diff --git a/components/mobile/profile/ThemeSessionBridge.tsx b/components/mobile/profile/ThemeSessionBridge.tsx
index 3c5ce88..0acc135 100644
--- a/components/mobile/profile/ThemeSessionBridge.tsx
+++ b/components/mobile/profile/ThemeSessionBridge.tsx
@@ -23,11 +23,11 @@ export function ThemeSessionBridge() {
   useEffect(() => {
     if (!session?.user) return;
     const serverTheme = (session.user as SessionUserWithTheme).theme;
-    if (
-      serverTheme === 'light' ||
-      serverTheme === 'dark' ||
-      serverTheme === 'system'
-    ) {
+    // Only enforce explicit choices. 'system' is the column default and may
+    // mean "no opinion yet" — don't clobber a user's existing client preference
+    // (especially relevant on first load after the migration that backfilled
+    // every existing user to 'system').
+    if (serverTheme === 'light' || serverTheme === 'dark') {
       if (serverTheme !== theme) {
         setTheme(serverTheme);
       }