diff --git a/js/app.js b/js/app.js
index 66e63fa..9640f0f 100644
--- a/js/app.js
+++ b/js/app.js
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import { config } from "./config.js";
 import { waha } from "./waha.js";
 import { ui, elements } from "./ui.js";
 import { websocket } from "./websocket.js";
-import { compensateMessageOrdering, formatTime } from "./utils.js";
+import { compensateMessageOrdering, formatTime, normalizeId } from "./utils.js";
 import { fetchChats, getAppUser, getChatMessages, getChats, updateOnlineStatus } from "./storage.js";
 import { upsertMessages } from "./db.js";
 
@@ -114,13 +114,6 @@ function initWebSocket() {
     });
 }
 
-function normalizeChatId(raw) {
-    if (!raw) return null;
-    if (typeof raw === 'object') {
-        return raw._serialized || raw.user || JSON.stringify(raw);
-    }
-    return raw;
-}
 
 async function handleIncomingMessage(msg) {
     if (!msg) return;
@@ -130,7 +123,7 @@ async function handleIncomingMessage(msg) {
     ui.updateChatInChatList(msg);
     
     const rawChatId = msg.chatId || msg.from || (msg.chat && msg.chat.id);
-    const msgChatId = normalizeChatId(rawChatId);
+    const msgChatId = normalizeId(rawChatId);
     if (!msgChatId) {
         console.warn('[WS] Could not resolve chatId from payload:', msg);
         return;
@@ -142,7 +135,7 @@ async function handleIncomingMessage(msg) {
     }
     
     if (activeChatState && activeChatState.id === msgChatId) {
-        const msgId = normalizeChatId(msg.id) || msg.id;
+        const msgId = normalizeId(msg.id) || msg.id;
         const exists = document.getElementById(msgId);
         if (!exists) {
             ui.appendSingleMessage({ ...msg, chatId: msgChatId }, activeChatState.name, (await getAppUser()).id);
@@ -246,7 +239,7 @@ async function sendMessage() {
         const tempBubble = document.getElementById(tempMsg.id);
         if (tempBubble) {
             if (responseData && responseData.id) {
-                tempBubble.id = responseData.id;
+                tempBubble.id = normalizeId(responseData.id);
             }
             const meta = tempBubble.querySelector('.message-meta');
             meta.innerHTML = `<span>${formatTime(new Date())}</span><span style="width:14px; height:14px;" class="mif-done">`;
diff --git a/js/db.js b/js/db.js
index 497e74f..f1eb2a2 100644
--- a/js/db.js
+++ b/js/db.js
@@ -1,15 +1,9 @@
+import { normalizeId } from "./utils.js";
+
 const DB_NAME = "pandora";
 const DB_VERSION = 6;
 let dbPromise = null;
 
-function normalizeId(raw) {
-  if (!raw) return null;
-  if (typeof raw === 'object') {
-    return raw._serialized || raw.user || JSON.stringify(raw);
-  }
-  return raw;
-}
-
 function openDb() {
   if (dbPromise) return dbPromise;
 
@@ -120,7 +114,7 @@ function mapMessage(m) {
 
   return {
     _data: m._data,
-    id: m.id,
+    id: normalizeId(m.id),
     timestamp: m.timestamp,
     body: m.body,
     from: from,
diff --git a/js/ui.js b/js/ui.js
index 3642831..23c3fba 100644
--- a/js/ui.js
+++ b/js/ui.js
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { formatTime } from "./utils.js";
+import { formatTime, normalizeId } from "./utils.js";
 import { waha } from "./waha.js";
 import { config } from "./config.js";
 import { getChatPicture, getMessage, getMedia, getMoreChatMessages } from "./storage.js";
@@ -209,7 +209,7 @@ export const ui = {
         
         const groupDiv = document.createElement('div');
         groupDiv.className = `message-group ${isOutgoing ? 'outgoing' : 'incoming'}`;
-        groupDiv.id = msg.id;
+        groupDiv.id = normalizeId(msg._serialized ? msg : msg.id);
         groupDiv.dataset.timestamp = msg.timestamp;
         groupDiv.dataset.from = msg.participant || msg.from;
         
@@ -267,7 +267,7 @@ export const ui = {
                 const clickListener = async (e) => {
                     a.removeEventListener('click', clickListener);
                     a.innerText = `[Downloading]`;
-                    const mediaMsg = msg.media ? msg : await getMessage(chatId, msg.id, true);
+                    const mediaMsg = msg.media ? msg : await getMessage(chatId, normalizeId(msg._serialized ? msg : msg.id), true);
                     if (!mediaMsg || !mediaMsg?.media.url) {
                         a.addEventListener('click', clickListener);
                         a.innerText = `[Error, click to try again]`
diff --git a/js/utils.js b/js/utils.js
index 2224108..9e8418b 100644
--- a/js/utils.js
+++ b/js/utils.js
@@ -99,4 +99,17 @@ export function getBase64(file) {
 
         reader.readAsDataURL(file);
     });
+}
+
+/**
+ * Normalize a WhatsApp ID (chatId, messageId, etc.) to its string representation
+ * @param {string|object} raw
+ * @returns {string|null}
+ */
+export function normalizeId(raw) {
+    if (!raw) return null;
+    if (typeof raw === 'object') {
+        return raw._serialized || raw.user || JSON.stringify(raw);
+    }
+    return raw;
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/js/websocket.js b/js/websocket.js
index 16cef0c..c1c0aa2 100644
--- a/js/websocket.js
+++ b/js/websocket.js
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ export const websocket = {
 
         const apiKey = config.apiKey;
         const session = config.session;
-        const events = ['session.status', 'message', 'message.any'];
+        const events = ['session.status', 'message.any'];
 
         const queryParams = new URLSearchParams();
         if (apiKey) {