diff --git a/frontend/src/App.vue b/frontend/src/App.vue
index aa3dbac..49ba96f 100644
--- a/frontend/src/App.vue
+++ b/frontend/src/App.vue
@@ -38,15 +38,17 @@ const busy = ref(false)
 const connected = ref(false)
 const socketError = ref('')
 const socketFailures = ref(0)
-// Some mobile browsers (notably iOS Safari with an auth-gated page) abort the
-// wss:// upgrade even when the server accepts it. After a few failures we stop
-// retrying, rely on the REST poll, and present it as a normal live state rather
-// than a degraded "reconnecting".
-const usePolling = computed(() => socketFailures.value >= 3)
+const pollingFallback = ref(false)
+// Some mobile browsers (notably iOS Safari with an auth-gated page) abort or
+// silently hang the wss:// upgrade even when the server accepts it. We fall
+// back to the REST poll after a few failures, or after a short grace period if
+// the socket never opens at all, and present it as a normal live state.
+const usePolling = computed(() => pollingFallback.value || socketFailures.value >= 3)
 
 let socket
 let pollTimer
 let statusTimer
+let graceTimer
 
 async function refreshAll() {
   const [p, o, e, q] = await Promise.all([
@@ -151,6 +153,11 @@ onMounted(async () => {
       else socketError.value = `socket closed (code ${code})`
     },
   })
+  // If the socket hasn't opened shortly after load, commit to polling so the
+  // badge never hangs on "connecting".
+  graceTimer = setTimeout(() => {
+    if (!connected.value) pollingFallback.value = true
+  }, 6000)
   // Poll fast enough that the UI feels live even when it is the only channel.
   pollTimer = setInterval(refreshAll, 3000)
   statusTimer = setInterval(() => api.getStatus().then((s) => (status.value = s)), 3000)
@@ -160,6 +167,7 @@ onUnmounted(() => {
   socket?.close()
   clearInterval(pollTimer)
   clearInterval(statusTimer)
+  clearTimeout(graceTimer)
 })
 </script>
 
diff --git a/frontend/src/api.js b/frontend/src/api.js
index f3d49f2..368d47b 100644
--- a/frontend/src/api.js
+++ b/frontend/src/api.js
@@ -45,23 +45,47 @@ export function openSocket({ onMessage, onOpen, onClose, onError }) {
 
   const connect = () => {
     if (closed) return
+    let opened = false
+    let reported = false
     socket = new WebSocket(url)
+
+    // Report at most one failure per attempt (Safari often fires error *and*
+    // close for the same bad handshake).
+    const reportFailure = (code, detail) => {
+      if (reported) return
+      reported = true
+      onError?.(code, detail)
+    }
+
+    // Some mobile browsers leave a blocked upgrade hanging without firing
+    // onclose/onerror. Treat a slow handshake as a failure so the caller can
+    // fall back to polling instead of waiting forever.
+    const openTimeout = setTimeout(() => {
+      if (!opened) {
+        reportFailure(0, 'handshake timed out')
+        socket.close()
+      }
+    }, 5000)
+
     socket.onopen = () => {
+      opened = true
+      clearTimeout(openTimeout)
       attempt = 0
       onOpen?.()
     }
     socket.onmessage = (event) => onMessage?.(JSON.parse(event.data))
     socket.onclose = (event) => {
+      clearTimeout(openTimeout)
       onClose?.()
-      // 1008 = policy violation (token rejected); 1006 = abnormal close, which
-      // is what an auth/proxy rejection looks like to the browser.
-      onError?.(event.code, event.reason)
+      if (!opened) {
+        // 1008 = policy violation (token rejected); 1006 = abnormal close.
+        reportFailure(event.code, event.reason)
+      }
       schedule()
     }
     socket.onerror = (event) => {
-      // The browser hides details here; surface what it does give us.
-      const detail = event?.message || 'connection error'
-      onError?.(0, detail)
+      clearTimeout(openTimeout)
+      if (!opened) reportFailure(0, event?.message || 'connection error')
       socket.close()
     }
   }