diff --git a/App.tsx b/App.tsx
index 893dbde7..6939ad64 100644
--- a/App.tsx
+++ b/App.tsx
@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@ import { useCalendarStore } from './src/stores/calendar-store';
 import { useContactsStore } from './src/stores/contacts-store';
 import { useEmailStore, viewerParamsForRow } from './src/stores/email-store';
 import { mailboxAccountId } from './src/lib/mailbox-tree';
+import { prefetchMessage } from './src/lib/email-detail-cache';
 import { useHasCalendar, useHasContacts, useHasFiles } from './src/lib/capabilities';
 import { useSettingsStore } from './src/stores/settings-store';
 import { useLocaleStore } from './src/stores/locale-store';
@@ -93,6 +94,7 @@ async function navigateToNotificationTap(payload: NotificationTapPayload): Promi
     if (useAuthStore.getState().activeAccountId !== payload.accountId) return;
   }
 
+  prefetchMessage({ id: payload.emailId, threadId: payload.threadId });
   navigationRef.navigate('EmailThread', {
     emailId: payload.emailId,
     threadId: payload.threadId,
@@ -222,14 +224,19 @@ function MainTabsNavigator({ navigation }: NativeStackScreenProps<RootStackParam
               // The list holds the open folder's mail: name its account so the
               // viewer never has to guess it from whatever folder is open.
               const { mailboxes: all, currentMailboxId } = useEmailStore.getState();
-              navigation.navigate('EmailThread', {
-                emailId: email.id,
-                threadId: email.threadId,
-                subject: email.subject,
+              const target = {
                 jmapAccountId: mailboxAccountId(all, currentMailboxId),
                 // A row of an "All folders" list or a tag view names its own
                 // account instead, and pages over that account's rows.
                 ...viewerParamsForRow(email),
+              };
+              // Start on the body now: mounting the viewer takes a while.
+              prefetchMessage(email, target.jmapAccountId);
+              navigation.navigate('EmailThread', {
+                emailId: email.id,
+                threadId: email.threadId,
+                subject: email.subject,
+                ...target,
               });
             }}
           />
diff --git a/src/components/contacts/ContactActivity.tsx b/src/components/contacts/ContactActivity.tsx
index ccd85b36..d78c3e4d 100644
--- a/src/components/contacts/ContactActivity.tsx
+++ b/src/components/contacts/ContactActivity.tsx
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import { useLocaleStore } from '../../stores/locale-store';
 import { getEventColor } from '../../lib/calendar-utils';
 import { hasCalendarCapability } from '../../lib/capabilities';
 import { singleLine } from '../../lib/single-line';
+import { prefetchMessage } from '../../lib/email-detail-cache';
 import SenderAvatar from '../SenderAvatar';
 import { radius, spacing, typography, componentSizes, type ThemePalette } from '../../theme/tokens';
 import { useColors } from '../../theme/colors';
@@ -207,13 +208,14 @@ export function ContactActivity({ contact }: Props) {
               return (
                 <Pressable
                   key={email.id}
-                  onPress={() =>
+                  onPress={() => {
+                    prefetchMessage(email);
                     navigation.navigate('EmailThread', {
                       emailId: email.id,
                       threadId: email.threadId,
                       subject: email.subject ?? undefined,
-                    })
-                  }
+                    });
+                  }}
                   style={({ pressed }) => [styles.row, pressed && styles.rowPressed]}
                 >
                   <SenderAvatar name={senderName} email={sender?.email} size={32} />
diff --git a/src/lib/__tests__/email-detail-cache.test.ts b/src/lib/__tests__/email-detail-cache.test.ts
index 2a8d3cad..c12e0c57 100644
--- a/src/lib/__tests__/email-detail-cache.test.ts
+++ b/src/lib/__tests__/email-detail-cache.test.ts
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ import { useOfflineCacheStore } from '../../stores/offline-cache-store';
 import { dispatchStateChange } from '../state-change-bus';
 import {
   clearEmailDetailCache, loadDetail, loadDetails, loadThread, needsRevalidation, noteEmailState,
-  patchDetail, peekDetail, peekThread, prefetchMessage, subscribeEmailCache,
+  patchDetail, peekDetail, peekRow, peekThread, prefetchMessage, rememberRows, subscribeEmailCache,
 } from '../email-detail-cache';
 
 const fullGet = getFullEmailsWithState as ReturnType<typeof vi.fn>;
@@ -295,6 +295,23 @@ describe('prefetchMessage', () => {
     expect(threadGet).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
   });
 
+  it('remembers the tapped row so the viewer can paint its header', () => {
+    fullGet.mockReturnValue(new Promise(() => undefined));
+    threadGet.mockReturnValue(new Promise(() => undefined));
+    const row = { ...full('e1'), subject: 'Lunch?', bodyValues: undefined } as Email;
+
+    prefetchMessage(row, 'group');
+
+    expect(peekRow('e1', 'group')?.subject).toBe('Lunch?');
+    expect(peekRow('e1')).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+
+  it('does not remember a bare id as a row', () => {
+    fullGet.mockReturnValue(new Promise(() => undefined));
+    rememberRows([{ id: 'e9', threadId: 't9' } as Email]);
+    expect(peekRow('e9')).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+
   function headers1() {
     return [{ id: 'e1', threadId: 't-e1', keywords: {}, mailboxIds: {} }];
   }
diff --git a/src/lib/email-detail-cache.ts b/src/lib/email-detail-cache.ts
index 82bb2b77..3e834763 100644
--- a/src/lib/email-detail-cache.ts
+++ b/src/lib/email-detail-cache.ts
@@ -47,9 +47,13 @@ export interface ThreadView {
 const MAX_DETAILS = 40;
 const MAX_DETAIL_CHARS = 8_000_000;
 const MAX_THREADS = 60;
+// List rows handed to the viewer by screens whose list it cannot read (the
+// Unified Inbox, contact activity), so it can paint their headers too.
+const MAX_ROWS = 500;
 
 const details = new Map<string, DetailEntry>();
 const threads = new Map<string, ThreadEntry>();
+const rows = new Map<string, Email>();
 const pendingDetails = new Map<string, Promise<Email>>();
 const pendingThreads = new Map<string, Promise<ThreadView>>();
 // The newest Email state heard of per account, from push and our own reads.
@@ -201,6 +205,7 @@ export function patchDetail(id: string, accountId: string | undefined, patch: Fl
 export function clearEmailDetailCache(): void {
   details.clear();
   threads.clear();
+  rows.clear();
   pendingDetails.clear();
   pendingThreads.clear();
   latestStates.clear();
@@ -450,17 +455,35 @@ export function loadThread(threadId: string, accountId?: string): Promise<Thread
   return p;
 }
 
+/** Keep list rows the viewer may page over; see {@link peekRow}. */
+export function rememberRows(list: Email[], accountId?: string): void {
+  for (const row of list) {
+    if (!row.receivedAt) continue;
+    const key = keyOf(row.id, accountId);
+    rows.delete(key);
+    rows.set(key, row);
+  }
+  while (rows.size > MAX_ROWS) rows.delete(rows.keys().next().value as string);
+}
+
+/** A list row remembered for the message, if any. */
+export function peekRow(id: string, accountId?: string): Email | undefined {
+  return rows.get(keyOf(id, accountId));
+}
+
 /**
  * Start loading a message the user is about to open (the list row was
  * tapped), and its conversation when threading is on, so the viewer finds the
- * requests in flight or done.
+ * requests in flight or done. On a phone this runs on the tap, not on
+ * press-in: a touch that starts a scroll presses rows too.
  */
 export function prefetchMessage(
-  email: Pick<Email, 'id' | 'threadId'> & FlagsHint,
+  email: Pick<Email, 'id' | 'threadId'> & Partial<Email>,
   accountId?: string,
 ): void {
-  void loadDetail(email.id, accountId, { keywords: email.keywords, mailboxIds: email.mailboxIds })
-    .catch(() => undefined);
+  rememberRows([email as Email], accountId);
+  const hint = email.keywords ? { keywords: email.keywords, mailboxIds: email.mailboxIds } : undefined;
+  void loadDetail(email.id, accountId, hint).catch(() => undefined);
   if (email.threadId && !useSettingsStore.getState().disableThreading) {
     void loadThread(email.threadId, accountId).catch(() => undefined);
   }
diff --git a/src/screens/EmailThreadScreen.tsx b/src/screens/EmailThreadScreen.tsx
index d5c5b13d..c4dcbb65 100644
--- a/src/screens/EmailThreadScreen.tsx
+++ b/src/screens/EmailThreadScreen.tsx
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ import {
 } from '../stores/settings-store';
 import { patchKeywordsForEmails } from '../api/email';
 import {
-  loadDetail, loadDetails, loadThread, patchDetail, peekDetail, peekThread, subscribeEmailCache,
+  loadDetail, loadDetails, loadThread, patchDetail, peekDetail, peekRow, peekThread, subscribeEmailCache,
   type FlagsHint,
 } from '../lib/email-detail-cache';
 import { shareEmailEml } from '../lib/email-export';
@@ -103,6 +103,8 @@ export default function EmailThreadScreen({ route, navigation }: Props) {
   // viewer opens: new mail or a refresh must not shift the page under the
   // user while the toolbar acts on `activeEmailId` (B5). Delete, archive,
   // move and spam leave the screen, so no page outlives its message here.
+  // A page handed over by id takes the row its list left in the cache (the
+  // Unified Inbox's, a tapped one), so its header can be painted too.
   const [emails] = React.useState<Email[]>(() => viewerPages({
     emailId: route.params.emailId,
     threadId: route.params.threadId,
@@ -110,7 +112,7 @@ export default function EmailThreadScreen({ route, navigation }: Props) {
     list: useEmailStore.getState().emails,
     listIsMessageAccount: listAccountId === ownerAccountId,
     threading: !disableThreading,
-  }));
+  }).map((page) => (page.receivedAt ? page : peekRow(page.id, ownerAccountId) ?? page)));
 
   const currentMailboxRole = React.useMemo(
     () => (currentMailboxId ? mailboxes.find((m) => m.id === currentMailboxId)?.role ?? null : null),
diff --git a/src/screens/UnifiedInboxScreen.tsx b/src/screens/UnifiedInboxScreen.tsx
index db1a4340..e8710a1b 100644
--- a/src/screens/UnifiedInboxScreen.tsx
+++ b/src/screens/UnifiedInboxScreen.tsx
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import { useSettingsStore, type SwipeAction } from '../stores/settings-store';
 import { useLocaleStore } from '../stores/locale-store';
 import { formatListDate } from '../lib/date-format';
 import { singleLine } from '../lib/single-line';
+import { prefetchMessage, rememberRows } from '../lib/email-detail-cache';
 import { isPermanentDelete, confirmPermanentDelete } from '../lib/delete-confirm';
 import { spacing, typography, componentSizes, radius, type ThemePalette } from '../theme/tokens';
 import { useColors } from '../theme/colors';
@@ -159,17 +160,20 @@ export default function UnifiedInboxScreen({ navigation, route }: Props) {
           }
           // Page over the rows of the same account the user is looking at
           // (ids are only unique per JMAP account, so never mix accounts).
-          const emailIds = emails
-            .filter((e) => e.sourceAccountId === email.sourceAccountId && e.jmapAccountId === email.jmapAccountId)
-            .map((e) => e.id);
+          const pages = emails
+            .filter((e) => e.sourceAccountId === email.sourceAccountId && e.jmapAccountId === email.jmapAccountId);
+          // Group/shared messages live under another JMAP account in the
+          // same session; pass it so the thread opens against the right one.
+          const jmapAccountId = email.isShared ? email.jmapAccountId : undefined;
+          // The viewer paints these rows' headers, and starts on the body now.
+          rememberRows(pages, jmapAccountId);
+          prefetchMessage(email, jmapAccountId);
           navigation.navigate('EmailThread', {
             emailId: email.id,
             threadId: email.threadId,
             subject: email.subject,
-            // Group/shared messages live under another JMAP account in the
-            // same session; pass it so the thread opens against the right one.
-            jmapAccountId: email.isShared ? email.jmapAccountId : undefined,
-            emailIds,
+            jmapAccountId,
+            emailIds: pages.map((e) => e.id),
           });
         } finally {
           setOpening(false);