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