diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 29b81ae4e4..6fccdc3c40 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -64,6 +64,9 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 - Fixed several underallocation issues that could trigger data corruption on `binary:replace`, `zlib:compress` and bsd socket recv code.
 - Fixed a bug where `catch` would raise on regular atom results
 - Fixed ESP32 socket driver holding the global socket-list lock across blocking TCP connects, leaking the port on connect failure, losing concurrent `accept` waiters, leaking `netbuf` on receive error paths, and a recycled-`netconn` race between socket close and the event handler
+- Fixed `timer_manager:send_after/3` (and therefore `erlang:send_after/3` and `timer:send_after/2,3`)
+  returning a reference that was never registered with the timer manager, so `cancel_timer/1` always
+  returned `false` and the scheduled message was delivered regardless of cancellation
 
 ## [0.7.0-alpha.1] - 2026-04-06
 
diff --git a/libs/eavmlib/src/timer_manager.erl b/libs/eavmlib/src/timer_manager.erl
index 6154c94c52..aa239e87ac 100644
--- a/libs/eavmlib/src/timer_manager.erl
+++ b/libs/eavmlib/src/timer_manager.erl
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
 
 -export([start/0, start_timer/3, cancel_timer/1, get_timer_refs/0, send_after/3]).
 -export([init/1, handle_call/3, handle_cast/2, handle_info/2, terminate/2]).
--export([run_timer/5, send_after_timer/3]).
+-export([run_timer/6]).
 
 -record(state, {
     timers = [] :: [{reference(), pid()}]
@@ -57,10 +57,11 @@ maybe_start() ->
     TimerRef :: reference().
 start_timer(Time, Dest, Msg) ->
     maybe_start(),
-    gen_server:call(?SERVER_NAME, {Time, Dest, Msg}).
+    gen_server:call(?SERVER_NAME, {start_timer, Time, Dest, Msg}).
 
 %%-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-%% @param   TimerRef a timer reference returned from {@link start_timer/3}.
+%% @param   TimerRef a timer reference returned from {@link start_timer/3} or
+%%          {@link send_after/3}.
 %% @returns the time in milliseconds left until the timer would have expired,
 %%          or `false' if the timer was not found.
 %% @doc     Cancel a timer.
@@ -81,14 +82,16 @@ get_timer_refs() ->
 %% @param   Dest Pid or server name to which to send the message.
 %% @param   Msg Message to send to Dest after Time ms.
 %% @returns a reference that can be used to cancel the timer, if desired.
-%% @doc     Send Msg to Dest after Time ms.
+%% @doc     Send Msg to Dest after Time ms.  Unlike {@link start_timer/3}, the
+%%          bare Msg is delivered (not wrapped in a `{timeout, Ref, Msg}'
+%%          tuple).  The returned reference is registered with the timer
+%%          manager and can be cancelled with {@link cancel_timer/1}.
 %% @end
 %%-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 -spec send_after(non_neg_integer(), pid() | atom(), term()) -> reference().
 send_after(Time, Dest, Msg) ->
-    TimerRef = erlang:make_ref(),
-    spawn(?MODULE, send_after_timer, [Time, Dest, Msg]),
-    TimerRef.
+    maybe_start(),
+    gen_server:call(?SERVER_NAME, {send_after, Time, Dest, Msg}).
 
 %%
 %% ?GEN_SERVER callbacks
@@ -111,8 +114,11 @@ handle_call({cancel, TimerRef}, From, #state{timers = Timers} = State) ->
             NewTimers = lists:keyreplace(Pid, 2, Timers, {{canceled, From}, Pid}),
             {noreply, State#state{timers = NewTimers}}
     end;
-handle_call({Time, Dest, Msg}, _From, #state{timers = Timers} = State) ->
-    {TimerRef, Pid} = do_start_timer(Time, Dest, Msg),
+handle_call({start_timer, Time, Dest, Msg}, _From, #state{timers = Timers} = State) ->
+    {TimerRef, Pid} = do_start_timer(Time, Dest, Msg, wrapped),
+    {reply, TimerRef, State#state{timers = [{TimerRef, Pid} | Timers]}};
+handle_call({send_after, Time, Dest, Msg}, _From, #state{timers = Timers} = State) ->
+    {TimerRef, Pid} = do_start_timer(Time, Dest, Msg, bare),
     {reply, TimerRef, State#state{timers = [{TimerRef, Pid} | Timers]}}.
 
 %% @hidden
@@ -153,13 +159,13 @@ terminate(_Reason, _State) ->
 %% internal functions
 
 %% @private
-do_start_timer(Time, Dest, Msg) ->
+do_start_timer(Time, Dest, Msg, Mode) ->
     TimerRef = erlang:make_ref(),
-    Pid = spawn(?MODULE, run_timer, [self(), Time, TimerRef, Dest, Msg]),
+    Pid = spawn(?MODULE, run_timer, [self(), Time, TimerRef, Dest, Msg, Mode]),
     {TimerRef, Pid}.
 
 %% @private
-run_timer(MgrPid, Time, TimerRef, Dest, Msg) ->
+run_timer(MgrPid, Time, TimerRef, Dest, Msg, Mode) ->
     Start = erlang:system_time(millisecond),
     receive
         {cancel, From} ->
@@ -167,13 +173,8 @@ run_timer(MgrPid, Time, TimerRef, Dest, Msg) ->
             gen_server:reply(From, Time - (erlang:system_time(millisecond) - Start))
     after Time ->
         MgrPid ! {fired, self()},
-        Dest ! {timeout, TimerRef, Msg}
-    end.
-
-%% @private
-send_after_timer(Time, Dest, Msg) ->
-    TimerRef = start_timer(Time, self(), Msg),
-    receive
-        {timeout, TimerRef, Msg} ->
-            Dest ! Msg
+        case Mode of
+            wrapped -> Dest ! {timeout, TimerRef, Msg};
+            bare -> Dest ! Msg
+        end
     end.
diff --git a/tests/libs/eavmlib/test_timer_manager.erl b/tests/libs/eavmlib/test_timer_manager.erl
index edb9501fcc..1af6b0a784 100644
--- a/tests/libs/eavmlib/test_timer_manager.erl
+++ b/tests/libs/eavmlib/test_timer_manager.erl
@@ -28,6 +28,8 @@ test() ->
     ok = test_cancel_timer_after_expiry(),
     ok = test_erlang_cancel_timer(),
     pong = test_send_after(),
+    ok = test_cancel_send_after(),
+    ok = test_cancel_send_after_suppresses_message(),
     ok.
 
 -include("etest.hrl").
@@ -73,6 +75,33 @@ test_send_after() ->
     timer_manager:send_after(100, self(), ping),
     pong = wait_for_timeout(ping, 5000).
 
+%% Regression: the reference returned by send_after/3 must be a registered,
+%% cancellable timer. It previously returned a throwaway ref that was never
+%% in the timer table, so cancel_timer/1 always returned false.
+test_cancel_send_after() ->
+    ?ASSERT_MATCH(timer_manager:get_timer_refs(), []),
+    TimerRef = timer_manager:send_after(60000, self(), test_cancel_send_after),
+    ?ASSERT_MATCH(timer_manager:get_timer_refs(), [TimerRef]),
+    R = timer_manager:cancel_timer(TimerRef),
+    ?ASSERT_TRUE(is_integer(R)),
+    ?ASSERT_TRUE(R > 0),
+    ?ASSERT_MATCH(timer_manager:get_timer_refs(), []),
+    R2 = timer_manager:cancel_timer(TimerRef),
+    ?ASSERT_EQUALS(false, R2),
+    ok.
+
+%% Regression: cancelling a send_after/3 timer must actually stop the message
+%% from being delivered. It previously fired regardless of the cancel.
+test_cancel_send_after_suppresses_message() ->
+    ?ASSERT_MATCH(timer_manager:get_timer_refs(), []),
+    TimerRef = timer_manager:send_after(100, self(), should_not_arrive),
+    _ = timer_manager:cancel_timer(TimerRef),
+    receive
+        should_not_arrive -> throw(timer_fired_despite_cancel)
+    after 500 -> ok
+    end,
+    ok.
+
 wait_for_timeout(Msg, Timeout) ->
     receive
         {timeout, _TimerRef, Msg} ->