diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/bitchat/android/services/ContactDirectory.kt b/app/src/main/java/com/bitchat/android/services/ContactDirectory.kt
index b3ffc429..eeec28e7 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/com/bitchat/android/services/ContactDirectory.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/bitchat/android/services/ContactDirectory.kt
@@ -102,9 +102,10 @@ object ContactDirectory {
         }
 
         return merged.mapValues { (_, messages) ->
-            messages
-                .distinctBy { it.id }
-                .sortedWith(compareBy<BitchatMessage> { it.timestamp.time }.thenBy { it.id })
+            // A private message's timestamp comes from the sender and is not a reliable ordering
+            // signal when peers' clocks differ. The lists are populated in receive order, so keep
+            // their first occurrence in that same order while canonicalizing aliases.
+            messages.distinctBy { it.id }
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/bitchat/android/services/ConversationAliasResolver.kt b/app/src/main/java/com/bitchat/android/services/ConversationAliasResolver.kt
index e3c2c61d..96fa15b8 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/com/bitchat/android/services/ConversationAliasResolver.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/bitchat/android/services/ConversationAliasResolver.kt
@@ -65,7 +65,6 @@ object ConversationAliasResolver {
         if (didMerge) {
             currentChats[targetConversationID] = targetList
                 .distinctBy { it.id }
-                .sortedBy { it.timestamp.time }
             state.setPrivateChats(ContactDirectory.canonicalizePrivateChats(currentChats))
 
             // Move unread flags
diff --git a/app/src/test/kotlin/com/bitchat/android/services/AppStateStoreTest.kt b/app/src/test/kotlin/com/bitchat/android/services/AppStateStoreTest.kt
index a70d4fa9..afce826f 100644
--- a/app/src/test/kotlin/com/bitchat/android/services/AppStateStoreTest.kt
+++ b/app/src/test/kotlin/com/bitchat/android/services/AppStateStoreTest.kt
@@ -128,16 +128,29 @@ class AppStateStoreTest {
     }
 
     @Test
-    fun `canonicalized private chat history is chronological after alias merge`() {
+    fun `canonicalized private chat history keeps arrival order when peer clocks differ`() {
         val noiseKeyHex = "01".repeat(32)
         val contactID = ContactIdentityResolver.contactConversationIdForNoiseKey(ByteArray(32) { 1 })
-        val later = BitchatMessage(id = "later", sender = "alice", content = "later", timestamp = Date(3))
-        val earlier = BitchatMessage(id = "earlier", sender = "alice", content = "earlier", timestamp = Date(1))
+        val firstArrival = BitchatMessage(
+            id = "first-arrival",
+            sender = "alice",
+            content = "sent from a clock that is ahead",
+            timestamp = Date(3)
+        )
+        val secondArrival = BitchatMessage(
+            id = "second-arrival",
+            sender = "alice",
+            content = "sent from a clock that is behind",
+            timestamp = Date(1)
+        )
 
-        AppStateStore.addPrivateMessage(contactID, later)
-        AppStateStore.addPrivateMessage(noiseKeyHex, earlier)
+        AppStateStore.addPrivateMessage(contactID, firstArrival)
+        AppStateStore.addPrivateMessage(noiseKeyHex, secondArrival)
 
-        assertEquals(listOf(earlier, later), AppStateStore.privateMessages.value[contactID])
+        assertEquals(
+            listOf(firstArrival, secondArrival),
+            AppStateStore.privateMessages.value[contactID]
+        )
     }
 
     @Test
diff --git a/app/src/test/kotlin/com/bitchat/android/services/ConversationAliasResolverTest.kt b/app/src/test/kotlin/com/bitchat/android/services/ConversationAliasResolverTest.kt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6286419f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/src/test/kotlin/com/bitchat/android/services/ConversationAliasResolverTest.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+package com.bitchat.android.services
+
+import com.bitchat.android.model.BitchatMessage
+import com.bitchat.android.ui.ChatState
+import kotlinx.coroutines.CoroutineScope
+import kotlinx.coroutines.SupervisorJob
+import kotlinx.coroutines.cancel
+import org.junit.After
+import org.junit.Assert.assertEquals
+import org.junit.Before
+import org.junit.Test
+import java.util.Date
+
+class ConversationAliasResolverTest {
+    private lateinit var scope: CoroutineScope
+    private lateinit var state: ChatState
+
+    @Before
+    fun setUp() {
+        AppStateStore.clear()
+        scope = CoroutineScope(SupervisorJob())
+        state = ChatState(scope)
+    }
+
+    @After
+    fun tearDown() {
+        scope.cancel()
+        AppStateStore.clear()
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `explicit alias merge keeps arrival order when peer clocks differ`() {
+        val firstArrival = BitchatMessage(
+            id = "first-arrival",
+            sender = "alice",
+            content = "sent from a clock that is ahead",
+            timestamp = Date(3)
+        )
+        val secondArrival = BitchatMessage(
+            id = "second-arrival",
+            sender = "alice",
+            content = "sent from a clock that is behind",
+            timestamp = Date(1)
+        )
+        state.setPrivateChats(
+            linkedMapOf(
+                "target-peer" to listOf(firstArrival),
+                "source-alias" to listOf(secondArrival)
+            )
+        )
+        AppStateStore.addPrivateMessage("target-peer", firstArrival)
+        AppStateStore.addPrivateMessage("source-alias", secondArrival)
+
+        ConversationAliasResolver.unifyChatsIntoPeer(
+            state = state,
+            targetPeerID = "target-peer",
+            keysToMerge = listOf("source-alias")
+        )
+
+        assertEquals(
+            listOf(firstArrival, secondArrival),
+            state.getPrivateChatsValue()["target-peer"]
+        )
+        assertEquals(
+            listOf(firstArrival, secondArrival),
+            AppStateStore.privateMessages.value["target-peer"]
+        )
+    }
+}