diff --git a/examples/echo_client.py b/examples/echo_client.py
index d775bf0..a4ae84e 100644
--- a/examples/echo_client.py
+++ b/examples/echo_client.py
@@ -90,6 +90,8 @@ class EchoBot(ClientXMPP):
             await self.cmd_verbose(mto, mtype)
         elif cmd == 'error':
             await self.cmd_error(mto, mtype)
+        elif cmd == 'chain_length':
+            await self.cmd_chain_length(mto, mtype)
 
         return None
 
@@ -112,6 +114,13 @@ class EchoBot(ClientXMPP):
         body = '''Debug level set to 'error'.'''
         return await self.encrypted_reply(mto, mtype, body)
 
+    async def cmd_chain_length(self, mto: JID, mtype: str) -> None:
+        body = (
+            'lengths: %r\n' % self['xep_0384']._chain_lengths(mto) +
+            'should heartbeat: %r' % self['xep_0384'].should_heartbeat(mto)
+        )
+        return await self.encrypted_reply(mto, mtype, body)
+
     def message_handler(self, msg: Message) -> None:
         asyncio.ensure_future(self.message(msg))
 
diff --git a/slixmpp_omemo/__init__.py b/slixmpp_omemo/__init__.py
index 6d33e3c..47c30c5 100644
--- a/slixmpp_omemo/__init__.py
+++ b/slixmpp_omemo/__init__.py
@@ -13,6 +13,10 @@ import logging
 
 from typing import Any, Dict, List, Optional, Set, Tuple, Union
 
+# Not available in Python 3.7, and slixmpp already imports the right things
+# for me
+from slixmpp.types import TypedDict
+
 import os
 import json
 import base64
@@ -57,6 +61,11 @@ PUBLISH_OPTIONS_NODE = 'http://jabber.org/protocol/pubsub#publish-options'
 PUBSUB_ERRORS = 'http://jabber.org/protocol/pubsub#errors'
 
 
+class ChainLengths(TypedDict):
+    receiving: List[Tuple[int, int]]
+    sending: List[Tuple[int, int]]
+
+
 def b64enc(data: bytes) -> str:
     return base64.b64encode(bytes(bytearray(data))).decode('ASCII')
 
@@ -188,6 +197,8 @@ class XEP_0384(BasePlugin):
         'storage_backend': None,
         'otpk_policy': DefaultOTPKPolicy,
         'omemo_backend': SignalBackend,
+        'heartbeat_after': 53,
+        # TODO: 'drop_inactive_after': 300,
     }
 
     backend_loaded = HAS_OMEMO and HAS_OMEMO_BACKEND
@@ -481,6 +492,50 @@ class XEP_0384(BasePlugin):
         """Return active device ids. Always contains our own device id."""
         return self._omemo.getDevices(jid.bare).get('active', [])
 
+    def _chain_lengths(self, jid: JID) -> ChainLengths:
+        """
+            Gather receiving and sending chain lengths for all devices (active
+            / inactive) of a JID.
+
+            Receiving chain length is used to know when to send a heartbeat to
+            signal recipients our device is still active and listening. See:
+            https://xmpp.org/extensions/xep-0384.html#rules
+
+            Sending chain length is used on the other side when a device
+            hasn't been sending us messages and seems inactive.
+
+            # XXX: Only the receiving part is used in this library for the
+            # moment.
+        """
+        # XXX: This method uses APIs that haven't been made public yet in the
+        # OMEMO library as of 0.12 (9fd7123).
+
+        bare = jid.bare
+        devices = self._omemo.getDevices(bare)
+        active = devices.get('active', set())
+        inactive = devices.get('inactive', set())
+        devices = active.union(inactive)
+
+        lengths: ChainLengths = {'sending': [], 'receiving': []}
+        for did in devices:
+            session = self._omemo._SessionManager__loadSession(bare, did)
+            skr = session._DoubleRatchet__skr
+            lengths['sending'].append((did, skr.sending_chain_length))
+            lengths['receiving'].append((did, skr.receiving_chain_length))
+
+        return lengths
+
+    def should_heartbeat(self, jid: JID) -> bool:
+        """
+            Returns whether we should send a heartbeat message for JID.
+            See notes about heartbeat in
+            https://xmpp.org/extensions/xep-0384.html#rules.
+        """
+
+        receiving_chain_lengths = self._chain_lengths(jid).get('receiving', [])
+        lengths = map(lambda d_l: d_l[1], receiving_chain_lengths)
+        return max(lengths, default=0) > self.heartbeat_after
+
     def trust(self, jid: JID, device_id: int, ik: bytes) -> None:
         self._omemo.setTrust(jid.bare, device_id, ik, True)