diff --git a/DuckDuckGo/NewTabPageIntroMessageSetup.swift b/DuckDuckGo/NewTabPageIntroMessageSetup.swift
index 87e60c96a6..f954e41182 100644
--- a/DuckDuckGo/NewTabPageIntroMessageSetup.swift
+++ b/DuckDuckGo/NewTabPageIntroMessageSetup.swift
@@ -23,14 +23,21 @@ import Core
 struct NewTabPageIntroMessageSetup {
     let appSettings: AppSettings
     let statistics: StatisticsStore
+    let newTabPageManager: NewTabPageManaging
 
-    init(appSettings: AppSettings = AppDependencyProvider.shared.appSettings, statistics: StatisticsStore = StatisticsUserDefaults()) {
+    init(appSettings: AppSettings = AppDependencyProvider.shared.appSettings,
+         statistics: StatisticsStore = StatisticsUserDefaults(),
+         newTabPageManager: NewTabPageManaging = NewTabPageManager()) {
         self.appSettings = appSettings
         self.statistics = statistics
+        self.newTabPageManager = newTabPageManager
     }
 
-    func perform() {
-        guard appSettings.newTabPageIntroMessageEnabled == nil else { return }
+    func perform(ignoringPublicAvailabilityCheck ignorePublicCheck: Bool = false) {
+        let isPublicOrBypassed = ignorePublicCheck || newTabPageManager.isAvailableInPublicRelease
+        let isNotSetUp = appSettings.newTabPageIntroMessageEnabled == nil
+
+        guard isPublicOrBypassed && isNotSetUp else { return }
 
         // For new users we **don't** want intro message
         appSettings.newTabPageIntroMessageEnabled = statistics.installDate != nil
diff --git a/DuckDuckGo/NewTabPageManager.swift b/DuckDuckGo/NewTabPageManager.swift
index 0b1ff35c8e..1d4d39b723 100644
--- a/DuckDuckGo/NewTabPageManager.swift
+++ b/DuckDuckGo/NewTabPageManager.swift
@@ -19,9 +19,11 @@
 
 import Foundation
 import BrowserServicesKit
+import Core
 
 protocol NewTabPageManaging: AnyObject {
     var isNewTabPageSectionsEnabled: Bool { get }
+    var isAvailableInPublicRelease: Bool { get }
 }
 
 protocol NewTabPageDebugging: NewTabPageManaging {
@@ -47,6 +49,15 @@ final class NewTabPageManager: NewTabPageManaging, NewTabPageDebugging {
         isLocalFlagEnabled && isFeatureFlagEnabled
     }
 
+    var isAvailableInPublicRelease: Bool {
+        switch FeatureFlag.newTabPageSections.source {
+        case .disabled, .internalOnly, .remoteDevelopment:
+            return false
+        case .remoteReleasable:
+            return true
+        }
+    }
+
     // MARK: - NewTabPageDebugging
 
     var isLocalFlagEnabled: Bool {
@@ -55,6 +66,9 @@ final class NewTabPageManager: NewTabPageManaging, NewTabPageDebugging {
         }
         set {
             appDefaults.newTabPageSectionsEnabled = newValue
+            if newValue {
+                NewTabPageIntroMessageSetup().perform(ignoringPublicAvailabilityCheck: true)
+            }
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/DuckDuckGo/NewTabPageSectionsDebugView.swift b/DuckDuckGo/NewTabPageSectionsDebugView.swift
index 1e568c2934..62c0142e4e 100644
--- a/DuckDuckGo/NewTabPageSectionsDebugView.swift
+++ b/DuckDuckGo/NewTabPageSectionsDebugView.swift
@@ -26,13 +26,15 @@ struct NewTabPageSectionsDebugView: View {
     
     @State private var isFeatureEnabled: Bool
     @State private var introMessageCount: Int
-    
+    @State private var isIntroMessageInitialized: Bool
+
     private var localFlagEnabled: Binding<Bool> {
         Binding {
             newTabPageDebugging.isLocalFlagEnabled
         } set: {
             newTabPageDebugging.isLocalFlagEnabled = $0
             isFeatureEnabled = newTabPageDebugging.isNewTabPageSectionsEnabled
+            isIntroMessageInitialized = appSettings.newTabPageIntroMessageEnabled != nil
         }
     }
     
@@ -41,6 +43,7 @@ struct NewTabPageSectionsDebugView: View {
             appSettings.newTabPageIntroMessageEnabled ?? false
         } set: {
             appSettings.newTabPageIntroMessageEnabled = $0
+            isIntroMessageInitialized = appSettings.newTabPageIntroMessageEnabled != nil
         }
     }
     
@@ -60,13 +63,25 @@ struct NewTabPageSectionsDebugView: View {
         
         appSettings = AppDependencyProvider.shared.appSettings
         introMessageCount = appSettings.newTabPageIntroMessageSeenCount
+        isIntroMessageInitialized = appSettings.newTabPageIntroMessageEnabled != nil
     }
     
     var body: some View {
         List {
+            Section {
+                Toggle(isOn: localFlagEnabled,
+                       label: {
+                    Text(verbatim: "Local setting enabled")
+                })
+            } header: {
+                Text(verbatim: "Feature settings")
+            } footer: {
+                Text(verbatim: "Requires internal user flag set to have an effect.\n\nEnabling the local flag will cause existing-user behavior for feature Intro Message.")
+            }
+
             Section {
                 HStack {
-                    Text("New tab page sections enabled")
+                    Text(verbatim: "New tab page sections enabled")
                     Spacer()
                     if isFeatureEnabled {
                         Image(systemName: "checkmark")
@@ -76,11 +91,11 @@ struct NewTabPageSectionsDebugView: View {
                             .foregroundColor(Color.red40)
                     }
                 }
-            }
-            
-            Section {
+
                 HStack {
-                    Text("Feature flag enabled")
+                    VStack {
+                        Text(verbatim: "Feature flag enabled")
+                    }
                     Spacer()
                     if newTabPageDebugging.isFeatureFlagEnabled {
                         Image(systemName: "checkmark")
@@ -92,33 +107,38 @@ struct NewTabPageSectionsDebugView: View {
                             .foregroundColor(Color.red40)
                     }
                 }
-            } footer: {
-                Text("Requires internal user")
             }
-            
-            Section {
-                Toggle(isOn: localFlagEnabled,
-                       label: {
-                    Text("Local setting enabled")
-                })
-            }
-            
+
             Section {
+                HStack {
+                    Text(verbatim: "Intro message initialized")
+                    Spacer()
+                    Text(verbatim: isIntroMessageInitialized.description.localizedCapitalized)
+                        .frame(alignment: .trailing)
+                        .foregroundStyle(.secondary)
+                }
+                
                 Toggle(isOn: introMessageEnabled) {
-                    Text("Intro message")
+                    Text(verbatim: "Intro message")
                 }
+                
                 HStack {
-                    Text("Message seen count")
-                        .frame(maxWidth: .infinity, alignment: .leading)
-                    Text("\(introMessageCount)")
+                    Text(verbatim: "Message seen count")
+                    Spacer()
+                    Text(verbatim: "\(introMessageCount)")
                         .frame(alignment: .trailing)
                         .foregroundStyle(.secondary)
                 }
                 Button("Reset message seen count", action: {
                     introMessageCountBinding.wrappedValue = 0
                 })
+
+                Button("Reset intro message setting", action: {
+                    appSettings.newTabPageIntroMessageEnabled = nil
+                    isIntroMessageInitialized = false
+                })
             } header: {
-                Text("Other Settings")
+                Text(verbatim: "Intro message")
             }
         }
         .applyInsetGroupedListStyle()
diff --git a/DuckDuckGoTests/NewTabPageIntroMessageSetupTests.swift b/DuckDuckGoTests/NewTabPageIntroMessageSetupTests.swift
index 8a235c2793..a47829b6ea 100644
--- a/DuckDuckGoTests/NewTabPageIntroMessageSetupTests.swift
+++ b/DuckDuckGoTests/NewTabPageIntroMessageSetupTests.swift
@@ -22,11 +22,12 @@ import XCTest
 
 final class NewTabPageIntroMessageSetupTests: XCTestCase {
 
-    let appSettings = AppSettingsMock()
-    let statistics = MockStatisticsStore()
+    private let appSettings = AppSettingsMock()
+    private let statistics = MockStatisticsStore()
+    private let ntpManagerMock = NewTabPageManagerMock()
 
     func testEnablesFeatureForExistingUser() {
-        let sut = NewTabPageIntroMessageSetup(appSettings: appSettings, statistics: statistics)
+        let sut = createSUT()
         statistics.installDate = Date()
 
         sut.perform()
@@ -35,7 +36,7 @@ final class NewTabPageIntroMessageSetupTests: XCTestCase {
     }
 
     func testDisablesFeatureForNewUser() {
-        let sut = NewTabPageIntroMessageSetup(appSettings: appSettings, statistics: statistics)
+        let sut = createSUT()
         statistics.installDate = nil
 
         sut.perform()
@@ -44,7 +45,7 @@ final class NewTabPageIntroMessageSetupTests: XCTestCase {
     }
 
     func testDoesNothingIfSetAlready() {
-        let sut = NewTabPageIntroMessageSetup(appSettings: appSettings, statistics: statistics)
+        let sut = createSUT()
         statistics.installDate = nil
         appSettings.newTabPageIntroMessageEnabled = true
 
@@ -52,4 +53,35 @@ final class NewTabPageIntroMessageSetupTests: XCTestCase {
 
         XCTAssertEqual(appSettings.newTabPageIntroMessageEnabled, true)
     }
+
+    func testDoesNothingIfNotPubliclyReleased() {
+        let sut = createSUT()
+        statistics.installDate = nil
+        ntpManagerMock.isAvailableInPublicRelease = false
+        appSettings.newTabPageIntroMessageEnabled = nil
+
+        sut.perform()
+
+        XCTAssertNil(appSettings.newTabPageIntroMessageEnabled)
+    }
+
+    func testPerformsSetupWhenPublicReleaseBypassed() {
+        let sut = createSUT()
+        statistics.installDate = nil
+        ntpManagerMock.isAvailableInPublicRelease = false
+        appSettings.newTabPageIntroMessageEnabled = nil
+
+        sut.perform(ignoringPublicAvailabilityCheck: true)
+
+        XCTAssertNotNil(appSettings.newTabPageIntroMessageEnabled)
+    }
+
+    private func createSUT() -> NewTabPageIntroMessageSetup {
+        NewTabPageIntroMessageSetup(appSettings: appSettings, statistics: statistics, newTabPageManager: ntpManagerMock)
+    }
+}
+
+private final class NewTabPageManagerMock: NewTabPageManaging {
+    var isNewTabPageSectionsEnabled: Bool = true
+    var isAvailableInPublicRelease: Bool = true
 }