diff --git a/src/hooks/__tests__/use-state-string.test.tsx b/src/hooks/__tests__/use-state-string.test.tsx
index 713e58e4..e4d51305 100644
--- a/src/hooks/__tests__/use-state-string.test.tsx
+++ b/src/hooks/__tests__/use-state-string.test.tsx
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ describe('use-state-string', () => {
     container.remove();
   });
 
-  it('formats client state strings with normalized hostnames', () => {
+  it('formats client state strings with friendly names and via IPFS', () => {
     testState.clientsStates = {
       'fetching-ipns': ['https://rpc.example.com/path', 'https://ipfs.io/api'],
       'resolving-address': ['https://ens.example.com'],
@@ -85,19 +85,19 @@ describe('use-state-string', () => {
       root.render(createElement(StateStringHarness, { value: { state: 'updating' } }));
     });
 
-    expect(latestValue).toBe('Fetching IPNS from rpc.example.com, ipfs.io, resolving address from ens.example.com');
+    expect(latestValue).toBe('Resolving address, downloading board via IPFS');
   });
 
   it('falls back to publishing and updating states when no client states are available', () => {
     act(() => {
       root.render(createElement(StateStringHarness, { value: { publishingState: 'fetching-ipfs', state: 'publishing' } }));
     });
-    expect(latestValue).toBe('Downloading thread');
+    expect(latestValue).toBe('Downloading thread via IPFS');
 
     act(() => {
       root.render(createElement(StateStringHarness, { value: { state: 'updating', updatingState: 'fetching-ipns' } }));
     });
-    expect(latestValue).toBe('Downloading board');
+    expect(latestValue).toBe('Downloading board via IPFS');
   });
 
   it('sanitizes single-board feed state strings to board wording', () => {
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ describe('use-state-string', () => {
       root.render(createElement(FeedStateStringHarness, { addresses: ['music-posting.eth'] }));
     });
 
-    expect(latestValue).toBe('Downloading board');
+    expect(latestValue).toBe('Downloading board via IPFS');
   });
 
   it('aggregates multi-board feed states across address resolution, threads, and pages', () => {
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ describe('use-state-string', () => {
       root.render(createElement(FeedStateStringHarness, { addresses: ['music-posting.eth', 'tech-posting.eth'] }));
     });
 
-    expect(latestValue).toBe('Resolving 2 addresses from ens.example.com, downloading 2 boards, 1 threads, 1 page from gateway.example.com, ipfs.io');
+    expect(latestValue).toBe('Resolving 2 board addresses, downloading 2 boards (music-posting.eth, tech-posting.eth), 1 thread, 1 page via IPFS');
   });
 
   it('shows an immediate board-specific loading string before detailed multi-board states arrive', () => {
@@ -145,6 +145,17 @@ describe('use-state-string', () => {
       root.render(createElement(FeedStateStringHarness, { addresses: ['music-posting.eth', 'tech-posting.eth'] }));
     });
 
-    expect(latestValue).toBe('Downloading 2 boards');
+    expect(latestValue).toBe('Downloading 2 boards (music-posting.eth, tech-posting.eth)');
+  });
+
+  it('shortens long hash addresses in board list using getShortAddress', () => {
+    const longAddr1 = 'AdnytMQQMvAkG3XbzoVyAE6YLmHuG3UDigUC';
+    const longAddr2 = 'NFgjQWX2EUEsZbzoVyAE6YLmHuG3UDigUCxx';
+
+    act(() => {
+      root.render(createElement(FeedStateStringHarness, { addresses: [longAddr1, longAddr2] }));
+    });
+
+    expect(latestValue).toBe('Downloading 2 boards (MvAkG3XbzoVy, EUEsZbzoVyAE)');
   });
 });
diff --git a/src/hooks/use-state-string.ts b/src/hooks/use-state-string.ts
index 507b664b..2c360108 100644
--- a/src/hooks/use-state-string.ts
+++ b/src/hooks/use-state-string.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import { useMemo } from 'react';
 import { useClientsStates, useSubplebbit, useSubplebbitsStates } from '@bitsocialnet/bitsocial-react-hooks';
 import debounce from 'lodash/debounce';
+import getShortAddress from '../lib/get-short-address';
 
 interface CommentOrSubplebbit {
   state?: string;
@@ -12,19 +13,19 @@ interface States {
   [key: string]: string[];
 }
 
-const clientHosts: { [key: string]: string } = {};
-
-const getClientHost = (clientUrl: string): string => {
-  if (!clientHosts[clientUrl]) {
-    try {
-      clientHosts[clientUrl] = new URL(clientUrl).hostname || clientUrl;
-    } catch {
-      clientHosts[clientUrl] = clientUrl;
-    }
-  }
-  return clientHosts[clientUrl];
+const friendlyStateNames: Record<string, string> = {
+  'fetching-ipns': 'downloading board',
+  'fetching-ipfs': 'downloading thread',
+  'fetching-subplebbit-ipns': 'downloading board',
+  'fetching-subplebbit-ipfs': 'downloading board',
+  'fetching-update-ipfs': 'downloading update',
+  'resolving-address': 'resolving address',
+  'resolving-subplebbit-address': 'resolving board address',
+  'resolving-author-address': 'resolving author address',
 };
 
+const getFriendlyStateName = (state: string): string => friendlyStateNames[state] || state.replaceAll('-', ' ');
+
 const sanitizeSingleFeedLoadingState = (stateString?: string): string | undefined => {
   if (!stateString) {
     return stateString;
@@ -47,21 +48,25 @@ const useStateString = (commentOrSubplebbit: CommentOrSubplebbit): string | unde
 
   return useMemo(() => {
     let stateString: string | undefined = '';
+    const resolvingParts: string[] = [];
+    const downloadingParts: string[] = [];
 
     for (const state in debouncedStates) {
-      const clientUrls = debouncedStates[state];
-      const clientHosts = clientUrls.map((clientUrl: string) => getClientHost(clientUrl));
-
-      if (clientHosts.length === 0) {
-        continue;
+      if (debouncedStates[state].length === 0) continue;
+      const friendlyName = getFriendlyStateName(state);
+      if (state.includes('resolving')) {
+        resolvingParts.push(friendlyName);
+      } else {
+        downloadingParts.push(friendlyName);
       }
+    }
 
-      if (stateString) {
-        stateString += ', ';
-      }
-
-      const formattedState = state.replaceAll('-', ' ').replace('ipfs', 'IPFS').replace('ipns', 'IPNS');
-      stateString += `${formattedState} from ${clientHosts.join(', ')}`;
+    if (resolvingParts.length) {
+      stateString = resolvingParts.join(', ');
+    }
+    if (downloadingParts.length) {
+      if (stateString) stateString += ', ';
+      stateString += downloadingParts.join(', ') + ' via IPFS';
     }
 
     if (!stateString && commentOrSubplebbit?.state !== 'succeeded') {
@@ -71,6 +76,7 @@ const useStateString = (commentOrSubplebbit: CommentOrSubplebbit): string | unde
         stateString = commentOrSubplebbit?.updatingState;
       }
       if (stateString) {
+        const isIpfsRelated = stateString.includes('ipfs') || stateString.includes('ipns');
         stateString = stateString
           .replaceAll('-', ' ')
           .replace('ipfs', 'thread')
@@ -78,6 +84,9 @@ const useStateString = (commentOrSubplebbit: CommentOrSubplebbit): string | unde
           .replace('fetching', 'downloading')
           .replace('subplebbit subplebbit', 'board')
           .replace('downloading subplebbit', 'downloading board');
+        if (isIpfsRelated) {
+          stateString += ' via IPFS';
+        }
       }
     }
 
@@ -103,62 +112,52 @@ export const useFeedStateString = (subplebbitAddresses?: string[]): string | und
       return;
     }
 
-    // e.g. Resolving 2 addresses from infura.io, fetching 2 IPNS, 1 IPFS from cloudflare-ipfs.com, ipfs.io
     let stateString = '';
 
     if (states['resolving-address']) {
       const { subplebbitAddresses, clientUrls } = states['resolving-address'];
       if (subplebbitAddresses.length && clientUrls.length) {
-        stateString += `resolving ${subplebbitAddresses.length} ${subplebbitAddresses.length === 1 ? 'address' : 'addresses'} from ${clientUrls
-          .map(getClientHost)
-          .join(', ')}`;
+        const count = subplebbitAddresses.length;
+        stateString += `resolving ${count} board ${count === 1 ? 'address' : 'addresses'}`;
       }
     }
 
-    // find all page client and sub addresses
-    const pagesStatesClientHosts = new Set();
-    const pagesStatesSubplebbitAddresses = new Set();
+    const pagesStatesSubplebbitAddresses = new Set<string>();
     for (const state in states) {
       if (state.match('page')) {
-        states[state].clientUrls.forEach((clientUrl) => pagesStatesClientHosts.add(getClientHost(clientUrl)));
-        states[state].subplebbitAddresses.forEach((subplebbitAddress) => pagesStatesSubplebbitAddresses.add(subplebbitAddress));
+        states[state].subplebbitAddresses.forEach((subplebbitAddress: string) => pagesStatesSubplebbitAddresses.add(subplebbitAddress));
       }
     }
 
     if (states['fetching-ipns'] || states['fetching-ipfs'] || pagesStatesSubplebbitAddresses.size) {
-      // separate 2 different states using ', '
-      if (stateString) {
-        stateString += ', ';
+      if (stateString) stateString += ', ';
+      stateString += 'downloading ';
+      if (states['fetching-ipns']) {
+        const count = states['fetching-ipns'].subplebbitAddresses.length;
+        stateString += `${count} ${count === 1 ? 'board' : 'boards'}`;
+        if (count <= 5) {
+          stateString += ` (${states['fetching-ipns'].subplebbitAddresses.map((a: string) => getShortAddress(a) || a).join(', ')})`;
+        }
       }
-
-      // find all client urls
-      const clientHosts = new Set(pagesStatesClientHosts);
-      states['fetching-ipns']?.clientUrls.forEach((clientUrl) => clientHosts.add(getClientHost(clientUrl)));
-      states['fetching-ipfs']?.clientUrls.forEach((clientUrl) => clientHosts.add(getClientHost(clientUrl)));
-
-      if (clientHosts.size) {
-        stateString += 'downloading ';
-        if (states['fetching-ipns']) {
-          stateString += `${states['fetching-ipns'].subplebbitAddresses.length} boards`;
-        }
-        if (states['fetching-ipfs']) {
-          if (states['fetching-ipns']) {
-            stateString += ', ';
-          }
-          stateString += `${states['fetching-ipfs'].subplebbitAddresses.length} threads`;
-        }
-        if (pagesStatesSubplebbitAddresses.size) {
-          if (states['fetching-ipns'] || states['fetching-ipfs']) {
-            stateString += ', ';
-          }
-          stateString += `${pagesStatesSubplebbitAddresses.size} ${pagesStatesSubplebbitAddresses.size === 1 ? 'page' : 'pages'}`;
-        }
-        stateString += ` from ${[...clientHosts].join(', ')}`;
+      if (states['fetching-ipfs']) {
+        if (states['fetching-ipns']) stateString += ', ';
+        const count = states['fetching-ipfs'].subplebbitAddresses.length;
+        stateString += `${count} ${count === 1 ? 'thread' : 'threads'}`;
       }
+      if (pagesStatesSubplebbitAddresses.size) {
+        if (states['fetching-ipns'] || states['fetching-ipfs']) stateString += ', ';
+        const count = pagesStatesSubplebbitAddresses.size;
+        stateString += `${count} ${count === 1 ? 'page' : 'pages'}`;
+      }
+      stateString += ' via IPFS';
     }
 
     if (!stateString && subplebbitAddresses?.length) {
-      stateString = `downloading ${subplebbitAddresses.length} boards`;
+      const count = subplebbitAddresses.length;
+      stateString = `downloading ${count} ${count === 1 ? 'board' : 'boards'}`;
+      if (count <= 5) {
+        stateString += ` (${subplebbitAddresses.map((a) => getShortAddress(a) || a).join(', ')})`;
+      }
     }
 
     // capitalize first letter