diff --git a/apps/web/src/domains/onboarding/pages/pre-chat-flow.tsx b/apps/web/src/domains/onboarding/pages/pre-chat-flow.tsx
index c9d907fa490..f18114ef925 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/domains/onboarding/pages/pre-chat-flow.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/domains/onboarding/pages/pre-chat-flow.tsx
@@ -72,7 +72,19 @@ export function PreChatFlow() {
     (isIOSWeb && !readIOSAppDownloaded()) ||
     (isMacOSWeb && !readMacOsAppDownloaded());
 
-  const [screen, setScreen] = useState<Screen>(0);
+  // Native pre-chat restores its position across reloads via sessionStorage
+  // — without this, an iOS user who's tapped through to the vibe step and
+  // hot-reloads (or returns after the OS reclaims memory) is silently
+  // dropped back to the name step.
+  const [screen, setScreen] = useState<Screen>(() => {
+    try {
+      const saved = sessionStorage.getItem("prechat_native_screen");
+      if (saved === "1") return 1;
+    } catch {
+      // sessionStorage can throw under privacy modes — ignore.
+    }
+    return 0;
+  });
   const [selectedTools, setSelectedTools] = useState<Set<string>>(
     () => new Set(),
   );
@@ -190,6 +202,17 @@ export function PreChatFlow() {
   // ── iOS native flow: NameStep → VibeStep → Privacy → Hatching → Chat ──
   if (isNative) {
     if (screen === 0) {
+      // Both Continue and Skip advance to the vibe step and persist the
+      // position so the user lands back here on reload — shared closure
+      // keeps the two callsites from drifting.
+      const goToVibeStep = () => {
+        setScreen(1);
+        try {
+          sessionStorage.setItem("prechat_native_screen", "1");
+        } catch {
+          // ignore — see initial-state comment.
+        }
+      };
       return (
         <NameStepScreen
           userName={userName}
@@ -197,8 +220,8 @@ export function PreChatFlow() {
           displayedAssistantNames={displayedAssistantNames}
           onUserNameChange={handleUserNameChange}
           onAssistantNameChange={setAssistantName}
-          onContinue={() => setScreen(1)}
-          onSkip={() => setScreen(1)}
+          onContinue={goToVibeStep}
+          onSkip={goToVibeStep}
           currentStep={0}
           totalSteps={IOS_TOTAL_STEPS}
         />
@@ -223,13 +246,25 @@ export function PreChatFlow() {
       if (trimmedAssistant) {
         setPendingAssistantName(trimmedAssistant);
       }
+      try {
+        sessionStorage.removeItem("prechat_native_screen");
+      } catch {
+        // ignore — see initial-state comment.
+      }
       void navigate(routes.onboarding.privacy);
     };
     return (
       <VibeStepScreen
         selectedGroupId={selectedGroupId}
         onGroupChange={setSelectedGroupId}
-        onBack={() => setScreen(0)}
+        onBack={() => {
+          setScreen(0);
+          try {
+            sessionStorage.removeItem("prechat_native_screen");
+          } catch {
+            // ignore — see initial-state comment.
+          }
+        }}
         onContinue={finishNativePreChat}
         onSkip={finishNativePreChat}
         currentStep={1}
diff --git a/apps/web/src/domains/onboarding/screens/name-step-screen.tsx b/apps/web/src/domains/onboarding/screens/name-step-screen.tsx
index 5a22390f727..cea5bdf7862 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/domains/onboarding/screens/name-step-screen.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/domains/onboarding/screens/name-step-screen.tsx
@@ -34,8 +34,15 @@ export function NameStepScreen({
     <OnboardingLayout>
       <div className="mx-auto flex min-h-screen w-full max-w-md flex-col px-6 pb-40 text-[var(--content-default)]">
         <div
-          className="grid w-full grid-cols-[auto_1fr_auto] items-center pb-4 pt-4"
-          style={{ animation: "fadeInUp 0.3s ease-out 0.1s both" }}
+          className="grid w-full grid-cols-[auto_1fr_auto] items-center pb-4"
+          style={{
+            // Respect the iOS safe-area inset on top of the standard
+            // 1rem padding so the header clears the status bar / Dynamic
+            // Island instead of sliding under it.
+            paddingTop:
+              "calc(var(--safe-area-inset-top, env(safe-area-inset-top, 0px)) + 1rem)",
+            animation: "fadeInUp 0.3s ease-out 0.1s both",
+          }}
         >
           {onBack ? (
             <Button
diff --git a/apps/web/src/domains/onboarding/screens/vibe-step-screen.tsx b/apps/web/src/domains/onboarding/screens/vibe-step-screen.tsx
index 62d3aabb0d4..050903732f2 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/domains/onboarding/screens/vibe-step-screen.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/domains/onboarding/screens/vibe-step-screen.tsx
@@ -28,8 +28,14 @@ export function VibeStepScreen({
     <OnboardingLayout>
       <div className="mx-auto flex min-h-screen w-full max-w-md flex-col px-6 pb-40 text-[var(--content-default)]">
         <div
-          className="grid w-full grid-cols-[auto_1fr_auto] items-center pb-4 pt-4"
-          style={{ animation: "fadeInUp 0.3s ease-out 0.1s both" }}
+          className="grid w-full grid-cols-[auto_1fr_auto] items-center pb-4"
+          style={{
+            // Match name-step's safe-area handling — iOS status bar /
+            // Dynamic Island would otherwise overlap the back button row.
+            paddingTop:
+              "calc(var(--safe-area-inset-top, env(safe-area-inset-top, 0px)) + 1rem)",
+            animation: "fadeInUp 0.3s ease-out 0.1s both",
+          }}
         >
           <Button
             variant="ghost"