diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/bitchat/android/nostr/NostrFilter.kt b/app/src/main/java/com/bitchat/android/nostr/NostrFilter.kt
index df67822f7..3f1c54fff 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/com/bitchat/android/nostr/NostrFilter.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/bitchat/android/nostr/NostrFilter.kt
@@ -23,11 +23,15 @@ data class NostrFilter(
          * Create filter for NIP-17 gift wraps
          */
         fun giftWrapsFor(pubkey: String, since: Long? = null): NostrFilter {
+            // Each delivered+read DM is typically three gift wraps (message, delivery
+            // ack, read receipt). A limit of 100 therefore covers only ~33 messages
+            // inside the lookback, and NIP-01 returns the newest-by-created_at which
+            // is randomized — so loss is permanent. Match the geohash fetch budget.
             return NostrFilter(
                 kinds = listOf(NostrKind.GIFT_WRAP),
                 since = since?.let { (it / 1000).toInt() },
                 tagFilters = mapOf("p" to listOf(pubkey)),
-                limit = 100
+                limit = 1000
             )
         }
         
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/bitchat/android/ui/MessageManager.kt b/app/src/main/java/com/bitchat/android/ui/MessageManager.kt
index ea3e8350e..bbd9446df 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/com/bitchat/android/ui/MessageManager.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/bitchat/android/ui/MessageManager.kt
@@ -289,18 +289,33 @@ class MessageManager(private val state: ChatState) {
         }
     }
 
+    /**
+     * A replayed receipt is the same state even when `Read`/`Delivered` carry
+     * a new timestamp. Rewriting the chat list for that copies every thread
+     * onto main during a cold-start backlog.
+     */
+    private fun isUnchangedDelivery(current: DeliveryStatus?, updated: DeliveryStatus?): Boolean {
+        if (current === updated || current == updated) return true
+        return when {
+            current is DeliveryStatus.Read && updated is DeliveryStatus.Read -> true
+            current is DeliveryStatus.Delivered && updated is DeliveryStatus.Delivered -> true
+            else -> false
+        }
+    }
+
     fun updateMessageDeliveryStatus(messageID: String, status: DeliveryStatus) {
-        // Update in private chats
+        // Update in private chats. Copy a thread only when one of its messages
+        // actually changes, so a no-op receipt does not rebuild the map.
         val updatedPrivateChats = state.getPrivateChatsValue().toMutableMap()
         var updated = false
-        
+
         updatedPrivateChats.forEach { (peerID, messages) ->
-            val updatedMessages = messages.toMutableList()
-            val messageIndex = updatedMessages.indexOfFirst { it.id == messageID }
+            val messageIndex = messages.indexOfFirst { it.id == messageID }
             if (messageIndex >= 0) {
-                val current = updatedMessages[messageIndex].deliveryStatus
+                val current = messages[messageIndex].deliveryStatus
                 val finalStatus = chooseStatus(current, status)
-                if (finalStatus !== current) {
+                if (!isUnchangedDelivery(current, finalStatus)) {
+                    val updatedMessages = messages.toMutableList()
                     updatedMessages[messageIndex] = updatedMessages[messageIndex].copy(deliveryStatus = finalStatus)
                     updatedPrivateChats[peerID] = updatedMessages
                     updated = true
@@ -320,27 +335,31 @@ class MessageManager(private val state: ChatState) {
         if (messageIndex >= 0) {
             val current = updatedMessages[messageIndex].deliveryStatus
             val finalStatus = chooseStatus(current, status)
-            if (finalStatus !== current) {
+            if (!isUnchangedDelivery(current, finalStatus)) {
                 updatedMessages[messageIndex] = updatedMessages[messageIndex].copy(deliveryStatus = finalStatus)
                 state.setMessages(updatedMessages)
             }
         }
-        
+
         // Update in channel messages
         val updatedChannelMessages = state.getChannelMessagesValue().toMutableMap()
+        var channelUpdated = false
         updatedChannelMessages.forEach { (channel, messages) ->
-            val channelMessagesList = messages.toMutableList()
-            val channelMessageIndex = channelMessagesList.indexOfFirst { it.id == messageID }
+            val channelMessageIndex = messages.indexOfFirst { it.id == messageID }
             if (channelMessageIndex >= 0) {
-                val current = channelMessagesList[channelMessageIndex].deliveryStatus
+                val current = messages[channelMessageIndex].deliveryStatus
                 val finalStatus = chooseStatus(current, status)
-                if (finalStatus !== current) {
+                if (!isUnchangedDelivery(current, finalStatus)) {
+                    val channelMessagesList = messages.toMutableList()
                     channelMessagesList[channelMessageIndex] = channelMessagesList[channelMessageIndex].copy(deliveryStatus = finalStatus)
                     updatedChannelMessages[channel] = channelMessagesList
+                    channelUpdated = true
                 }
             }
         }
-        state.setChannelMessages(updatedChannelMessages)
+        if (channelUpdated) {
+            state.setChannelMessages(updatedChannelMessages)
+        }
     }
 
     // Drop a blocked sender's messages from every geohash timeline