fix(nav): back closes thread, tutorial deep link survives hydration, group LEAVE cleanup

mobile_app/app/(tabs)/_layout.tsx

@@ -24,6 +24,8 @@ import Reanimated, {
 import { Feather }            from '@expo/vector-icons';
 import { fontFamily, fontSize, radii, spacing, useTheme } from '@/theme';
 import { subscribeDrawer }    from '@/hooks/drawerState';
+import { closeThreadRef }     from '@/hooks/closeThread';
+import { messagesFocusedRef } from '@/hooks/messagesFocused';
 import { useSafeAreaInsets }  from 'react-native-safe-area-context';
 import { appMotion } from '@/src/design-system/motion';
 import * as haptics from '@/src/design-system/haptics';
@@ -341,6 +343,13 @@ export default function TabLayout() {
   useEffect(() => {
     if (Platform.OS !== 'android') return;
     const sub = BackHandler.addEventListener('hardwareBackPress', () => {
+      // An open chat thread is MessagesScreen state, not a route — back must
+      // close it first. Gate on focus so a thread left open on the (frozen)
+      // Messages tab doesn't swallow back presses made from other tabs.
+      if (messagesFocusedRef.current && closeThreadRef.current) {
+        closeThreadRef.current();
+        return true;
+      }
       if (exitWindowRef.current) {
         BackHandler.exitApp();
         return true;

mobile_app/app/onboarding.tsx

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import React, { useCallback, useEffect, useRef, useState } from 'react';
 import { Alert, Animated, Image, StyleSheet, Text, View } from 'react-native';
 import { SafeAreaView, useSafeAreaInsets } from 'react-native-safe-area-context';
 import { type Href, useRouter } from 'expo-router';
+import { useIsFocused } from '@react-navigation/native';
 import { useWallet } from '@/context/WalletContext';
 import { useLxmfContext } from '@/context/LxmfContext';
 import { fontFamily, fontSize, spacing } from '@/theme';
@@ -18,6 +19,7 @@ const TUTORIAL_ROUTE = '/tutorial' as Href;
 
 export default function OnboardingScreen() {
   const router = useRouter();
+  const isFocused = useIsFocused();
   const { createWallet, connectMWA, isSolanaMobile, isLoading, isConnected, isInitialized, publicKey, walletMode } = useWallet();
   const { displayName: nickname } = useLxmfContext();
   const insets = useSafeAreaInsets();
@@ -73,6 +75,12 @@ const overlayOpacity   = useRef(new Animated.Value(0)).current;
   }, [router]);
 
   useEffect(() => {
+    // Only auto-proceed while onboarding is the focused route. unstable_settings
+    // anchor mounts onboarding BENEATH a deep-linked route (anonmesh://tutorial),
+    // and router.replace targets the focused route — without this gate, wallet
+    // hydration replaced the just-opened tutorial with /(tabs), so the deep link
+    // appeared to do nothing on devices that already have a wallet.
+    if (!isFocused) return;
     if (!isConnected || !publicKey) return;
     // Freshly created local wallet → offer the recovery-key backup before the
     // user reaches the app. One honest line: the key is device-local, here's the
@@ -95,7 +103,7 @@ const overlayOpacity   = useRef(new Animated.Value(0)).current;
       cancelled = true;
       clearTimeout(t);
     };
-  }, [isConnected, publicKey, walletMode, proceed]);
+  }, [isFocused, isConnected, publicKey, walletMode, proceed]);
 
   const handleCreate = useCallback(async () => {
     if (isLoading) return;

mobile_app/components/messages/PeersDrawer.tsx

@@ -60,6 +60,12 @@ function SwipeableGroupRow({ groupName, onLeave, children }: { readonly groupNam
     });
 
   const rowAnim    = useAnimatedStyle(() => ({ transform: [{ translateX: tx.value }] }));
+  // The row over the action strip is transparent at rest (activeBg falls back
+  // to 'transparent'), so the strip can't rely on being occluded — it must
+  // hide itself. Fade the whole strip in from the first pixels of swipe.
+  const revealAnim = useAnimatedStyle(() => ({
+    opacity: interpolate(tx.value, [-REVEAL * 0.15, 0], [1, 0], Extrapolation.CLAMP),
+  }));
   const actionAnim = useAnimatedStyle(() => ({
     transform: [{
       scale: interpolate(tx.value, [-REVEAL, -REVEAL * 0.4, 0], [1, 0.82, 0.64], Extrapolation.CLAMP),
@@ -84,7 +90,7 @@ function SwipeableGroupRow({ groupName, onLeave, children }: { readonly groupNam
 
   return (
     <View style={S.swipeWrap}>
-      <View style={S.leaveAction}>
+      <Reanimated.View style={[S.leaveAction, revealAnim]}>
         <Reanimated.View style={actionAnim}>
           <Pressable
             onPress={confirmLeave}
@@ -97,7 +103,7 @@ function SwipeableGroupRow({ groupName, onLeave, children }: { readonly groupNam
             <Text style={S.leaveText}>LEAVE</Text>
           </Pressable>
         </Reanimated.View>
-      </View>
+      </Reanimated.View>
       <GestureDetector gesture={pan}>
         <Reanimated.View style={rowAnim}>
           {children}

mobile_app/hooks/closeThread.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+/** Module-level ref — MessagesScreen points this at its animated thread-close
+ *  (goBack) while a thread is open, null otherwise. An open thread is screen
+ *  state (activePeerHex), not a route, so the (tabs) layout back handler can't
+ *  pop it — it invokes this instead, before the exit-app double-press flow. */
+export const closeThreadRef: { current: (() => void) | null } = { current: null };

mobile_app/screens/MessagesScreen.tsx

@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ import type { NetworkMode }      from '@/src/infrastructure/network/types';
 import { activeConversationRef }  from '@/hooks/activeConversation';
 import { pendingConversationRef } from '@/hooks/pendingConversation';
 import { messagesFocusedRef }     from '@/hooks/messagesFocused';
+import { closeThreadRef }         from '@/hooks/closeThread';
 import { useConversationSummaries } from '@/hooks/useConversationSummaries';
 import { formatAgo }             from '@/utils/time';
 import { requestBLEPermissions } from '@/src/utils/blePermissions';
@@ -640,6 +641,14 @@ export default function MessagesScreen() {
   // eslint-disable-next-line react-hooks/exhaustive-deps
   }, [activePeerHex]);
 
+  // Hardware back must close an open thread before the (tabs) layout's
+  // exit-toast handler gets a say. The thread is component state, not a route,
+  // so back can't pop it — expose the animated close while a thread is open.
+  useEffect(() => {
+    closeThreadRef.current = activePeerHex !== null ? goBack : null;
+    return () => { closeThreadRef.current = null; };
+  }, [activePeerHex, goBack]);
+
   const chatAnim = useAnimatedStyle(() => ({ transform: [{ translateX: chatTx.value }] }));
 
   const backPan = useMemo(() => Gesture.Pan()