diff --git a/shared/app/index.native.tsx b/shared/app/index.native.tsx
index 35ee779518d0..88a89f640e08 100644
--- a/shared/app/index.native.tsx
+++ b/shared/app/index.native.tsx
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import {SafeAreaProvider, initialWindowMetrics} from 'react-native-safe-area-con
 import {makeEngine} from '../engine'
 import {GestureHandlerRootView} from 'react-native-gesture-handler'
 import {enableFreeze} from 'react-native-screens'
+import {Image as ExpoImage} from 'expo-image'
 import {setKeyboardUp} from '@/styles/keyboard-state'
 import {setServiceDecoration} from '@/common-adapters/markdown/react'
 import ServiceDecoration from '@/common-adapters/markdown/service-decoration'
@@ -27,6 +28,10 @@ logger.info('INIT App index module load')
 
 enableFreeze(true)
 setServiceDecoration(ServiceDecoration)
+// SDWebImage (used by expo-image) flushes its memory cache on iOS memory warnings, but
+// the simulator never sends memory warnings. Cap the cache so loading hundreds of chat
+// images doesn't exhaust VM in the simulator. On a real device this is a safety net only.
+ExpoImage.configureCache({maxMemoryCost: 100 * 1024 * 1024})
 
 module.hot?.accept(() => {
   console.log('accepted update in shared/index.native')
diff --git a/shared/chat/audio/audio-player.tsx b/shared/chat/audio/audio-player.tsx
index 6127f19e7dac..ab41861b3830 100644
--- a/shared/chat/audio/audio-player.tsx
+++ b/shared/chat/audio/audio-player.tsx
@@ -69,8 +69,13 @@ const AudioPlayer = (props: Props) => {
   const {duration, big, maxWidth, url, visAmps} = props
   const [playedRatio, setPlayedRatio] = React.useState(0)
   const [paused, setPaused] = React.useState(true)
+  // Only mount AudioVideo after the user first taps play; calling useAudioPlayer
+  // unconditionally for every message in the list spawns CoreMedia threads per
+  // message and exhausts VM memory.
+  const [everPlayed, setEverPlayed] = React.useState(false)
   const onClick = () => {
     if (paused) {
+      setEverPlayed(true)
       setPaused(false)
     } else {
       setPaused(true)
@@ -104,7 +109,7 @@ const AudioPlayer = (props: Props) => {
         <AudioVis height={big ? 32 : 18} amps={visAmps} maxWidth={maxWidth} playedRatio={playedRatio} />
         <Kb.Text type="BodyTiny">{formatAudioRecordDuration(timeLeft)}</Kb.Text>
       </Kb.Box2>
-      {url.length > 0 && (
+      {url.length > 0 && everPlayed && (
         <AudioVideo url={url} paused={paused} onPositionUpdated={onPositionUpdated} onEnded={onEnded} />
       )}
     </Kb.Box2>
diff --git a/shared/chat/conversation/list-area/index.tsx b/shared/chat/conversation/list-area/index.tsx
index a47dccecc3f9..fb5690b40212 100644
--- a/shared/chat/conversation/list-area/index.tsx
+++ b/shared/chat/conversation/list-area/index.tsx
@@ -476,6 +476,7 @@ const NativeConversationList = function NativeConversationList() {
 
   const listRef = React.useRef<RNFlatListRef | null>(null)
   const {markInitiallyLoadedThreadAsRead} = Hooks.useActions()
+
   const keyExtractor = (ordinal: ItemType) => {
     return String(ordinal)
   }
@@ -617,6 +618,7 @@ const NativeConversationList = function NativeConversationList() {
             keyExtractor={keyExtractor}
             ref={listRef}
             renderScrollComponent={renderScrollComponent}
+            windowSize={3}
             maintainVisibleContentPosition={
               // MUST do this else if you come into a new thread it'll slowly scroll down when it loads
               numOrdinals ? maintainVisibleContentPosition : undefined
diff --git a/shared/chat/conversation/messages/attachment/video/videoimpl.tsx b/shared/chat/conversation/messages/attachment/video/videoimpl.tsx
index 52207a2b4b42..dd9f23b1def8 100644
--- a/shared/chat/conversation/messages/attachment/video/videoimpl.tsx
+++ b/shared/chat/conversation/messages/attachment/video/videoimpl.tsx
@@ -53,31 +53,60 @@ const DesktopVideoImpl = (p: Props) => {
   )
 }
 
-const NativeVideoImpl = (p: Props) => {
-  const {allowPlay, message, showPopup} = p
-  const {fileURL: url, transferState, videoDuration} = message
-  const {previewURL, height, width} = getAttachmentPreviewSize(message)
-  const {showPoster, reveal} = usePosterState(url)
-  const sourceUri = `${url}&contentforce=true`
+// Separated into its own component so useVideoPlayer is only called when the
+// user actually taps play. Calling useVideoPlayer unconditionally for every
+// video message in the list caused CoreMedia to initialize a player per
+// message, spawning dozens of network threads and exhausting VM memory.
+type NativeActiveVideoProps = {
+  sourceUri: string
+  height: number
+  width: number
+}
 
+const NativeActiveVideo = (p: NativeActiveVideoProps) => {
+  const {sourceUri, height, width} = p
   const player = useVideoPlayer(sourceUri, pl => {
     pl.loop = false
+    pl.play()
   })
-
-  const onPress = () => {
-    reveal()
-    player.play()
-  }
-
   useEventListener(player, 'playToEnd', () => {
     player.replay()
   })
+  return (
+    <VideoView
+      player={player}
+      nativeControls={true}
+      contentFit="cover"
+      style={(Kb.Styles.collapseStyles([nativeStyles.video, {height, width}]) ?? {}) as object}
+    />
+  )
+}
+
+const NativeVideoImpl = (p: Props) => {
+  const {allowPlay, message, showPopup} = p
+  const {fileURL: url, transferState, videoDuration} = message
+  const {previewURL, height, width} = getAttachmentPreviewSize(message)
+  const [playerActive, setPlayerActive] = React.useState(false)
+  const [lastUrl, setLastUrl] = React.useState(url)
+  if (lastUrl !== url) {
+    setLastUrl(url)
+    setPlayerActive(false)
+  }
+  const sourceUri = `${url}&contentforce=true`
 
   return (
     <>
       <ShowToastAfterSaving transferState={transferState} />
-      {showPoster ? (
-        <Pressable onPress={onPress} style={nativeStyles.pressable} onLongPress={showPopup}>
+      {playerActive && url ? (
+        <NativeActiveVideo sourceUri={sourceUri} height={height} width={width} />
+      ) : (
+        <Pressable
+          onPress={() => {
+            if (allowPlay) setPlayerActive(true)
+          }}
+          style={nativeStyles.pressable}
+          onLongPress={showPopup}
+        >
           <Kb.Box2
             direction="vertical"
             style={Kb.Styles.collapseStyles([nativeStyles.posterContainer, {height, width}])}
@@ -91,13 +120,6 @@ const NativeVideoImpl = (p: Props) => {
             </Kb.Box2>
           </Kb.Box2>
         </Pressable>
-      ) : (
-        <VideoView
-          player={player}
-          nativeControls={true}
-          contentFit="cover"
-          style={(Kb.Styles.collapseStyles([nativeStyles.video, {height, width}]) ?? {}) as object}
-        />
       )}
     </>
   )
diff --git a/shared/chat/conversation/messages/text/unfurl/unfurl-list/image/video.tsx b/shared/chat/conversation/messages/text/unfurl/unfurl-list/image/video.tsx
index cc0ef41e7069..37c2424dd184 100644
--- a/shared/chat/conversation/messages/text/unfurl/unfurl-list/image/video.tsx
+++ b/shared/chat/conversation/messages/text/unfurl/unfurl-list/image/video.tsx
@@ -53,12 +53,18 @@ const DesktopVideo = (p: Props) => {
   )
 }
 
-const NativeVideo = (props: Props) => {
-  const {autoPlay, onClick, url, style, width, height} = props
-  const {playing, setPlaying} = usePlayState(url, autoPlay)
+// Separated into its own component so useVideoPlayer is only called when the
+// player is needed. Calling it unconditionally for every unfurl in the list
+// spawns CoreMedia threads per message and exhausts VM memory.
+type NativeActiveVideoProps = {
+  sourceUri: string
+  autoPlay: boolean
+  playing: boolean
+  style: object
+}
 
-  const uri = url.length > 0 ? url : 'https://'
-  const sourceUri = `${uri}&autoplay=${autoPlay ? 'true' : 'false'}&contentforce=true`
+const NativeActiveVideo = (props: NativeActiveVideoProps) => {
+  const {sourceUri, autoPlay, playing, style} = props
 
   const player = useVideoPlayer(sourceUri, p => {
     p.loop = true
@@ -85,22 +91,50 @@ const NativeVideo = (props: Props) => {
     return () => sub.remove()
   }, [player])
 
+  return (
+    <VideoView
+      player={player}
+      nativeControls={false}
+      contentFit="contain"
+      style={(Kb.Styles.collapseStyles([nativeStyles.player, style]) ?? {}) as object}
+    />
+  )
+}
+
+const NativeVideo = (props: Props) => {
+  const {autoPlay, onClick, url, style, width, height} = props
+  const {playing, setPlaying} = usePlayState(url, autoPlay)
+  // Activate the player when autoPlay is true or the user first taps play.
+  // Reset when URL changes so a new source gets a fresh player.
+  const [active, setActive] = React.useState(autoPlay)
+  const [lastUrl, setLastUrl] = React.useState(url)
+  if (lastUrl !== url) {
+    setLastUrl(url)
+    setActive(autoPlay)
+  }
+
+  const uri = url.length > 0 ? url : 'https://'
+  const sourceUri = `${uri}&autoplay=${autoPlay ? 'true' : 'false'}&contentforce=true`
+
   const _onClick = () => {
     if (onClick) {
       onClick()
       return
     }
+    setActive(true)
     setPlaying(p => !p)
   }
 
   return (
     <Kb.ClickableBox onClick={_onClick} style={Kb.Styles.collapseStyles([style, nativeStyles.container])}>
-      <VideoView
-        player={player}
-        nativeControls={false}
-        contentFit="contain"
-        style={(Kb.Styles.collapseStyles([nativeStyles.player, style]) ?? {}) as object}
-      />
+      {active && (
+        <NativeActiveVideo
+          sourceUri={sourceUri}
+          autoPlay={autoPlay}
+          playing={playing}
+          style={style}
+        />
+      )}
       <Kb.Box2 direction="vertical" style={Kb.Styles.collapseStyles([sharedStyles.absoluteContainer, {height, width}])}>
         {!playing && <Kb.ImageIcon type="icon-play-64" style={sharedStyles.playButton} />}
       </Kb.Box2>