diff --git a/core/compressed_translation.cpp b/core/compressed_translation.cpp
index 7dd5308fab1..73affd8fe96 100644
--- a/core/compressed_translation.cpp
+++ b/core/compressed_translation.cpp
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ void PHashTranslation::generate(const Ref<Translation> &p_from) {
 		if (ps.orig_len != 0) {
 			CharString dst_s;
 			dst_s.resize(src_s.size());
-			int ret = smaz_compress(src_s.get_data(), src_s.size(), &dst_s[0], src_s.size());
+			int ret = smaz_compress(src_s.get_data(), src_s.size(), dst_s.ptrw(), src_s.size());
 			if (ret >= src_s.size()) {
 				//if compressed is larger than original, just use original
 				ps.orig_len = src_s.size();
diff --git a/core/ustring.cpp b/core/ustring.cpp
index 3f017fa985f..083a1eaed6d 100644
--- a/core/ustring.cpp
+++ b/core/ustring.cpp
@@ -179,7 +179,7 @@ void String::copy_from_unchecked(const CharType *p_char, const int p_length) {
 	resize(p_length + 1);
 	set(p_length, 0);
 
-	CharType *dst = &operator[](0);
+	CharType *dst = ptrw();
 
 	for (int i = 0; i < p_length; i++) {
 		dst[i] = p_char[i];
@@ -250,7 +250,7 @@ String &String::operator+=(const String &p_str) {
 	resize(length() + p_str.size());
 
 	const CharType *src = p_str.c_str();
-	CharType *dst = &operator[](0);
+	CharType *dst = ptrw();
 
 	set(length(), 0);
 
@@ -289,7 +289,7 @@ String &String::operator+=(const char *p_str) {
 
 	resize(from + src_len + 1);
 
-	CharType *dst = &operator[](0);
+	CharType *dst = ptrw();
 
 	set(length(), 0);
 
@@ -1431,7 +1431,7 @@ bool String::parse_utf8(const char *p_utf8, int p_len) {
 	}
 
 	resize(str_size + 1);
-	CharType *dst = &operator[](0);
+	CharType *dst = ptrw();
 	dst[str_size] = 0;
 
 	while (cstr_size) {
@@ -3476,7 +3476,7 @@ String String::xml_unescape() const {
 	if (len == 0)
 		return String();
 	str.resize(len + 1);
-	_xml_unescape(c_str(), l, &str[0]);
+	_xml_unescape(c_str(), l, str.ptrw());
 	str[len] = 0;
 	return str;
 }
diff --git a/core/ustring.h b/core/ustring.h
index 8e4dbd80311..e7b13027ead 100644
--- a/core/ustring.h
+++ b/core/ustring.h
@@ -40,6 +40,36 @@
 	@author Juan Linietsky <reduzio@gmail.com>
 */
 
+template <class T>
+class CharProxy {
+	friend class CharString;
+	friend class String;
+
+	const int _index;
+	CowData<T> &_cowdata;
+
+	_FORCE_INLINE_ CharProxy(const int &p_index, CowData<T> &cowdata) :
+			_index(p_index),
+			_cowdata(cowdata) {}
+
+public:
+	_FORCE_INLINE_ operator T() const {
+		return _cowdata.get(_index);
+	}
+
+	_FORCE_INLINE_ const T *operator&() const {
+		return _cowdata.ptr() + _index;
+	}
+
+	_FORCE_INLINE_ void operator=(const T &other) const {
+		_cowdata.set(_index, other);
+	}
+
+	_FORCE_INLINE_ void operator=(const CharProxy<T> &other) const {
+		_cowdata.set(_index, other.operator T());
+	}
+};
+
 class CharString {
 
 	CowData<char> _cowdata;
@@ -53,8 +83,8 @@ public:
 	_FORCE_INLINE_ char get(int p_index) { return _cowdata.get(p_index); }
 	_FORCE_INLINE_ const char get(int p_index) const { return _cowdata.get(p_index); }
 	_FORCE_INLINE_ void set(int p_index, const char &p_elem) { _cowdata.set(p_index, p_elem); }
-	_FORCE_INLINE_ char &operator[](int p_index) { return _cowdata.get_m(p_index); }
 	_FORCE_INLINE_ const char &operator[](int p_index) const { return _cowdata.get(p_index); }
+	_FORCE_INLINE_ CharProxy<char> operator[](int p_index) { return CharProxy<char>(p_index, _cowdata); }
 
 	_FORCE_INLINE_ CharString() {}
 	_FORCE_INLINE_ CharString(const CharString &p_str) { _cowdata._ref(p_str._cowdata); }
@@ -107,8 +137,9 @@ public:
 	_FORCE_INLINE_ void set(int p_index, const CharType &p_elem) { _cowdata.set(p_index, p_elem); }
 	_FORCE_INLINE_ int size() const { return _cowdata.size(); }
 	Error resize(int p_size) { return _cowdata.resize(p_size); }
-	_FORCE_INLINE_ CharType &operator[](int p_index) { return _cowdata.get_m(p_index); }
+
 	_FORCE_INLINE_ const CharType &operator[](int p_index) const { return _cowdata.get(p_index); }
+	_FORCE_INLINE_ CharProxy<CharType> operator[](int p_index) { return CharProxy<CharType>(p_index, _cowdata); }
 
 	bool operator==(const String &p_str) const;
 	bool operator!=(const String &p_str) const;
diff --git a/modules/gdnative/gdnative/string.cpp b/modules/gdnative/gdnative/string.cpp
index 0996633b707..c0c7ab5420c 100644
--- a/modules/gdnative/gdnative/string.cpp
+++ b/modules/gdnative/gdnative/string.cpp
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ void GDAPI godot_string_new_with_wide_string(godot_string *r_dest, const wchar_t
 	memnew_placement(dest, String(p_contents, p_size));
 }
 
-wchar_t GDAPI *godot_string_operator_index(godot_string *p_self, const godot_int p_idx) {
+const wchar_t GDAPI *godot_string_operator_index(godot_string *p_self, const godot_int p_idx) {
 	String *self = (String *)p_self;
 	return &(self->operator[](p_idx));
 }
diff --git a/modules/gdnative/gdnative_api.json b/modules/gdnative/gdnative_api.json
index c5a1fa139ef..df7110f075a 100644
--- a/modules/gdnative/gdnative_api.json
+++ b/modules/gdnative/gdnative_api.json
@@ -4755,7 +4755,7 @@
       },
       {
         "name": "godot_string_operator_index",
-        "return_type": "wchar_t *",
+        "return_type": "const wchar_t *",
         "arguments": [
           ["godot_string *", "p_self"],
           ["const godot_int", "p_idx"]
diff --git a/modules/gdnative/include/gdnative/string.h b/modules/gdnative/include/gdnative/string.h
index 95ae42a9ec9..2ca9fd9e15d 100644
--- a/modules/gdnative/include/gdnative/string.h
+++ b/modules/gdnative/include/gdnative/string.h
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ void GDAPI godot_string_new(godot_string *r_dest);
 void GDAPI godot_string_new_copy(godot_string *r_dest, const godot_string *p_src);
 void GDAPI godot_string_new_with_wide_string(godot_string *r_dest, const wchar_t *p_contents, const int p_size);
 
-wchar_t GDAPI *godot_string_operator_index(godot_string *p_self, const godot_int p_idx);
+const wchar_t GDAPI *godot_string_operator_index(godot_string *p_self, const godot_int p_idx);
 wchar_t GDAPI godot_string_operator_index_const(const godot_string *p_self, const godot_int p_idx);
 const wchar_t GDAPI *godot_string_wide_str(const godot_string *p_self);
 
diff --git a/modules/mono/mono_gd/gd_mono_marshal.cpp b/modules/mono/mono_gd/gd_mono_marshal.cpp
index 3f0a5d6e500..b0b2aec667d 100644
--- a/modules/mono/mono_gd/gd_mono_marshal.cpp
+++ b/modules/mono/mono_gd/gd_mono_marshal.cpp
@@ -216,7 +216,7 @@ String mono_to_utf16_string(MonoString *p_mono_string) {
 	ret.set(len, 0);
 
 	CharType *src = (CharType *)mono_string_chars(p_mono_string);
-	CharType *dst = &(ret.operator[](0));
+	CharType *dst = ret.ptrw();
 
 	for (int i = 0; i < len; i++) {
 		dst[i] = src[i];
diff --git a/platform/iphone/gl_view.mm b/platform/iphone/gl_view.mm
index 054c066224a..92fba7224f1 100644
--- a/platform/iphone/gl_view.mm
+++ b/platform/iphone/gl_view.mm
@@ -583,7 +583,7 @@ static void clear_touches() {
 	character.parse_utf8([p_text UTF8String]);
 	keyboard_text = keyboard_text + character;
 	OSIPhone::get_singleton()->key(character[0] == 10 ? KEY_ENTER : character[0], true);
-	printf("inserting text with character %i\n", character[0]);
+	printf("inserting text with character %lc\n", (CharType)character[0]);
 };
 
 - (void)audioRouteChangeListenerCallback:(NSNotification *)notification {