diff --git a/frontend_tests/node_tests/settings_user_groups.js b/frontend_tests/node_tests/settings_user_groups.js
index 9074a8635d..d4ab929f43 100644
--- a/frontend_tests/node_tests/settings_user_groups.js
+++ b/frontend_tests/node_tests/settings_user_groups.js
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ run_test('populate_user_groups', () => {
             return noop;
         }
         assert.equal(user_id, 4);
-        blueslip.set_test_data('warn', 'Unknown user ID 4 in members of user group Mobile');
+        blueslip.set_test_data('warn', 'Undefined user in function append_user');
         get_person_from_user_id_called = true;
     };
 
diff --git a/static/js/settings_user_groups.js b/static/js/settings_user_groups.js
index 9cdfdb997d..db5953f34c 100644
--- a/static/js/settings_user_groups.js
+++ b/static/js/settings_user_groups.js
@@ -38,32 +38,16 @@ exports.populate_user_groups = function () {
             },
         }));
         var pill_container = $('.pill-container[data-group-pills="' + data.name + '"]');
-        var pills = input_pill.create({
-            container: pill_container,
-            create_item_from_text: user_pill.create_item_from_email,
-            get_text_from_item: user_pill.get_email_from_item,
-        });
+        var pills = user_pill.create_pills(pill_container);
 
         function get_pill_user_ids() {
             return user_pill.get_user_ids(pills);
         }
 
-        function append_user(user) {
-            user_pill.append_person({
-                pill_widget: pills,
-                person: user,
-            });
-        }
-
         var userg = $('div.user-group[id="' + data.id + '"]');
         data.members.keys().forEach(function (user_id) {
             var user = people.get_person_from_user_id(user_id);
-
-            if (user) {
-                append_user(user);
-            } else {
-                blueslip.warn('Unknown user ID ' + user_id + ' in members of user group ' + data.name);
-            }
+            user_pill.append_user(user, pills);
         });
 
         function update_membership(group_id) {
@@ -229,37 +213,9 @@ exports.populate_user_groups = function () {
         });
 
         var input = pill_container.children('.input');
-        (function set_up_typeahead() {
-            if (!exports.can_edit(data.id)) {
-                return;
-            }
-            input.typeahead({
-                items: 5,
-                fixed: true,
-                dropup: true,
-                source: function () {
-                    return user_pill.typeahead_source(pills);
-                },
-                highlighter: function (item) {
-                    return typeahead_helper.render_person(item);
-                },
-                matcher: function (item) {
-                    var query = this.query.toLowerCase();
-                    return (item.email.toLowerCase().indexOf(query) !== -1
-                            || item.full_name.toLowerCase().indexOf(query) !== -1);
-                },
-                sorter: function (matches) {
-                    return typeahead_helper.sort_recipientbox_typeahead(
-                        this.query, matches, "");
-                },
-                updater: function (user) {
-                    append_user(user);
-                    input.focus();
-                    update_cancel_button();
-                },
-                stopAdvance: true,
-            });
-        }());
+        if (exports.can_edit(data.id)) {
+            user_pill.set_up_typeahead_on_pills(input, pills, update_cancel_button);
+        }
 
         (function pill_remove() {
             if (!exports.can_edit(data.id)) {
diff --git a/static/js/user_pill.js b/static/js/user_pill.js
index 8dae80784c..2d84a752ed 100644
--- a/static/js/user_pill.js
+++ b/static/js/user_pill.js
@@ -82,6 +82,55 @@ exports.typeahead_source = function (pill_widget) {
     return items;
 };
 
+exports.append_user = function (user, pills) {
+    if (user) {
+        exports.append_person({
+            pill_widget: pills,
+            person: user,
+        });
+    } else {
+        blueslip.warn('Undefined user in function append_user');
+    }
+};
+
+exports.create_pills = function (pill_container) {
+    var pills = input_pill.create({
+        container: pill_container,
+        create_item_from_text: exports.create_item_from_email,
+        get_text_from_item: exports.get_email_from_item,
+    });
+    return pills;
+};
+
+exports.set_up_typeahead_on_pills = function (input, pills, update_func) {
+    input.typeahead({
+        items: 5,
+        fixed: true,
+        dropup: true,
+        source: function () {
+            return exports.typeahead_source(pills);
+        },
+        highlighter: function (item) {
+            return typeahead_helper.render_person(item);
+        },
+        matcher: function (item) {
+            var query = this.query.toLowerCase();
+            return (item.email.toLowerCase().indexOf(query) !== -1
+                    || item.full_name.toLowerCase().indexOf(query) !== -1);
+        },
+        sorter: function (matches) {
+            return typeahead_helper.sort_recipientbox_typeahead(
+                this.query, matches, "");
+        },
+        updater: function (user) {
+            exports.append_user(user, pills);
+            input.focus();
+            update_func();
+        },
+        stopAdvance: true,
+    });
+};
+
 return exports;
 }());