Keep the event stream open in the iOS app switcher

apps/mobile/src/state/connection-runtime-context.test.tsx

@@ -279,6 +279,8 @@ test("forwards app state and network changes and drops stale cache metadata", as
     ?.value as NativeEventSubscription;
   const removeAppState = jest.spyOn(appStateSubscription, "remove");
 
+  act(() => appStateListener("inactive"));
+  expect(setFocused).toHaveBeenLastCalledWith(true);
   act(() => appStateListener("background"));
   expect(setFocused).toHaveBeenLastCalledWith(false);
   act(() => mockNetworkListener?.({ isConnected: false }));

apps/mobile/src/state/connection-runtime-context.tsx

@@ -23,7 +23,11 @@ import {
   type ConnectionCacheMetadata,
   readConnectionCacheMetadata,
 } from "./connection-cache-metadata";
-import { appendEventLocation, startConnectionTransport } from "./connection-runtime-transport";
+import {
+  appendEventLocation,
+  isTransportForeground,
+  startConnectionTransport,
+} from "./connection-runtime-transport";
 import type {
   ConnectionTransportCoordinator,
   ConnectionTransportStatus,
@@ -196,7 +200,7 @@ function useConnectionTransport(
       });
 
     const appStateSubscription = AppState.addEventListener("change", (nextState) => {
-      const foreground = nextState === "active";
+      const foreground = isTransportForeground(nextState);
       focusManager.setFocused(foreground);
       coordinator?.setForeground(foreground);
     });

apps/mobile/src/state/connection-runtime-transport.test.ts

@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import {
   appendEventLocation,
   type ConnectionRuntimeTransportSink,
   connectionTransportCallbacks,
+  isTransportForeground,
   startConnectionTransport,
 } from "./connection-runtime-transport";
 import type { ConnectionSnapshot } from "./connection-transport-coordinator";
@@ -147,6 +148,18 @@ test("omits authorization without a credential and starts in the background", as
   expect(mockCoordinators[0]?.start).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
 });
 
+test("keeps the transport in the foreground while iOS reports inactive", () => {
+  Object.defineProperty(AppState, "currentState", { configurable: true, value: "inactive" });
+  mockGetNetworkState.mockResolvedValue({});
+
+  startConnectionTransport(profile, undefined, createQueryClient(), createSink());
+
+  expect(mockCoordinators[0]?.setForeground).toHaveBeenCalledWith(true);
+  expect(isTransportForeground("active")).toBe(true);
+  expect(isTransportForeground("inactive")).toBe(true);
+  expect(isTransportForeground("background")).toBe(false);
+});
+
 test("encodes basic credentials", () => {
   mockGetNetworkState.mockResolvedValue({ isConnected: true });
 

apps/mobile/src/state/connection-runtime-transport.ts

@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ import {
 import { focusManager, onlineManager, type QueryClient } from "@tanstack/react-query";
 import * as Network from "expo-network";
 import type { Dispatch, SetStateAction } from "react";
-import { AppState } from "react-native";
+import { AppState, type AppStateStatus } from "react-native";
 
 import { connectionAuthorizationHeader } from "../connections/connection-authorization";
 import type { ConnectionCredential, ConnectionProfile } from "../connections/connection-profile";
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ export function startConnectionTransport(
     shouldReconcileEvent: eventRequiresConnectionSnapshot,
   });
 
-  const foreground = AppState.currentState === "active";
+  const foreground = isTransportForeground(AppState.currentState);
   coordinator.setForeground(foreground);
   focusManager.setFocused(foreground);
   void Network.getNetworkStateAsync()
@@ -92,6 +92,14 @@ export function startConnectionTransport(
   return coordinator;
 }
 
+// iOS reports "inactive" while the app switcher, Control Center, Notification Center,
+// or a system prompt covers the app. The app is still on screen and not suspended,
+// so only "background" closes the event stream. Closing it on "inactive" marked the
+// connection stale every time the user swiped up to switch apps.
+export function isTransportForeground(state: AppStateStatus) {
+  return state !== "background";
+}
+
 export function connectionTransportCallbacks(
   profile: ConnectionTransportProfile,
   queryClient: QueryClient,

docs/COMPATIBILITY.md

@@ -12,6 +12,25 @@ the fail-closed database backup-exclusion startup guard. Statements marked
 pending in older dated entries describe the status at the time of that probe;
 later entries supersede them.
 
+## 2026-11-14: event stream stays open in the iOS app switcher, pending device verification
+
+On an iPhone, swiping up to the app switcher showed "Request status is stale"
+and "Showing saved data until the server reconnects" on the workspace card. iOS
+reports `inactive` while the app switcher, Control Center, Notification Center,
+or a system prompt covers the app. The transport treated every state other than
+`active` as background, so it closed the event stream and marked the connection
+stale. Only `background` now closes the stream and pauses query focus; `inactive`
+keeps both. Leaving for another app still reaches `background`, closes the
+stream, and reconnects on return. Android does not report `inactive`.
+
+The full lint, typecheck, test, and build sequence passed, including 1533 mobile
+tests and both Hermes exports. Expo Doctor passed 18 of 18 checks. Both native
+fingerprints and runtime matched the installed 0.1.6 baseline under the preview
+EAS environment. Local EAS Update publication then succeeded for iOS and Android
+on preview. Publication does not establish installation or device behavior.
+Still to verify on the iPhone: no notice while hovering in the app switcher, and
+a clean reconnect after switching to another app and back.
+
 ## 2026-11-10: transcript image tiles and swipeable viewer, pending device verification
 
 Transcript images now form justified rows of tiles that keep each image's shape.