diff --git a/web/components/email-verification-button.tsx b/web/components/email-verification-button.tsx
index a21c5f0..bdd6b50 100644
--- a/web/components/email-verification-button.tsx
+++ b/web/components/email-verification-button.tsx
@@ -1,19 +1,34 @@
-import {User} from 'firebase/auth'
 import {Button} from 'web/components/buttons/button'
 import {sendVerificationEmail} from 'web/lib/firebase/email-verification'
 import {useT} from 'web/lib/locale'
 import {Col} from "web/components/layout/col"
+import toast from "react-hot-toast";
+import {useFirebaseUser} from "web/hooks/use-firebase-user";
 
-export function EmailVerificationButton(props: {
-  user: User
-}) {
-  const {user} = props
+export function EmailVerificationButton() {
+  const user = useFirebaseUser()
   const t = useT()
 
-  const isEmailVerified = user.emailVerified
+  const isEmailVerified = user?.emailVerified
+
+  async function reload() {
+    if (!user) return false;
+
+    // Refresh user record from Firebase
+    await user.reload();
+
+    if (user.emailVerified) {
+      // IMPORTANT: force a new ID token with updated claims
+      await user.getIdToken(true)
+      console.log("User email verified")
+      return true
+    } else {
+      toast.error(t('', "Email still not verified..."))
+    }
+  }
 
   return (
-    <Col>
+    <Col className={'gap-2 mx-4'}>
       <Button
         color={'gray-outline'}
         onClick={() => sendVerificationEmail(user, t)}
@@ -24,6 +39,15 @@ export function EmailVerificationButton(props: {
           ? t('settings.email.verified', 'Email Verified ✔️')
           : t('settings.email.send_verification', 'Send verification email')}
       </Button>
+      <div className={'custom-link'}>
+        <button
+          type="button"
+          onClick={reload}
+          className={'w-fit mx-2'}
+        >
+          {t('settings.email.just_verified', 'I verified my email')}
+        </button>
+      </div>
     </Col>
   )
 }
diff --git a/web/components/messaging/email-verification-prompt.tsx b/web/components/messaging/email-verification-prompt.tsx
index 8675641..3d2d7b8 100644
--- a/web/components/messaging/email-verification-prompt.tsx
+++ b/web/components/messaging/email-verification-prompt.tsx
@@ -3,21 +3,19 @@ import clsx from 'clsx'
 import {EmailVerificationButton} from "web/components/email-verification-button";
 
 interface EmailVerificationPromptProps {
-  firebaseUser: any
   t: any
   className?: string
 }
 
 export function EmailVerificationPrompt(
   {
-    firebaseUser,
     t,
     className
   }: EmailVerificationPromptProps) {
   return (
     <Col className={clsx('gap-4 max-w-xl', className)}>
       <h3>{t('messaging.email_verification_required', "You must verify your email to message people.")}</h3>
-      <EmailVerificationButton user={firebaseUser}/>
+      <EmailVerificationButton/>
     </Col>
   )
 }
diff --git a/web/components/messaging/send-message-button.tsx b/web/components/messaging/send-message-button.tsx
index 1c2bd50..3ef9cf1 100644
--- a/web/components/messaging/send-message-button.tsx
+++ b/web/components/messaging/send-message-button.tsx
@@ -15,10 +15,11 @@ import {MAX_COMMENT_LENGTH} from 'common/comment'
 import {CommentInputTextArea} from 'web/components/comments/comment-input'
 import {Title} from 'web/components/widgets/title'
 import {Row} from 'web/components/layout/row'
-import {auth, firebaseLogin} from 'web/lib/firebase/users'
+import {firebaseLogin} from 'web/lib/firebase/users'
 import {useT} from 'web/lib/locale'
 import {Tooltip} from "web/components/widgets/tooltip";
 import {EmailVerificationPrompt} from 'web/components/messaging/email-verification-prompt'
+import {useFirebaseUser} from "web/hooks/use-firebase-user";
 
 export const SendMessageButton = (props: {
   toUser: User
@@ -27,7 +28,7 @@ export const SendMessageButton = (props: {
   circleButton?: boolean
 }) => {
   const {toUser, currentUser, includeLabel, circleButton} = props
-  const firebaseUser = auth.currentUser
+  const firebaseUser = useFirebaseUser()
   const router = useRouter()
   const privateUser = usePrivateUser()
   const channelMemberships = useSortedPrivateMessageMemberships(currentUser?.id)
@@ -132,7 +133,7 @@ export const SendMessageButton = (props: {
               isSubmitting={!editor || submitting}
               submitOnEnter={false}
             /> :
-            <EmailVerificationPrompt firebaseUser={firebaseUser} t={t} className='max-w-xl'/>
+            <EmailVerificationPrompt t={t} className='max-w-xl'/>
           }
           <span className={'text-red-500'}>{error}</span>
         </Col>
diff --git a/web/hooks/use-firebase-user.ts b/web/hooks/use-firebase-user.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..769f862
--- /dev/null
+++ b/web/hooks/use-firebase-user.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+import {useEffect, useState} from 'react'
+import {onAuthStateChanged, onIdTokenChanged, User} from 'firebase/auth'
+import {auth} from 'web/lib/firebase/users'
+
+/**
+ * Subscribe to Firebase Auth user updates.
+ * Reactively returns the current Firebase `User` and updates when:
+ * - auth state changes (sign in/out)
+ * - ID token changes (after `getIdToken(true)` or `user.reload()`),
+ *   which is important for reflecting `emailVerified` changes without a hard refresh.
+ */
+export function useFirebaseUser() {
+  const [, forceRender] = useState(0);
+  const [firebaseUser, setFirebaseUser] = useState<User | null>(auth.currentUser);
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const update = (u: User | null) => {
+      setFirebaseUser(u);      // keep the real User instance
+      forceRender(v => v + 1); // force React to re-render
+    };
+
+    const unsubAuth = onAuthStateChanged(auth, update);
+    const unsubToken = onIdTokenChanged(auth, update);
+
+    return () => {
+      unsubAuth();
+      unsubToken();
+    };
+  }, []);
+
+  return firebaseUser;
+}
diff --git a/web/lib/firebase/email-verification.ts b/web/lib/firebase/email-verification.ts
index 82c5b64..ce57e60 100644
--- a/web/lib/firebase/email-verification.ts
+++ b/web/lib/firebase/email-verification.ts
@@ -1,10 +1,9 @@
 import toast from "react-hot-toast";
 import {sendEmailVerification, User} from "firebase/auth";
-import {auth} from "web/lib/firebase/users";
 
 
 export const sendVerificationEmail = async (
-  user: User,
+  user: User | null,
   t: any
 ) => {
   // if (!privateUser?.email) {
@@ -15,6 +14,10 @@ export const sendVerificationEmail = async (
     toast.error(t('settings.email.must_sign_in', 'You must be signed in to send a verification email.'))
     return
   }
+  if (user?.emailVerified) {
+    toast.success(t('settings.email.verified', 'Email Verified ✔️'))
+    return true
+  }
   toast
     .promise(sendEmailVerification(user), {
       loading: t('settings.email.sending', 'Sending verification email...'),
@@ -33,7 +36,6 @@ export const sendVerificationEmail = async (
     const start = Date.now();
 
     while (Date.now() - start < timeoutMs) {
-      const user = auth.currentUser;
       if (!user) return false;
 
       // Refresh user record from Firebase
@@ -41,9 +43,9 @@ export const sendVerificationEmail = async (
 
       if (user.emailVerified) {
         // IMPORTANT: force a new ID token with updated claims
-        await user.getIdToken(true);
+        await user.getIdToken(true)
         toast.success(t('settings.email.verified', 'Email Verified ✔️'))
-        return true;
+        return true
       }
 
       await new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, intervalMs));
diff --git a/web/pages/messages/index.tsx b/web/pages/messages/index.tsx
index d802e2b..4e690d9 100644
--- a/web/pages/messages/index.tsx
+++ b/web/pages/messages/index.tsx
@@ -22,15 +22,15 @@ import {BannedBadge} from 'web/components/widgets/user-link'
 import {PrivateMessageChannel} from 'common/supabase/private-messages'
 import {SEO} from "web/components/SEO";
 import {useT} from 'web/lib/locale'
-import {auth} from "web/lib/firebase/users";
 import {EmailVerificationPrompt} from "web/components/messaging/email-verification-prompt";
+import {useFirebaseUser} from 'web/hooks/use-firebase-user'
 
 
 export default function MessagesPage() {
   useRedirectIfSignedOut()
 
   const currentUser = useUser()
-  const firebaseUser = auth.currentUser
+  const firebaseUser = useFirebaseUser()
   const t = useT()
   return (
     <PageBase trackPageView={'messages page'} className={'p-2'}>
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ export default function MessagesPage() {
       {currentUser && firebaseUser && (
         firebaseUser?.emailVerified ?
           <MessagesContent currentUser={currentUser}/>
-          : <EmailVerificationPrompt firebaseUser={firebaseUser} t={t}/>
+          : <EmailVerificationPrompt t={t}/>
       )}
     </PageBase>
   )
diff --git a/web/pages/settings.tsx b/web/pages/settings.tsx
index 1b65ccc..0aec2da 100644
--- a/web/pages/settings.tsx
+++ b/web/pages/settings.tsx
@@ -13,7 +13,6 @@ import {deleteAccount} from "web/lib/util/delete";
 import router from "next/router";
 import {Button} from "web/components/buttons/button";
 import {updateEmail} from 'firebase/auth';
-import {auth} from "web/lib/firebase/users";
 import {NotificationSettings} from "web/components/notifications";
 import ThemeIcon from "web/components/theme-icon";
 import {WithPrivateUser} from "web/components/user/with-user";
@@ -26,6 +25,7 @@ import {EmailVerificationButton} from "web/components/email-verification-button"
 import {api} from 'web/lib/api'
 import {useUser} from "web/hooks/use-user";
 import {isNativeMobile} from "web/lib/util/webview";
+import {useFirebaseUser} from "web/hooks/use-firebase-user";
 
 export default function NotificationsPage() {
   const t = useT()
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ const LoadedGeneralSettings = (props: {
   const {register, handleSubmit, formState: {errors}, reset} = useForm<{ newEmail: string }>()
   const t = useT()
 
-  const user = auth.currentUser
+  const user = useFirebaseUser()
   if (!user) return null
 
   const handleDeleteAccount = async () => {
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ const LoadedGeneralSettings = (props: {
       <h3>{t('settings.general.account', 'Account')}</h3>
       <h5>{t('settings.general.email', 'Email')}</h5>
 
-      <EmailVerificationButton user={user}/>
+      <EmailVerificationButton/>
 
       {!isChangingEmail ? (
         <Button color={'gray-outline'} onClick={() => setIsChangingEmail(true)} className="w-fit">