
     }),
     [i18n, defaultComponent]
   )
-  const context = useRef<I18nContext>(makeContext())
-
-  const subscribe = useCallback(
-    (onStoreChange: () => void) => {
-      const renderWithFreshContext = () => {
-        context.current = makeContext()
-        onStoreChange()
-      }
-      const propsChanged =
-        context.current.i18n !== i18n ||
-        context.current.defaultComponent !== defaultComponent
-      if (propsChanged) {
-        renderWithFreshContext()
-      }
-      return i18n.on("change", renderWithFreshContext)
-    },
-    [makeContext, i18n, defaultComponent]
-  )
 
-  const getSnapshot = useCallback(() => {
-    return context.current
-  }, [])
+  const [context, setContext] = React.useState<I18nContext>(makeContext())
 
   /**
    * Subscribe for locale/message changes
    *
-   * the I18n object passed via props is the single source of truth for all i18n related
+   * I18n object from `@lingui/core` is the single source of truth for all i18n related
    * data (active locale, catalogs). When new messages are loaded or locale is changed
-   * we need to trigger re-rendering of LinguiContext consumers.
+   * we need to trigger re-rendering of LinguiContext.Consumers.
    */
-  const contextObject = useSyncExternalStore(
-    subscribe,
-    getSnapshot,
-    getSnapshot
-  )
+  React.useEffect(() => {
+    const updateContext = () => {
+      latestKnownLocale.current = i18n.locale
+      setContext(makeContext())
+    }
+    const unsubscribe = i18n.on("change", updateContext)
+
+    /**
+     * unlikely, but if the locale changes before the onChange listener
+     * was added, we need to trigger a rerender
+     * */
+    if (latestKnownLocale.current !== i18n.locale) {
+      updateContext()
+    }
+    return unsubscribe
+  }, [i18n, makeContext])
 
-  if (!contextObject.i18n.locale) {
+  if (!latestKnownLocale.current) {
     process.env.NODE_ENV === "development" &&
       console.log(
         "I18nProvider rendered `null`. A call to `i18n.activate` needs to happen in order for translations to be activated and for the I18nProvider to render." +
@@ -103,8 +88,6 @@ export const I18nProvider: FunctionComponent<I18nProviderProps> = ({
   }
 
   return (
-    <LinguiContext.Provider value={contextObject}>
-      {children}
-    </LinguiContext.Provider>
+    <LinguiContext.Provider value={context}>{children}</LinguiContext.Provider>
   )
 }
diff --git a/yarn.lock b/yarn.lock
index 5c377b4a1..9d0518ced 100644
--- a/yarn.lock
+++ b/yarn.lock
@@ -3123,13 +3123,11 @@ __metadata:
     "@lingui/jest-mocks": "*"
     "@testing-library/react": ^14.0.0
     "@types/react": ^18.2.13
-    "@types/use-sync-external-store": ^0.0.3
     eslint-plugin-react: ^7.32.2
     eslint-plugin-react-hooks: ^4.6.0
     react: ^18.2.0
     react-dom: ^18.2.0
     unbuild: ^1.1.2
-    use-sync-external-store: ^1.2.0
   peerDependencies:
     react: ^16.8.0 || ^17.0.0 || ^18.0.0
   languageName: unknown
@@ -4397,13 +4395,6 @@ __metadata:
   languageName: node
   linkType: hard
 
-"@types/use-sync-external-store@npm:^0.0.3":
-  version: 0.0.3
-  resolution: "@types/use-sync-external-store@npm:0.0.3"
-  checksum: 161ddb8eec5dbe7279ac971531217e9af6b99f7783213566d2b502e2e2378ea19cf5e5ea4595039d730aa79d3d35c6567d48599f69773a02ffcff1776ec2a44e
-  languageName: node
-  linkType: hard
-
 "@types/yargs-parser@npm:*":
   version: 21.0.0
   resolution: "@types/yargs-parser@npm:21.0.0"
@@ -14833,15 +14824,6 @@ __metadata:
   languageName: node
   linkType: hard
 
-"use-sync-external-store@npm:^1.2.0":
-  version: 1.2.0
-  resolution: "use-sync-external-store@npm:1.2.0"
-  peerDependencies:
-    react: ^16.8.0 || ^17.0.0 || ^18.0.0
-  checksum: 5c639e0f8da3521d605f59ce5be9e094ca772bd44a4ce7322b055a6f58eeed8dda3c94cabd90c7a41fb6fa852210092008afe48f7038792fd47501f33299116a
-  languageName: node
-  linkType: hard
-
 "util-deprecate@npm:^1.0.1, util-deprecate@npm:~1.0.1":
   version: 1.0.2
   resolution: "util-deprecate@npm:1.0.2"