diff --git a/bitchat/App/PeerListModel.swift b/bitchat/App/PeerListModel.swift
index 649d99b6..0bb74966 100644
--- a/bitchat/App/PeerListModel.swift
+++ b/bitchat/App/PeerListModel.swift
@@ -167,6 +167,16 @@ final class PeerListModel: ObservableObject {
             }
             .store(in: &cancellables)
 
+        // New/updated messages in an existing thread must refresh ordering and
+        // preview while the people sheet is open — conversationIDs alone does
+        // not change for those mutations.
+        conversations.changes
+            .debounce(for: .milliseconds(120), scheduler: DispatchQueue.main)
+            .sink { [weak self] _ in
+                self?.refresh()
+            }
+            .store(in: &cancellables)
+
         chatViewModel.groupStore.$groups
             .receive(on: DispatchQueue.main)
             .sink { [weak self] _ in
@@ -274,7 +284,9 @@ final class PeerListModel: ObservableObject {
         self.groupRows = groupRows
         renderID = (
             recentDirectRows.map {
-                "recent:\($0.id)-\($0.hasUnread)-\($0.displayName)-\($0.preview)"
+                // Hash the preview so a `|` inside message text cannot collide
+                // with the render-id separator and skip a re-render.
+                "recent:\($0.id)-\($0.hasUnread)-\($0.displayName)-\($0.preview.stableRenderHash)"
             } +
             meshRows.map {
                 "\($0.id)-\($0.displayName)-\($0.isConnected)-\($0.isReachable)-\($0.hasUnread)-\($0.isFavorite)-\($0.isBlocked)"
@@ -295,25 +307,32 @@ final class PeerListModel: ObservableObject {
             guard peerID != myPeerID else { return nil }
             // Already in that thread — no need to list it again here.
             guard peerID != selected else { return nil }
+            // Match mesh rows: blocked people stay out of the people sheet.
+            guard !chatViewModel.isPeerBlocked(peerID) else { return nil }
             let messages = messagesByPeer[peerID] ?? []
             guard let last = messages.last else { return nil }
-            let preview = last.content
-                .trimmingCharacters(in: .whitespacesAndNewlines)
-            let clipped: String
-            if preview.count > 48 {
-                clipped = String(preview.prefix(45)) + "…"
-            } else {
-                clipped = preview
-            }
+            let preview = Self.friendlyRecentPreview(last.content)
             return RecentDirectRow(
                 peerID: peerID,
                 displayName: chatViewModel.nicknameForPeer(peerID),
                 hasUnread: chatViewModel.hasUnreadMessages(for: peerID),
-                preview: clipped
+                preview: preview
             )
         }
     }
 
+    /// Strip media placeholder filenames (`[image] <uuid>.jpg`) down to a
+    /// short type marker so the recent-DM preview stays readable.
+    private static func friendlyRecentPreview(_ content: String) -> String {
+        let trimmed = content.trimmingCharacters(in: .whitespacesAndNewlines)
+        if trimmed.hasPrefix("[image]") { return "[image]" }
+        if trimmed.hasPrefix("[voice]") { return "[voice]" }
+        if trimmed.count > 48 {
+            return String(trimmed.prefix(45)) + "…"
+        }
+        return trimmed
+    }
+
     private func buildGroupRows() -> [GroupChatRow] {
         let myFingerprint = chatViewModel.meshService.noiseIdentityFingerprint()
         return chatViewModel.groupStore.groups.map { group in
@@ -352,3 +371,15 @@ final class PeerListModel: ObservableObject {
         return identity.publicKeyHex.lowercased()
     }
 }
+
+private extension String {
+    /// Stable within-process digest for render-id segments — avoids embedding
+    /// raw message text (and `|` separators) in the joined render token.
+    var stableRenderHash: String {
+        var hash: UInt64 = 5381
+        for byte in utf8 {
+            hash = ((hash << 5) &+ hash) &+ UInt64(byte)
+        }
+        return String(hash, radix: 16)
+    }
+}
diff --git a/bitchat/Localizable.xcstrings b/bitchat/Localizable.xcstrings
index 67b9e841..3e72e23c 100644
--- a/bitchat/Localizable.xcstrings
+++ b/bitchat/Localizable.xcstrings
@@ -39029,25 +39029,24 @@
       }
     },
         "content.people.recent_messages" : {
-      "comment" : "People sheet section header for recent private message threads",
       "extractionState" : "manual",
       "localizations" : {
         "ar" : {
           "stringUnit" : {
             "state" : "translated",
-            "value" : "recent messages"
+            "value" : "الرسائل الأخيرة"
           }
         },
         "bn" : {
           "stringUnit" : {
             "state" : "translated",
-            "value" : "recent messages"
+            "value" : "সাম্প্রতিক বার্তা"
           }
         },
         "de" : {
           "stringUnit" : {
             "state" : "translated",
-            "value" : "recent messages"
+            "value" : "letzte nachrichten"
           }
         },
         "en" : {
@@ -39059,157 +39058,157 @@
         "es" : {
           "stringUnit" : {
             "state" : "translated",
-            "value" : "recent messages"
+            "value" : "mensajes recientes"
           }
         },
         "fa" : {
           "stringUnit" : {
             "state" : "translated",
-            "value" : "recent messages"
+            "value" : "پیام‌های اخیر"
           }
         },
         "fil" : {
           "stringUnit" : {
             "state" : "translated",
-            "value" : "recent messages"
+            "value" : "mga kamakailang mensahe"
           }
         },
         "fr" : {
           "stringUnit" : {
             "state" : "translated",
-            "value" : "recent messages"
+            "value" : "messages récents"
           }
         },
         "he" : {
           "stringUnit" : {
             "state" : "translated",
-            "value" : "recent messages"
+            "value" : "הודעות אחרונות"
           }
         },
         "hi" : {
           "stringUnit" : {
             "state" : "translated",
-            "value" : "recent messages"
+            "value" : "हाल के संदेश"
           }
         },
         "id" : {
           "stringUnit" : {
             "state" : "translated",
-            "value" : "recent messages"
+            "value" : "pesan terbaru"
           }
         },
         "it" : {
           "stringUnit" : {
             "state" : "translated",
-            "value" : "recent messages"
+            "value" : "messaggi recenti"
           }
         },
         "ja" : {
           "stringUnit" : {
             "state" : "translated",
-            "value" : "recent messages"
+            "value" : "最近のメッセージ"
           }
         },
         "ko" : {
           "stringUnit" : {
             "state" : "translated",
-            "value" : "recent messages"
+            "value" : "최근 메시지"
           }
         },
         "ms" : {
           "stringUnit" : {
             "state" : "translated",
-            "value" : "recent messages"
+            "value" : "mesej terbaru"
           }
         },
         "ne" : {
           "stringUnit" : {
             "state" : "translated",
-            "value" : "recent messages"
+            "value" : "हालका सन्देशहरू"
           }
         },
         "nl" : {
           "stringUnit" : {
             "state" : "translated",
-            "value" : "recent messages"
+            "value" : "recente berichten"
           }
         },
         "pl" : {
           "stringUnit" : {
             "state" : "translated",
-            "value" : "recent messages"
+            "value" : "ostatnie wiadomości"
           }
         },
         "pt" : {
           "stringUnit" : {
             "state" : "translated",
-            "value" : "recent messages"
+            "value" : "mensagens recentes"
           }
         },
         "pt-BR" : {
           "stringUnit" : {
             "state" : "translated",
-            "value" : "recent messages"
+            "value" : "mensagens recentes"
           }
         },
         "ru" : {
           "stringUnit" : {
             "state" : "translated",
-            "value" : "recent messages"
+            "value" : "недавние сообщения"
           }
         },
         "sv" : {
           "stringUnit" : {
             "state" : "translated",
-            "value" : "recent messages"
+            "value" : "senaste meddelanden"
           }
         },
         "ta" : {
           "stringUnit" : {
             "state" : "translated",
-            "value" : "recent messages"
+            "value" : "சமீபத்திய செய்திகள்"
           }
         },
         "th" : {
           "stringUnit" : {
             "state" : "translated",
-            "value" : "recent messages"
+            "value" : "ข้อความล่าสุด"
           }
         },
         "tr" : {
           "stringUnit" : {
             "state" : "translated",
-            "value" : "recent messages"
+            "value" : "son mesajlar"
           }
         },
         "uk" : {
           "stringUnit" : {
             "state" : "translated",
-            "value" : "recent messages"
+            "value" : "нещодавні повідомлення"
           }
         },
         "ur" : {
           "stringUnit" : {
             "state" : "translated",
-            "value" : "recent messages"
+            "value" : "حالیہ پیغامات"
           }
         },
         "vi" : {
           "stringUnit" : {
             "state" : "translated",
-            "value" : "recent messages"
+            "value" : "tin nhắn gần đây"
           }
         },
         "zh-Hans" : {
           "stringUnit" : {
             "state" : "translated",
-            "value" : "recent messages"
+            "value" : "最近的消息"
           }
         },
         "zh-Hant" : {
           "stringUnit" : {
             "state" : "translated",
-            "value" : "recent messages"
+            "value" : "最近的訊息"
           }
         }
       }
diff --git a/bitchat/Views/RecentDirectMessagesList.swift b/bitchat/Views/RecentDirectMessagesList.swift
index 5a996011..e1dd275c 100644
--- a/bitchat/Views/RecentDirectMessagesList.swift
+++ b/bitchat/Views/RecentDirectMessagesList.swift
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import SwiftUI
+import BitFoundation
 
 /// Compact recent-DM rows for the people sheet — reopen past private threads
 /// without hunting through the full mesh / favorites lists (#615).
@@ -49,7 +50,11 @@ struct RecentDirectMessagesList: View {
                     .contentShape(Rectangle())
                 }
                 .buttonStyle(.plain)
-                .accessibilityLabel(row.displayName)
+                .accessibilityLabel(
+                    row.hasUnread
+                        ? "\(row.displayName), \(Strings.unread)"
+                        : row.displayName
+                )
                 .accessibilityHint(Strings.openDMHint)
             }
         }