diff --git a/bitchat/Services/BLE/BLEPublicMessageHandler.swift b/bitchat/Services/BLE/BLEPublicMessageHandler.swift
index 73e8f4a9..49699c81 100644
--- a/bitchat/Services/BLE/BLEPublicMessageHandler.swift
+++ b/bitchat/Services/BLE/BLEPublicMessageHandler.swift
@@ -16,6 +16,8 @@ struct BLEPublicMessageHandlerEnvironment {
     let now: () -> Date
     /// Snapshot of known peers keyed by ID (registry read).
     let peersSnapshot: () -> [PeerID: BLEPeerInfo]
+    /// Verifies a packet's signature against a known signing public key.
+    let verifyPacketSignature: (_ packet: BitchatPacket, _ signingPublicKey: Data) -> Bool
     /// Resolves a display name from a verified packet signature for peers missing from the registry.
     let signedSenderDisplayName: (_ packet: BitchatPacket, _ peerID: PeerID) -> String?
     /// Tracks the broadcast message packet for gossip sync.
@@ -74,9 +76,19 @@ final class BLEPublicMessageHandler {
         // by anyone spoofing their senderID. Require a valid packet signature
         // from the claimed sender (our own echoes are exempt; they are matched
         // by self-broadcast tracking below).
+        //
+        // Verify against the signing key already in the (synchronously-updated)
+        // peer registry first: identity-cache persistence is asynchronous, so a
+        // message arriving right after a verified announce would otherwise be
+        // dropped because `signedSenderDisplayName` only searches the persisted
+        // cache. Fall back to that persisted-identity lookup for peers not (yet)
+        // in the registry.
         let isSelf = peerID == env.localPeerID()
-        let signedDisplayName = isSelf ? nil : env.signedSenderDisplayName(packet, peerID)
-        guard isSelf || signedDisplayName != nil else {
+        let registrySigningKey = peersSnapshot[peerID]?.signingPublicKey
+        let verifiedViaRegistry = !isSelf
+            && (registrySigningKey.map { env.verifyPacketSignature(packet, $0) } ?? false)
+        let signedDisplayName = (isSelf || verifiedViaRegistry) ? nil : env.signedSenderDisplayName(packet, peerID)
+        guard isSelf || verifiedViaRegistry || signedDisplayName != nil else {
             SecureLogger.warning("🚫 Dropping public message with missing/invalid signature for claimed sender \(peerID.id.prefix(8))…", category: .security)
             return
         }
diff --git a/bitchat/Services/BLE/BLEService.swift b/bitchat/Services/BLE/BLEService.swift
index 121bb38f..b1fe7897 100644
--- a/bitchat/Services/BLE/BLEService.swift
+++ b/bitchat/Services/BLE/BLEService.swift
@@ -3124,6 +3124,9 @@ extension BLEService {
                 guard let self = self else { return [:] }
                 return self.collectionsQueue.sync { self.peerRegistry.snapshotByID }
             },
+            verifyPacketSignature: { [weak self] packet, signingPublicKey in
+                self?.noiseService.verifyPacketSignature(packet, publicKey: signingPublicKey) ?? false
+            },
             signedSenderDisplayName: { [weak self] packet, peerID in
                 self?.signedSenderDisplayName(for: packet, from: peerID)
             },
diff --git a/bitchatTests/Services/BLEPublicMessageHandlerTests.swift b/bitchatTests/Services/BLEPublicMessageHandlerTests.swift
index 24e174ab..056d3ca9 100644
--- a/bitchatTests/Services/BLEPublicMessageHandlerTests.swift
+++ b/bitchatTests/Services/BLEPublicMessageHandlerTests.swift
@@ -8,10 +8,12 @@ struct BLEPublicMessageHandlerTests {
         var localNickname = "Me"
         var peers: [PeerID: BLEPeerInfo] = [:]
         var signedName: String?
+        var verifyPacketSignatureResult = false
         var linkState: (hasPeripheral: Bool, hasCentral: Bool) = (false, false)
         var selfBroadcastMessageID: String?
 
         var peersSnapshotReads = 0
+        var verifyPacketSignatureQueries: [PeerID] = []
         var signedNameQueries: [PeerID] = []
         var trackedPackets: [BitchatPacket] = []
         var selfBroadcastTakes: [BitchatPacket] = []
@@ -35,6 +37,10 @@ struct BLEPublicMessageHandlerTests {
                 recorder.peersSnapshotReads += 1
                 return recorder.peers
             },
+            verifyPacketSignature: { packet, _ in
+                recorder.verifyPacketSignatureQueries.append(PeerID(hexData: packet.senderID))
+                return recorder.verifyPacketSignatureResult
+            },
             signedSenderDisplayName: { _, peerID in
                 recorder.signedNameQueries.append(peerID)
                 return recorder.signedName
@@ -137,6 +143,63 @@ struct BLEPublicMessageHandlerTests {
         #expect(recorder.deliveries.isEmpty)
     }
 
+    @Test
+    func registryVerifiedPeerDeliveredBeforeIdentityCachePersists() {
+        // A freshly verified announce updates the peer registry synchronously,
+        // but identity-cache persistence is async. A message arriving in that
+        // window has a valid signature and a registry signing key, yet the
+        // persisted-identity lookup (signedName) would still return nil. It must
+        // be verified against the registry key and delivered, not dropped.
+        let now = Date(timeIntervalSince1970: 1_000)
+        let recorder = Recorder()
+        recorder.peers = [remotePeerID: makePeerInfo(
+            remotePeerID,
+            nickname: "Alice",
+            isVerified: true,
+            signingPublicKey: Data(repeating: 0xAB, count: 32)
+        )]
+        recorder.verifyPacketSignatureResult = true
+        recorder.signedName = nil
+        let handler = makeHandler(recorder: recorder, now: now)
+        let packet = makeMessagePacket(sender: remotePeerID, content: "first msg", timestamp: timestamp(now))
+
+        handler.handle(packet, from: remotePeerID)
+
+        #expect(recorder.verifyPacketSignatureQueries == [remotePeerID])
+        // Verified via the registry key, so no fallback to the persisted lookup.
+        #expect(recorder.signedNameQueries.isEmpty)
+        #expect(recorder.trackedPackets.count == 1)
+        #expect(recorder.deliveries.count == 1)
+        #expect(recorder.deliveries.first?.nickname == "Alice")
+        #expect(recorder.deliveries.first?.content == "first msg")
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    func registryPeerWithInvalidSignatureFallsBackAndDrops() {
+        // Spoofed senderID: the peer is in the registry with a signing key, but
+        // the packet signature does not verify against it. The handler must fall
+        // back to the persisted lookup and, finding nothing, drop the message.
+        let now = Date(timeIntervalSince1970: 1_000)
+        let recorder = Recorder()
+        recorder.peers = [remotePeerID: makePeerInfo(
+            remotePeerID,
+            nickname: "Alice",
+            isVerified: true,
+            signingPublicKey: Data(repeating: 0xAB, count: 32)
+        )]
+        recorder.verifyPacketSignatureResult = false
+        recorder.signedName = nil
+        let handler = makeHandler(recorder: recorder, now: now)
+        let packet = makeMessagePacket(sender: remotePeerID, content: "spoofed", timestamp: timestamp(now))
+
+        handler.handle(packet, from: remotePeerID)
+
+        #expect(recorder.verifyPacketSignatureQueries == [remotePeerID])
+        #expect(recorder.signedNameQueries == [remotePeerID])
+        #expect(recorder.trackedPackets.isEmpty)
+        #expect(recorder.deliveries.isEmpty)
+    }
+
     @Test
     func signedSenderFallbackDeliversWithSignedName() {
         let now = Date(timeIntervalSince1970: 1_000)
@@ -219,14 +282,15 @@ struct BLEPublicMessageHandlerTests {
         _ peerID: PeerID,
         nickname: String,
         isVerified: Bool,
-        isConnected: Bool = true
+        isConnected: Bool = true,
+        signingPublicKey: Data? = nil
     ) -> BLEPeerInfo {
         BLEPeerInfo(
             peerID: peerID,
             nickname: nickname,
             isConnected: isConnected,
             noisePublicKey: nil,
-            signingPublicKey: nil,
+            signingPublicKey: signingPublicKey,
             isVerifiedNickname: isVerified,
             lastSeen: Date(timeIntervalSince1970: 999)
         )