diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/bitchat/android/mesh/FragmentManager.kt b/app/src/main/java/com/bitchat/android/mesh/FragmentManager.kt
index 3a10f998..ada67f92 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/com/bitchat/android/mesh/FragmentManager.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/bitchat/android/mesh/FragmentManager.kt
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@ package com.bitchat.android.mesh
 import android.util.Log
 import com.bitchat.android.protocol.BitchatPacket
 import com.bitchat.android.protocol.MessageType
-import com.bitchat.android.protocol.MessagePadding
 import com.bitchat.android.model.FragmentPayload
 import kotlinx.coroutines.*
 import java.util.concurrent.ConcurrentHashMap
@@ -66,20 +65,19 @@ class FragmentManager {
                 Log.w(TAG, "Rejecting invalid outbound fragment limit: $maxFragments")
                 return emptyList()
             }
-            val encoded = packet.toBinaryData()
-            if (encoded == null) {
+            // Fragment the unpadded frame; each fragment will be encoded (and padded) independently - iOS fix.
+            // Ask the encoder to skip padding rather than un-padding afterwards:
+            // pad() declines a request needing more than 255 bytes and
+            // optimalBlockSize() returns the input size above 2048, so frames of
+            // 513-768, 1009-1792 and >=2033 bytes are never padded. Those end
+            // with the last byte of the signature, and unpad() reads a value of
+            // 0x01 as a one-byte pad and strips a real signature byte.
+            val fullData = packet.toBinaryData(padding = false)
+            if (fullData == null) {
                 Log.e(TAG, "Failed to encode packet to binary data")
                 return emptyList()
             }
 
-            // Fragment the unpadded frame; each fragment will be encoded (and padded) independently - iOS fix
-            val fullData = try {
-                MessagePadding.unpad(encoded)
-            } catch (e: Exception) {
-                Log.e(TAG, "Failed to unpad data: ${e.message}", e)
-                return emptyList()
-            }
-
             // iOS logic: if data.count > 512 && packet.type != MessageType.fragment.rawValue
             if (fullData.size <= FRAGMENT_SIZE_THRESHOLD) {
                 return listOf(packet) // No fragmentation needed
diff --git a/app/src/test/java/com/bitchat/android/mesh/FragmentManagerTest.kt b/app/src/test/java/com/bitchat/android/mesh/FragmentManagerTest.kt
index bf3e3d01..a0be567e 100644
--- a/app/src/test/java/com/bitchat/android/mesh/FragmentManagerTest.kt
+++ b/app/src/test/java/com/bitchat/android/mesh/FragmentManagerTest.kt
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package com.bitchat.android.mesh
 import com.bitchat.android.protocol.BitchatPacket
 import com.bitchat.android.protocol.MessageType
 import com.bitchat.android.model.FragmentPayload
+import org.junit.Assert.assertArrayEquals
 import org.junit.Assert.assertEquals
 import org.junit.Assert.assertNotNull
 import org.junit.Assert.assertNull
@@ -244,6 +245,68 @@ class FragmentManagerTest {
         assertEquals(257, plan(low).size)
     }
 
+    /**
+     * pad() declines any request needing more than 255 bytes and
+     * optimalBlockSize() returns the input size unchanged above 2048, so frames
+     * of 513-768, 1009-1792 and >=2033 bytes are emitted unpadded. The frame
+     * then ends with the last byte of the signature, which is uniformly random,
+     * and a value of 0x01 reads as a one-byte PKCS#7 pad.
+     */
+    @Test
+    fun `an unpadded frame keeps every byte through fragmentation`() {
+        for (payloadSize in listOf(600, 1500, 2400)) {
+            val packet = BitchatPacket(
+                version = 1u,
+                type = MessageType.MESSAGE.value,
+                senderID = hexStringToByteArray(senderID),
+                recipientID = hexStringToByteArray(recipientID),
+                timestamp = 1u,
+                payload = ByteArray(payloadSize).also { Random(payloadSize.toLong()).nextBytes(it) },
+                signature = ByteArray(64) { index -> if (index == 63) 0x01 else 0x7F },
+                ttl = 7u
+            )
+
+            val frame = packet.toBinaryData(padding = false)!!
+            val padded = packet.toBinaryData()!!
+            assertEquals("frame of $payloadSize should not be padded", frame.size, padded.size)
+
+            val fragments = fragmentManager.createFragments(packet)
+            assertTrue("frame of $payloadSize should fragment", fragments.size > 1)
+
+            val reassembled = fragments
+                .map { FragmentPayload.decode(it.payload)!!.data }
+                .reduce { acc, next -> acc + next }
+            assertArrayEquals(
+                "fragments of a $payloadSize-byte payload must carry the whole frame",
+                frame,
+                reassembled
+            )
+        }
+    }
+
+    /** A frame that really was padded must still fragment unpadded. */
+    @Test
+    fun `a padded frame is fragmented without its padding`() {
+        val packet = BitchatPacket(
+            version = 1u,
+            type = MessageType.MESSAGE.value,
+            senderID = hexStringToByteArray(senderID),
+            recipientID = hexStringToByteArray(recipientID),
+            timestamp = 1u,
+            payload = ByteArray(900).also { Random(900).nextBytes(it) },
+            signature = ByteArray(64) { 0x7F },
+            ttl = 7u
+        )
+
+        val frame = packet.toBinaryData(padding = false)!!
+        assertTrue("frame should be padded", packet.toBinaryData()!!.size > frame.size)
+
+        val reassembled = fragmentManager.createFragments(packet)
+            .map { FragmentPayload.decode(it.payload)!!.data }
+            .reduce { acc, next -> acc + next }
+        assertArrayEquals(frame, reassembled)
+    }
+
     private fun hexStringToByteArray(hexString: String): ByteArray {
         val result = ByteArray(8)
         for (i in 0 until 8) {