diff --git a/src/components/QrScanModal.tsx b/src/components/QrScanModal.tsx
index d50d08e0..b300a1e4 100644
--- a/src/components/QrScanModal.tsx
+++ b/src/components/QrScanModal.tsx
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import React from 'react';
-import { View, Text, Pressable, StyleSheet, Modal, Platform } from 'react-native';
+import { View, Text, Pressable, StyleSheet, Modal, Platform, Linking } from 'react-native';
 import { SafeAreaView } from 'react-native-safe-area-context';
 import { CameraView, useCameraPermissions, type BarcodeScanningResult } from 'expo-camera';
 import { X } from 'lucide-react-native';
@@ -23,6 +23,8 @@ export function QrScanModal({ visible, onClose, onScanned }: QrScanModalProps) {
   // Guards against the camera firing onBarcodeScanned dozens of times for the
   // same code before the modal tears down.
   const handled = React.useRef(false);
+  // Once iOS/Android stops letting us re-prompt, the only path left is Settings.
+  const blocked = !!permission && !permission.granted && !permission.canAskAgain;
 
   React.useEffect(() => {
     if (visible) handled.current = false;
@@ -82,12 +84,16 @@ export function QrScanModal({ visible, onClose, onScanned }: QrScanModalProps) {
           {!permission?.granted ? (
             <View style={styles.permissionWrap}>
               <Text style={styles.permissionText}>
-                {permission && !permission.canAskAgain
-                  ? 'Camera access is disabled. Enable it in Settings to scan a sign-in QR code.'
-                  : 'Bulwark Mail needs camera access to scan a sign-in QR code.'}
+                {blocked
+                  ? 'Camera access is turned off. Turn it on in Settings to scan a sign-in QR code.'
+                  : 'Scanning a sign-in QR code uses the camera. The QR code is read on this device only.'}
               </Text>
-              <Button variant="default" size="md" onPress={() => void requestPermission()}>
-                Allow camera access
+              <Button
+                variant="default"
+                size="md"
+                onPress={() => void (blocked ? Linking.openSettings() : requestPermission())}
+              >
+                {blocked ? 'Open Settings' : 'Continue'}
               </Button>
             </View>
           ) : null}
diff --git a/src/components/SidebarDrawer.tsx b/src/components/SidebarDrawer.tsx
index 46f27296..827e6271 100644
--- a/src/components/SidebarDrawer.tsx
+++ b/src/components/SidebarDrawer.tsx
@@ -234,19 +234,28 @@ export default function SidebarDrawer({ visible, onClose }: SidebarDrawerProps)
   const openDuration = useAnimDuration(240);
   const closeDuration = useAnimDuration(200);
 
+  // Runs the slide-in. Kicked from both the visible effect and the Modal's
+  // onShow: on the very first open the modal's native view is not attached yet
+  // when the effect fires, so that first animation is dropped and the drawer
+  // stays parked off-screen. Re-running it once the modal is on screen commits
+  // the final offset (a no-op on every subsequent open).
+  const runOpen = React.useCallback(() => {
+    Animated.parallel([
+      Animated.timing(slideX, { toValue: 0, duration: openDuration, easing: Easing.out(Easing.cubic), useNativeDriver: true }),
+      Animated.timing(overlayOpacity, { toValue: 1, duration: openDuration, useNativeDriver: true }),
+    ]).start();
+  }, [slideX, overlayOpacity, openDuration]);
+
   React.useEffect(() => {
     if (visible) {
-      Animated.parallel([
-        Animated.timing(slideX, { toValue: 0, duration: openDuration, easing: Easing.out(Easing.cubic), useNativeDriver: true }),
-        Animated.timing(overlayOpacity, { toValue: 1, duration: openDuration, useNativeDriver: true }),
-      ]).start();
+      runOpen();
     } else {
       Animated.parallel([
         Animated.timing(slideX, { toValue: -Dimensions.get('window').width, duration: closeDuration, easing: Easing.in(Easing.cubic), useNativeDriver: true }),
         Animated.timing(overlayOpacity, { toValue: 0, duration: closeDuration, useNativeDriver: true }),
       ]).start();
     }
-  }, [visible, slideX, overlayOpacity, openDuration, closeDuration]);
+  }, [visible, runOpen, slideX, overlayOpacity, closeDuration]);
 
   const accountEmail = username || '';
   const initials = React.useMemo(
@@ -274,6 +283,7 @@ export default function SidebarDrawer({ visible, onClose }: SidebarDrawerProps)
       animationType="none"
       statusBarTranslucent
       onRequestClose={onClose}
+      onShow={runOpen}
     >
       <Animated.View style={[styles.overlay, { opacity: overlayOpacity }]}>
         <Pressable style={styles.overlayPress} onPress={onClose} />
diff --git a/src/components/calendar/CalendarSidebarDrawer.tsx b/src/components/calendar/CalendarSidebarDrawer.tsx
index a9d04fb4..f11603ea 100644
--- a/src/components/calendar/CalendarSidebarDrawer.tsx
+++ b/src/components/calendar/CalendarSidebarDrawer.tsx
@@ -54,21 +54,28 @@ export function CalendarSidebarDrawer({
   const closeDuration = useAnimDuration(200);
   const [expandedId, setExpandedId] = React.useState<string | null>(null);
 
+  // Also kicked from the Modal's onShow — the first open fires this effect
+  // before the modal's native view exists, so that animation is dropped and
+  // the drawer stays parked off-screen until the second open.
+  const runOpen = React.useCallback(() => {
+    Animated.parallel([
+      Animated.timing(slideX, {
+        toValue: 0,
+        duration: openDuration,
+        easing: Easing.out(Easing.cubic),
+        useNativeDriver: true,
+      }),
+      Animated.timing(overlayOpacity, {
+        toValue: 1,
+        duration: openDuration,
+        useNativeDriver: true,
+      }),
+    ]).start();
+  }, [slideX, overlayOpacity, openDuration]);
+
   React.useEffect(() => {
     if (visible) {
-      Animated.parallel([
-        Animated.timing(slideX, {
-          toValue: 0,
-          duration: openDuration,
-          easing: Easing.out(Easing.cubic),
-          useNativeDriver: true,
-        }),
-        Animated.timing(overlayOpacity, {
-          toValue: 1,
-          duration: openDuration,
-          useNativeDriver: true,
-        }),
-      ]).start();
+      runOpen();
     } else {
       setExpandedId(null);
       Animated.parallel([
@@ -85,7 +92,7 @@ export function CalendarSidebarDrawer({
         }),
       ]).start();
     }
-  }, [visible, slideX, overlayOpacity, openDuration, closeDuration]);
+  }, [visible, runOpen, slideX, overlayOpacity, closeDuration]);
 
   const hiddenSet = React.useMemo(() => new Set(hiddenCalendarIds), [hiddenCalendarIds]);
 
@@ -114,6 +121,7 @@ export function CalendarSidebarDrawer({
       animationType="none"
       statusBarTranslucent
       onRequestClose={onClose}
+      onShow={runOpen}
     >
       <Animated.View style={[styles.overlay, { opacity: overlayOpacity }]}>
         <Pressable style={styles.overlayPress} onPress={onClose} />
diff --git a/src/components/contacts/ContactsSidebarDrawer.tsx b/src/components/contacts/ContactsSidebarDrawer.tsx
index 56339ab5..a2b817c7 100644
--- a/src/components/contacts/ContactsSidebarDrawer.tsx
+++ b/src/components/contacts/ContactsSidebarDrawer.tsx
@@ -67,19 +67,26 @@ export default function ContactsSidebarDrawer({ visible, onClose }: Props) {
   const slideX = React.useRef(new Animated.Value(-Dimensions.get('window').width)).current;
   const overlay = React.useRef(new Animated.Value(0)).current;
 
+  // Also kicked from the Modal's onShow — the first open fires this effect
+  // before the modal's native view exists, so that animation is dropped and
+  // the drawer stays parked off-screen until the second open.
+  const runOpen = React.useCallback(() => {
+    Animated.parallel([
+      Animated.timing(slideX, { toValue: 0, duration: 240, easing: Easing.out(Easing.cubic), useNativeDriver: true }),
+      Animated.timing(overlay, { toValue: 1, duration: 240, useNativeDriver: true }),
+    ]).start();
+  }, [slideX, overlay]);
+
   React.useEffect(() => {
     if (visible) {
-      Animated.parallel([
-        Animated.timing(slideX, { toValue: 0, duration: 240, easing: Easing.out(Easing.cubic), useNativeDriver: true }),
-        Animated.timing(overlay, { toValue: 1, duration: 240, useNativeDriver: true }),
-      ]).start();
+      runOpen();
     } else {
       Animated.parallel([
         Animated.timing(slideX, { toValue: -Dimensions.get('window').width, duration: 200, easing: Easing.in(Easing.cubic), useNativeDriver: true }),
         Animated.timing(overlay, { toValue: 0, duration: 200, useNativeDriver: true }),
       ]).start();
     }
-  }, [visible, slideX, overlay]);
+  }, [visible, runOpen, slideX, overlay]);
 
   const select = (cat: ContactCategory) => {
     setSelectedCategory(cat);
@@ -87,7 +94,7 @@ export default function ContactsSidebarDrawer({ visible, onClose }: Props) {
   };
 
   return (
-    <Modal visible={visible} transparent animationType="none" statusBarTranslucent onRequestClose={onClose}>
+    <Modal visible={visible} transparent animationType="none" statusBarTranslucent onRequestClose={onClose} onShow={runOpen}>
       <Animated.View style={[styles.overlay, { opacity: overlay }]}>
         <Pressable style={styles.overlayPress} onPress={onClose} />
       </Animated.View>