diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/bitchat/android/ui/MediaSendingManager.kt b/app/src/main/java/com/bitchat/android/ui/MediaSendingManager.kt
index d5db98bb..7760a9c1 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/com/bitchat/android/ui/MediaSendingManager.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/bitchat/android/ui/MediaSendingManager.kt
@@ -628,8 +628,9 @@ class MediaSendingManager(
             senderPeerID = meshService.myPeerID
         )
 
-        // Preparation already built and admitted the exact final packet. Map
-        // progress before commit so the first asynchronous event cannot race us.
+        // Preparation already built the exact final packet. Map the transfer before commit so the
+        // first asynchronous event cannot race us, but keep the local status at Sending until a
+        // real progress event proves transport admission.
         if (!messageManager.addPrivateMessageDurably(conversationID, msg, forceRead = true)) {
             Log.e(TAG, "Prepared private-media message could not be persisted; send aborted")
             addPrivateMediaSystemMessage(
@@ -644,7 +645,7 @@ class MediaSendingManager(
         }
         messageManager.updateMessageDeliveryStatus(
             msg.id,
-            com.bitchat.android.model.DeliveryStatus.PartiallyDelivered(0, 100)
+            com.bitchat.android.model.DeliveryStatus.Sending
         )
 
         if (!preparation.transfer.commit()) {
@@ -708,10 +709,10 @@ class MediaSendingManager(
             messageTransferMap[message.id] = transferId
         }
         
-        // Seed progress so animations start immediately
+        // Seed the pending state without fabricating delivery progress.
         messageManager.updateMessageDeliveryStatus(
             message.id,
-            com.bitchat.android.model.DeliveryStatus.PartiallyDelivered(0, 100)
+            com.bitchat.android.model.DeliveryStatus.Sending
         )
         
         withContext(mediaWorkDispatcher) {
diff --git a/app/src/test/kotlin/com/bitchat/android/ui/MediaSendingManagerMigrationTest.kt b/app/src/test/kotlin/com/bitchat/android/ui/MediaSendingManagerMigrationTest.kt
index 51204f30..3f3a7e6e 100644
--- a/app/src/test/kotlin/com/bitchat/android/ui/MediaSendingManagerMigrationTest.kt
+++ b/app/src/test/kotlin/com/bitchat/android/ui/MediaSendingManagerMigrationTest.kt
@@ -445,6 +445,30 @@ class MediaSendingManagerMigrationTest {
         }
     }
 
+    @Test
+    fun `public transfer failure replaces the local sending seed`() {
+        manager.sendImageNote(null, null, file.absolutePath)
+
+        val fileEcho = state.getMessagesValue()
+            .single { it.type == BitchatMessageType.Image }
+        assertTrue(fileEcho.deliveryStatus is DeliveryStatus.Sending)
+
+        manager.updateTransferProgress("failed-transfer", fileEcho.id)
+        manager.handleTransferProgressEvent(
+            com.bitchat.android.mesh.TransferProgressEvent(
+                transferId = "failed-transfer",
+                sent = 0,
+                total = 100,
+                completed = true,
+                failed = true
+            )
+        )
+
+        val failedEcho = state.getMessagesValue()
+            .single { it.id == fileEcho.id }
+        assertTrue(failedEcho.deliveryStatus is DeliveryStatus.Failed)
+    }
+
     @Test
     fun `cancelled consent cannot later send or echo`() {
         whenever(mesh.prepareFilePrivate(eq(peerID), any(), any(), eq(false)))
diff --git a/wear/build.gradle.kts b/wear/build.gradle.kts
index 819fc5cd..fba5159d 100644
--- a/wear/build.gradle.kts
+++ b/wear/build.gradle.kts
@@ -98,6 +98,9 @@ val sharedSourceIncludes = listOf(
 )
 val sharedSourceExcludes = listOf(
     "com/bitchat/android/model/FileSharingManager.kt",
+    // The phone gate reads phone-only BuildConfig fields. Wear shares mesh consumers of the
+    // gate, but does not ship NDR, so it provides a same-FQN fail-closed implementation.
+    "com/bitchat/android/model/NdrFeatureGate.kt",
     // Legacy phone monolith and Wi-Fi Aware multiplexer; the watch composes its own service
     // (MeshCore-style) in M2 instead of reusing these.
     "com/bitchat/android/mesh/BluetoothMeshService.kt",
diff --git a/wear/src/main/java/com/bitchat/android/model/NdrFeatureGate.kt b/wear/src/main/java/com/bitchat/android/model/NdrFeatureGate.kt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b71e9ecf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/wear/src/main/java/com/bitchat/android/model/NdrFeatureGate.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+package com.bitchat.android.model
+
+import com.bitchat.watch.BuildConfig
+
+/**
+ * Wear OS does not currently ship the Nostr double-ratchet runtime.
+ *
+ * Keep shared mesh consumers fail-closed while retaining the debug-only override used by the
+ * shared JVM tests. Production Wear builds can never advertise or accept NDR through this gate.
+ */
+object NdrFeatureGate {
+    @Volatile
+    private var debugTestOverride = false
+
+    fun isEnabled(): Boolean = BuildConfig.DEBUG && debugTestOverride
+
+    internal fun setEnabledForTests(enabled: Boolean) {
+        check(BuildConfig.DEBUG) { "The NDR test override is unavailable in release builds" }
+        debugTestOverride = enabled
+    }
+}
diff --git a/wear/src/test/java/com/bitchat/android/model/NdrFeatureGateTest.kt b/wear/src/test/java/com/bitchat/android/model/NdrFeatureGateTest.kt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3c7e3fac
--- /dev/null
+++ b/wear/src/test/java/com/bitchat/android/model/NdrFeatureGateTest.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+package com.bitchat.android.model
+
+import org.junit.After
+import org.junit.Assert.assertFalse
+import org.junit.Test
+
+class NdrFeatureGateTest {
+    @After
+    fun resetGate() {
+        NdrFeatureGate.setEnabledForTests(false)
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `wear does not advertise NDR by default`() {
+        NdrFeatureGate.setEnabledForTests(false)
+
+        assertFalse(NdrFeatureGate.isEnabled())
+        assertFalse(PeerCapabilities.LOCAL_SUPPORTED.contains(PeerCapabilities.NOSTR_DOUBLE_RATCHET))
+    }
+}