--- a/mobile/android/base/java/org/mozilla/gecko/favicons/Favicons.java
+++ b/mobile/android/base/java/org/mozilla/gecko/favicons/Favicons.java
@@ -12,16 +12,17 @@ import org.mozilla.gecko.GeckoProfile;
 import org.mozilla.gecko.R;
 import org.mozilla.gecko.Tab;
 import org.mozilla.gecko.Tabs;
 import org.mozilla.gecko.db.BrowserDB;
 import org.mozilla.gecko.db.URLMetadataTable;
 import org.mozilla.gecko.favicons.cache.FaviconCache;
 import org.mozilla.gecko.util.GeckoJarReader;
 import org.mozilla.gecko.util.NonEvictingLruCache;
+import org.mozilla.gecko.util.StringUtils;
 import org.mozilla.gecko.util.ThreadUtils;
 
 import android.content.ContentResolver;
 import android.content.Context;
 import android.content.res.Resources;
 import android.graphics.Bitmap;
 import android.graphics.BitmapFactory;
 import android.graphics.drawable.BitmapDrawable;
@@ -624,23 +625,25 @@ public class Favicons {
      * This implementation sidesteps the cache and will load the icon from the database or the
      * internet. See getPreferredSizeFaviconForPage().
      */
     public static void getPreferredIconForHomeScreenShortcut(Context context, String url, OnFaviconLoadedListener onFaviconLoadedListener) {
         ThreadUtils.assertOnBackgroundThread();
 
         final BrowserDB db = GeckoProfile.get(context).getDB();
 
+        final String metadataQueryURL = StringUtils.stripRef(url);
+
         final ContentResolver cr = context.getContentResolver();
         final Map<String, Map<String, Object>> metadata = db.getURLMetadata().getForURLs(cr,
-                Collections.singletonList(url),
+                Collections.singletonList(metadataQueryURL),
                 Collections.singletonList(URLMetadataTable.TOUCH_ICON_COLUMN)
         );
 
-        final Map<String, Object> row = metadata.get(url);
+        final Map<String, Object> row = metadata.get(metadataQueryURL);
 
         String touchIconURL = null;
 
         if (row != null) {
             touchIconURL = (String) row.get(URLMetadataTable.TOUCH_ICON_COLUMN);
         }
 
         if (touchIconURL != null &&