diff --git a/bitchat/Models/BitchatMessage.swift b/bitchat/Models/BitchatMessage.swift
index 1ae62040..f52004f2 100644
--- a/bitchat/Models/BitchatMessage.swift
+++ b/bitchat/Models/BitchatMessage.swift
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ final class BitchatMessage: Codable {
     let originalSender: String?
     let isPrivate: Bool
     let recipientNickname: String?
-    let senderPeerID: String?
+    let senderPeerID: PeerID?
     let mentions: [String]?  // Array of mentioned nicknames
     var deliveryStatus: DeliveryStatus? // Delivery tracking
     
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ final class BitchatMessage: Codable {
         self.originalSender = originalSender
         self.isPrivate = isPrivate
         self.recipientNickname = recipientNickname
-        self.senderPeerID = senderPeerID
+        self.senderPeerID = PeerID(str: senderPeerID)
         self.mentions = mentions
         self.deliveryStatus = deliveryStatus ?? (isPrivate ? .sending : nil)
     }
@@ -151,7 +151,7 @@ extension BitchatMessage {
             data.append(recipData.prefix(255))
         }
         
-        if let senderPeerID = senderPeerID, let peerData = senderPeerID.data(using: .utf8) {
+        if let peerData = senderPeerID?.id.data(using: .utf8) {
             data.append(UInt8(min(peerData.count, 255)))
             data.append(peerData.prefix(255))
         }
diff --git a/bitchat/Models/PeerID.swift b/bitchat/Models/PeerID.swift
index 23ddc4f3..6cc13f94 100644
--- a/bitchat/Models/PeerID.swift
+++ b/bitchat/Models/PeerID.swift
@@ -61,6 +61,12 @@ extension PeerID {
         }
     }
     
+    /// Convenience init to handle `Optional<String>`
+    init?(str: (any StringProtocol)?) {
+        guard let str else { return nil }
+        self.init(str: str)
+    }
+    
     /// Convenience init to create PeerID by converting Data to String
     init?(data: Data) {
         guard let str = String(data: data, encoding: .utf8) else { return nil }
@@ -175,3 +181,28 @@ extension PeerID: Comparable {
         lhs.id < rhs.id
     }
 }
+
+// MARK: - String Interop Helpers
+
+// MARK: CustomStringConvertible
+
+extension PeerID: CustomStringConvertible {
+    /// So it returns the actual `id` like before even inside another String
+    var description: String {
+        id
+    }
+}
+
+// MARK: Custom Equatable w/ String & Optionality
+
+// PeerID <> String
+extension Optional where Wrapped == PeerID {
+    static func ==(lhs: Optional<Wrapped>, rhs: Optional<String>) -> Bool   { lhs?.id == rhs }
+    static func !=(lhs: Optional<Wrapped>, rhs: Optional<String>) -> Bool   { lhs?.id != rhs }
+}
+
+// String <> PeerID
+extension Optional where Wrapped == String {
+    static func ==(lhs: Optional<Wrapped>, rhs: Optional<PeerID>) -> Bool   { lhs == rhs?.id }
+    static func !=(lhs: Optional<Wrapped>, rhs: Optional<PeerID>) -> Bool   { lhs != rhs?.id }
+}
diff --git a/bitchat/Services/PrivateChatManager.swift b/bitchat/Services/PrivateChatManager.swift
index bc6e9ee6..531b117e 100644
--- a/bitchat/Services/PrivateChatManager.swift
+++ b/bitchat/Services/PrivateChatManager.swift
@@ -111,13 +111,13 @@ final class PrivateChatManager: ObservableObject {
         
         // Route via MessageRouter to avoid handshakeRequired spam when session isn't established
         if let router = messageRouter {
-            SecureLogger.debug("PrivateChatManager: sending READ ack for \(message.id.prefix(8))… to \(senderPeerID.prefix(8))… via router", category: .session)
+            SecureLogger.debug("PrivateChatManager: sending READ ack for \(message.id.prefix(8))… to \(senderPeerID.id.prefix(8))… via router", category: .session)
             Task { @MainActor in
-                router.sendReadReceipt(receipt, to: senderPeerID)
+                router.sendReadReceipt(receipt, to: senderPeerID.id)
             }
         } else {
             // Fallback: preserve previous behavior
-            meshService?.sendReadReceipt(receipt, to: senderPeerID)
+            meshService?.sendReadReceipt(receipt, to: senderPeerID.id)
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/bitchat/ViewModels/ChatViewModel.swift b/bitchat/ViewModels/ChatViewModel.swift
index 7ff6e04d..a868995c 100644
--- a/bitchat/ViewModels/ChatViewModel.swift
+++ b/bitchat/ViewModels/ChatViewModel.swift
@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@ final class ChatViewModel: ObservableObject, BitchatDelegate {
 
     @MainActor
     private func normalizedSenderKey(for message: BitchatMessage) -> String {
-        if let spid = message.senderPeerID {
+        if let spid = message.senderPeerID?.id {
             if spid.hasPrefix("nostr:") || spid.hasPrefix("nostr_") {
                 let bare: String = {
                     if spid.hasPrefix("nostr:") { return String(spid.dropFirst(6)) }
@@ -1967,7 +1967,7 @@ final class ChatViewModel: ObservableObject, BitchatDelegate {
         if let gh = currentGeohash {
             if var arr = geoTimelines[gh] {
                 arr.removeAll { msg in
-                    if let spid = msg.senderPeerID, spid.hasPrefix("nostr") {
+                    if let spid = msg.senderPeerID?.id, spid.hasPrefix("nostr") {
                         if let full = nostrKeyMapping[spid]?.lowercased() { return full == hex }
                     }
                     return false
@@ -1978,7 +1978,7 @@ final class ChatViewModel: ObservableObject, BitchatDelegate {
             switch activeChannel {
             case .location:
                 messages.removeAll { msg in
-                    if let spid = msg.senderPeerID, spid.hasPrefix("nostr") {
+                    if let spid = msg.senderPeerID?.id , spid.hasPrefix("nostr") {
                         if let full = nostrKeyMapping[spid]?.lowercased() { return full == hex }
                     }
                     return false
@@ -2676,7 +2676,7 @@ final class ChatViewModel: ObservableObject, BitchatDelegate {
         
         // Store the Nostr pubkey if provided (for messages from unknown senders)
         if let nostrPubkey = notification.userInfo?["nostrPubkey"] as? String,
-           let senderPeerID = message.senderPeerID {
+           let senderPeerID = message.senderPeerID?.id {
             // Store mapping for read receipts
             nostrKeyMapping[senderPeerID] = nostrPubkey
         }
@@ -3296,7 +3296,7 @@ final class ChatViewModel: ObservableObject, BitchatDelegate {
     func formatMessageAsText(_ message: BitchatMessage, colorScheme: ColorScheme) -> AttributedString {
         // Determine if this message was sent by self (mesh, geo, or DM)
         let isSelf: Bool = {
-            if let spid = message.senderPeerID {
+            if let spid = message.senderPeerID?.id {
                 // In geohash channels, compare against our per-geohash nostr short ID
                 if case .location(let ch) = activeChannel, spid.hasPrefix("nostr:") {
                     if let myGeo = try? NostrIdentityBridge.deriveIdentity(forGeohash: ch.geohash) {
@@ -3331,7 +3331,7 @@ final class ChatViewModel: ObservableObject, BitchatDelegate {
             let fontWeight: Font.Weight = isSelf ? .bold : .medium
             senderStyle.font = .bitchatSystem(size: 14, weight: fontWeight, design: .monospaced)
             // Make sender clickable: encode senderPeerID into a custom URL
-            if let spid = message.senderPeerID, let url = URL(string: "bitchat://user/\(spid.addingPercentEncoding(withAllowedCharacters: .urlPathAllowed) ?? spid)") {
+            if let spid = message.senderPeerID?.id, let url = URL(string: "bitchat://user/\(spid.addingPercentEncoding(withAllowedCharacters: .urlPathAllowed) ?? spid)") {
                 senderStyle.link = url
             }
 
@@ -3862,7 +3862,7 @@ final class ChatViewModel: ObservableObject, BitchatDelegate {
 
     @MainActor
     private func peerColor(for message: BitchatMessage, isDark: Bool) -> Color {
-        if let spid = message.senderPeerID {
+        if let spid = message.senderPeerID?.id {
             if spid.hasPrefix("nostr:") || spid.hasPrefix("nostr_") {
                 let bare: String = {
                     if spid.hasPrefix("nostr:") { return String(spid.dropFirst(6)) }
@@ -5654,7 +5654,7 @@ final class ChatViewModel: ObservableObject, BitchatDelegate {
     /// Check if a message should be blocked based on sender
     @MainActor
     private func isMessageBlocked(_ message: BitchatMessage) -> Bool {
-        if let peerID = message.senderPeerID ?? getPeerIDForNickname(message.sender) {
+        if let peerID = message.senderPeerID?.id ?? getPeerIDForNickname(message.sender) {
             // Check mesh/known peers first
             if isPeerBlocked(peerID) { return true }
             // Check geohash (Nostr) blocks using mapping to full pubkey
@@ -5694,7 +5694,7 @@ final class ChatViewModel: ObservableObject, BitchatDelegate {
                 originalSender: message.originalSender,
                 isPrivate: message.isPrivate,
                 recipientNickname: message.recipientNickname,
-                senderPeerID: message.senderPeerID,
+                senderPeerID: message.senderPeerID?.id,
                 mentions: message.mentions,
                 deliveryStatus: message.deliveryStatus
             )
@@ -5802,7 +5802,7 @@ final class ChatViewModel: ObservableObject, BitchatDelegate {
     @MainActor
     private func handlePrivateMessage(_ message: BitchatMessage) {
         SecureLogger.debug("📥 handlePrivateMessage called for message from \(message.sender)", category: .session)
-        let senderPeerID = message.senderPeerID ?? getPeerIDForNickname(message.sender)
+        let senderPeerID = message.senderPeerID?.id ?? getPeerIDForNickname(message.sender)
         
         guard let peerID = senderPeerID else { 
             SecureLogger.warning("⚠️ Could not get peer ID for sender \(message.sender)", category: .session)
@@ -5912,7 +5912,7 @@ final class ChatViewModel: ObservableObject, BitchatDelegate {
                     readerNickname: nickname
                 )
                 
-                let recipientID = message.senderPeerID ?? peerID
+                let recipientID = message.senderPeerID?.id ?? peerID
                 
                 Task { @MainActor in
                     var originalTransport: String? = nil
@@ -5944,7 +5944,7 @@ final class ChatViewModel: ObservableObject, BitchatDelegate {
         if isMessageBlocked(finalMessage) { return }
 
         // Classify origin: geochat if senderPeerID starts with 'nostr:', else mesh (or system)
-        let isGeo = finalMessage.senderPeerID?.hasPrefix("nostr:") == true
+        let isGeo = finalMessage.senderPeerID?.isGeoChat == true
 
         // Apply per-sender and per-content rate limits (drop if exceeded)
         if finalMessage.sender != "system" {
diff --git a/bitchatTests/EndToEnd/PublicChatE2ETests.swift b/bitchatTests/EndToEnd/PublicChatE2ETests.swift
index 1df9ff7a..25e58055 100644
--- a/bitchatTests/EndToEnd/PublicChatE2ETests.swift
+++ b/bitchatTests/EndToEnd/PublicChatE2ETests.swift
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ final class PublicChatE2ETests: XCTestCase {
                     originalSender: message.sender,
                     isPrivate: message.isPrivate,
                     recipientNickname: message.recipientNickname,
-                    senderPeerID: message.senderPeerID,
+                    senderPeerID: message.senderPeerID?.id,
                     mentions: message.mentions
                 )
                 
@@ -451,7 +451,7 @@ final class PublicChatE2ETests: XCTestCase {
                     originalSender: message.isRelay ? message.originalSender : message.sender,
                     isPrivate: message.isPrivate,
                     recipientNickname: message.recipientNickname,
-                    senderPeerID: message.senderPeerID,
+                    senderPeerID: message.senderPeerID?.id,
                     mentions: message.mentions
                 )
                 
diff --git a/bitchatTests/Integration/IntegrationTests.swift b/bitchatTests/Integration/IntegrationTests.swift
index 076dd281..50249e37 100644
--- a/bitchatTests/Integration/IntegrationTests.swift
+++ b/bitchatTests/Integration/IntegrationTests.swift
@@ -638,7 +638,7 @@ final class IntegrationTests: XCTestCase {
                     originalSender: message.isRelay ? message.originalSender : message.sender,
                     isPrivate: message.isPrivate,
                     recipientNickname: message.recipientNickname,
-                    senderPeerID: message.senderPeerID,
+                    senderPeerID: message.senderPeerID?.id,
                     mentions: message.mentions
                 )
                 
diff --git a/bitchatTests/Utils/PeerIDTests.swift b/bitchatTests/Utils/PeerIDTests.swift
index bdb7d561..d1b75839 100644
--- a/bitchatTests/Utils/PeerIDTests.swift
+++ b/bitchatTests/Utils/PeerIDTests.swift
@@ -290,6 +290,48 @@ final class PeerIDTests: XCTestCase {
         XCTAssertEqual(sorted, [p1, p2])
     }
     
+    func test_equality() {
+        let string = "aaa"
+        let peerID = PeerID(str: string)
+        let badString = "bbb"
+        
+        // PeerID == String
+        XCTAssertTrue(peerID == string)
+        XCTAssertTrue(peerID == Optional(string))
+        XCTAssertTrue(Optional(peerID) == string)
+        XCTAssertTrue(Optional(peerID) == Optional(string))
+
+        // PeerID != String
+        XCTAssertTrue(peerID != badString)
+        XCTAssertTrue(peerID != Optional(badString))
+        XCTAssertTrue(Optional(peerID) != badString)
+        XCTAssertTrue(Optional(peerID) != Optional(badString))
+        
+        // String == PeerID
+        XCTAssertTrue(string == peerID)
+        XCTAssertTrue(Optional(string) == peerID)
+        XCTAssertTrue(string == Optional(peerID))
+        XCTAssertTrue(Optional(string) == Optional(peerID))
+
+        // String != PeerID
+        XCTAssertTrue(badString != peerID)
+        XCTAssertTrue(Optional(badString) != peerID)
+        XCTAssertTrue(badString != Optional(peerID))
+        XCTAssertTrue(Optional(badString) != Optional(peerID))
+        
+        
+        // Make sure the regular PeerID <> PeerID is not broken
+        XCTAssertTrue(peerID == PeerID(str: "aaa"))
+        XCTAssertTrue(peerID == Optional(PeerID(str: "aaa")))
+        XCTAssertTrue(PeerID(str: "aaa") == peerID)
+        XCTAssertTrue(Optional(PeerID(str: "aaa")) == Optional(peerID))
+        
+        XCTAssertTrue(peerID != PeerID(str: "bbb"))
+        XCTAssertTrue(peerID != Optional(PeerID(str: "bbb")))
+        XCTAssertTrue(PeerID(str: "bbb") != peerID)
+        XCTAssertTrue(Optional(PeerID(str: "bbb")) != Optional(peerID))
+    }
+    
     // MARK: - Computed properties
     
     func test_isEmpty_true_and_false() {