diff --git a/apps/mobile/src/features/threads/ThreadComposer.tsx b/apps/mobile/src/features/threads/ThreadComposer.tsx
index aab896efe03..1b026964c92 100644
--- a/apps/mobile/src/features/threads/ThreadComposer.tsx
+++ b/apps/mobile/src/features/threads/ThreadComposer.tsx
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ import {
   Image,
   Platform,
   Pressable,
+  StyleSheet,
   useColorScheme,
   View,
   type ViewStyle,
@@ -698,11 +699,22 @@ export const ThreadComposer = memo(function ThreadComposer(props: ThreadComposer
       style={{
         paddingTop: isExpanded ? 8 : 6,
         paddingBottom: (props.bottomInset ?? 0) + (isExpanded ? 8 : 6),
-        experimental_backgroundImage: isDarkMode
-          ? "linear-gradient(to bottom, rgba(0,0,0,0) 0%, rgba(0,0,0,0.6) 55%, rgba(0,0,0,0.9) 100%)"
-          : "linear-gradient(to bottom, rgba(255,255,255,0) 0%, rgba(255,255,255,0.6) 55%, rgba(255,255,255,0.9) 100%)",
       }}
     >
+      {/* The backdrop gradient lives on a plain View: Reanimated's Animated.View
+          silently drops experimental_backgroundImage on Android, which left this
+          strip fully transparent and the feed text legible through the composer. */}
+      <View
+        pointerEvents="none"
+        style={[
+          StyleSheet.absoluteFill,
+          {
+            experimental_backgroundImage: isDarkMode
+              ? "linear-gradient(to bottom, rgba(0,0,0,0) 0%, rgba(0,0,0,0.6) 55%, rgba(0,0,0,0.9) 100%)"
+              : "linear-gradient(to bottom, rgba(255,255,255,0) 0%, rgba(255,255,255,0.6) 55%, rgba(255,255,255,0.9) 100%)",
+          },
+        ]}
+      />
       <Animated.View
         className="relative w-full self-center"
         layout={COMPOSER_LAYOUT_TRANSITION}
diff --git a/patches/@react-native__gradle-plugin@0.85.3.patch b/patches/@react-native__gradle-plugin@0.85.3.patch
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..7106ccca4ac
--- /dev/null
+++ b/patches/@react-native__gradle-plugin@0.85.3.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+diff --git a/settings.gradle.kts b/settings.gradle.kts
+index b3c46a3bf5eb21c0bb1c9435b5582aecbc57d57a..14f1e9c2063ef10ca3f2ecbb2336b8a4aacfcc9c 100644
+--- a/settings.gradle.kts
++++ b/settings.gradle.kts
+@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ pluginManagement {
+   }
+ }
+ 
+-plugins { id("org.gradle.toolchains.foojay-resolver-convention").version("0.5.0") }
++plugins { id("org.gradle.toolchains.foojay-resolver-convention").version("1.0.0") }
+ 
+ include(
+     ":react-native-gradle-plugin",
diff --git a/pnpm-lock.yaml b/pnpm-lock.yaml
index 1eb0379e84a..a82a52e0433 100644
--- a/pnpm-lock.yaml
+++ b/pnpm-lock.yaml
@@ -75,6 +75,7 @@ patchedDependencies:
   '@legendapp/list@3.3.3': d162d67b73933ab077d00627cdf52b18ea88b28c4fae4e8340a854df25026f09
   '@pierre/diffs@1.3.0-beta.10': 7ef7cb0cbabb17c15cdb137554068b36f15f6f5265e73fb51452aa3380db91aa
   '@react-native-menu/menu@2.0.0': 5ea3ae4bf1d9baf5443b65c269bb09621c27a68d556f713778f37b1e8d46aaae
+  '@react-native/gradle-plugin@0.85.3': c1b594a16e682d621b6a960926f8ce13fc92edfb397884cfe7fcb0518996a784
   '@react-navigation/native-stack@7.17.6': c7fc101b78d434904425e5a24c22fb0042298dec6f807250486e784f3c717273
   effect@4.0.0-beta.103: af36b7948b6f9c56623074662b51dade5699880c1a7c71245de73e13c3185fb6
   expo-modules-jsi@56.0.10: 9170f8074ae4e35a0a086e756c8f815794fd3abe51eac67ca3ba02804225ec1f
@@ -14210,7 +14211,7 @@ snapshots:
       - supports-color
       - utf-8-validate
 
-  '@react-native/gradle-plugin@0.85.3': {}
+  '@react-native/gradle-plugin@0.85.3(patch_hash=c1b594a16e682d621b6a960926f8ce13fc92edfb397884cfe7fcb0518996a784)': {}
 
   '@react-native/js-polyfills@0.85.3': {}
 
@@ -20059,7 +20060,7 @@ snapshots:
       '@react-native/assets-registry': 0.85.3
       '@react-native/codegen': 0.85.3(@babel/core@7.29.7)
       '@react-native/community-cli-plugin': 0.85.3(@react-native/metro-config@0.85.3(@babel/core@7.29.7)(bufferutil@4.1.0)(utf-8-validate@6.0.6))(bufferutil@4.1.0)(utf-8-validate@6.0.6)
-      '@react-native/gradle-plugin': 0.85.3
+      '@react-native/gradle-plugin': 0.85.3(patch_hash=c1b594a16e682d621b6a960926f8ce13fc92edfb397884cfe7fcb0518996a784)
       '@react-native/js-polyfills': 0.85.3
       '@react-native/normalize-colors': 0.85.3
       '@react-native/virtualized-lists': 0.85.3(@types/react@19.2.16)(react-native@0.85.3(@babel/core@7.29.7)(@react-native/metro-config@0.85.3(@babel/core@7.29.7)(bufferutil@4.1.0)(utf-8-validate@6.0.6))(@types/react@19.2.16)(bufferutil@4.1.0)(react@19.2.3)(utf-8-validate@6.0.6))(react@19.2.3)
@@ -20104,7 +20105,7 @@ snapshots:
       '@react-native/assets-registry': 0.85.3
       '@react-native/codegen': 0.85.3(@babel/core@7.29.7)
       '@react-native/community-cli-plugin': 0.85.3(@react-native/metro-config@0.85.3(@babel/core@7.29.7)(bufferutil@4.1.0)(utf-8-validate@6.0.6))(bufferutil@4.1.0)(utf-8-validate@6.0.6)
-      '@react-native/gradle-plugin': 0.85.3
+      '@react-native/gradle-plugin': 0.85.3(patch_hash=c1b594a16e682d621b6a960926f8ce13fc92edfb397884cfe7fcb0518996a784)
       '@react-native/js-polyfills': 0.85.3
       '@react-native/normalize-colors': 0.85.3
       '@react-native/virtualized-lists': 0.85.3(@types/react@19.2.16)(react-native@0.85.3(@babel/core@7.29.7)(@react-native/metro-config@0.85.3(@babel/core@7.29.7)(bufferutil@4.1.0)(utf-8-validate@6.0.6))(@types/react@19.2.16)(bufferutil@4.1.0)(react@19.2.6)(utf-8-validate@6.0.6))(react@19.2.6)
diff --git a/pnpm-workspace.yaml b/pnpm-workspace.yaml
index 5ce125d991c..131f1161db9 100644
--- a/pnpm-workspace.yaml
+++ b/pnpm-workspace.yaml
@@ -128,6 +128,7 @@ patchedDependencies:
   "@legendapp/list@3.3.3": patches/@legendapp__list@3.3.3.patch
   "@pierre/diffs@1.3.0-beta.10": patches/@pierre%2Fdiffs@1.3.0-beta.10.patch
   "@react-native-menu/menu@2.0.0": patches/@react-native-menu__menu@2.0.0.patch
+  "@react-native/gradle-plugin@0.85.3": patches/@react-native__gradle-plugin@0.85.3.patch
   "@react-navigation/native-stack@7.17.6": patches/@react-navigation%2Fnative-stack@7.17.6.patch
   effect@4.0.0-beta.103: patches/effect@4.0.0-beta.103.patch
   expo-modules-jsi@56.0.10: patches/expo-modules-jsi@56.0.10.patch