diff --git a/server/public/home.html b/server/public/home.html
index 7158a19..07be1dc 100644
--- a/server/public/home.html
+++ b/server/public/home.html
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 <html lang="en">
 <head>
 <meta charset="UTF-8">
-<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1, viewport-fit=cover">
+<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1, maximum-scale=1, user-scalable=no, viewport-fit=cover">
 <title>Biz Connect</title>
 <!-- PWA: installable on Android & iOS ("Add to Home Screen"); also enables iOS web push -->
 <link rel="manifest" href="/manifest.json">
@@ -1028,7 +1028,10 @@
        That zoom scales & offsets the visual viewport (vvW 428→394, vvTop→74 in the device report), which
        scrambled every keyboard/safe-area calculation. Forcing 16px on all form fields stops the zoom, so
        the keyboard behaves predictably and the composer sits correctly. This is THE keyboard root cause. */
-    input,textarea,select{font-size:16px !important;}  /* !important: beats .composer-row textarea{.92rem} etc. — any <16px focus re-triggers the iOS zoom */
+    /* iOS zoom is now disabled via the viewport meta (maximum-scale=1), so inputs can keep their real
+       size — no font-size override needed. touch-action:manipulation also removes the double-tap-to-zoom
+       gesture on controls (e.g. the in-chat search up/down arrows). */
+    button,a,.iconbtn,.ic-btn,.railbtn,.chat-row,[role=button]{touch-action:manipulation;}
     /* #3: kill any horizontal drift on phones (long content, over-wide children, safe-area math) — the
        page must never pan left/right. Clip every scroll surface and let long words/URLs wrap. */
     html,body{overflow-x:hidden;}
@@ -1120,7 +1123,7 @@
 </head>
 <body>
 <script src="/icons.js?v=6"></script>
-<script>window.__BUILD='2026-07-18-batch113';console.log('%cBiz Connect','color:#1F3B73;font-weight:bold','build '+window.__BUILD);
+<script>window.__BUILD='2026-07-18-batch114';console.log('%cBiz Connect','color:#1F3B73;font-weight:bold','build '+window.__BUILD);
 // Emoji are rendered with the OS's own (colour) emoji font — instant, zero network.
 //
 // We used to run Twemoji over every emoji, which swapped each one for an <img> pulled INDIVIDUALLY from
@@ -2688,18 +2691,12 @@ function renderThread(keepScroll){
       // the newest message, no hide/reveal, so there's no second flash/"dance".
       box.scrollTop=box.scrollHeight; requestAnimationFrame(()=>{ const b=document.getElementById('msgs'); if(b) b.scrollTop=b.scrollHeight; });
     } else {
-      // #7: FIRST render of this open — keep the thread hidden until its images have loaded (or a short
-      // timeout), then jump to the newest message and reveal, so it never visibly reflows/"dances".
-      box.style.visibility='hidden'; box.scrollTop=box.scrollHeight;
-      const pending=[...box.querySelectorAll('img')].filter(im=>!im.complete);
-      const reveal=()=>{ if(_convoRevealed) return; _convoRevealed=true; const b=document.getElementById('msgs'); if(!b) return; if(!b.querySelector('.new-sep')) b.scrollTop=b.scrollHeight; b.style.visibility='visible'; };
-      if(!pending.length){ requestAnimationFrame(reveal); }
-      else {
-        let left=pending.length;
-        const one=()=>{ if(--left<=0) reveal(); };
-        pending.forEach(im=>{ const h=()=>{ im.removeEventListener('load',h); im.removeEventListener('error',h); one(); }; im.addEventListener('load',h); im.addEventListener('error',h); });
-        setTimeout(reveal, 700); // never wait longer than this for slow images
-      }
+      // #7: FIRST render — show the newest message IMMEDIATELY (visible), so the slide-in transition
+      // reveals real content rather than an empty pane that then pops (that was the "jumping" feel). The
+      // pin schedule + image-load pins in openConvo keep it glued to the bottom as late images load, so it
+      // still doesn't dance.
+      _convoRevealed=true; box.style.visibility='visible'; box.scrollTop=box.scrollHeight;
+      requestAnimationFrame(()=>{ const b=document.getElementById('msgs'); if(b && !b.querySelector('.new-sep')) b.scrollTop=b.scrollHeight; });
     }
   }
   if(_selMode) box.querySelectorAll('.bubble').forEach(b=>{ if(_selIds.has(b.dataset.id)) b.classList.add('selected'); }); // #1: keep selection across re-render
