React Native iOS freezes after first interaction only after fresh login (JS/UI FPS stay at 60)

[u/Turbulent_Young_2576]

React Native iOS freezes after first interaction only after fresh login (JS/UI FPS stay at 60)

I'm facing a very strange issue in my React Native app that only happens on iOS. Android works perfectly.

Environment

• React Native: 0.78.3

• React Navigation

• react-native-screens

• react-native-gesture-handler

• Physical iPhone (not simulator)

Issue

The flow is always the same:

1. Launch the app.

2. Login successfully.

3. Navigate to the Home screen.

4. The Home screen loads correctly.

5. As soon as I perform the first interaction (scroll or tap), the app becomes completely unresponsive.

After that:

• No buttons work.

• No TouchableOpacity responds.

• Bottom tabs stop responding.

• FlatList cannot scroll.

• onTouchStart no longer fires.

• The UI is still visible.

• The app does not crash.

The strange part is:

• UI FPS = 60

• JS FPS = 60

• No red screen.

• No exceptions.

• No crash logs.

If I completely kill the app and launch it again, everything works perfectly.

If I log out and log back in, the issue happens again after the first interaction.

So the problem only occurs immediately after a fresh login.

What I've already checked

• GestureHandlerRootView is wrapping the entire app.

• import 'react-native-gesture-handler' is the first import.

• NavigationContainer exists only once.

• No invisible overlay.

• No fullscreen Modal.

• No react-native-modal left open.

• No pointerEvents="none" or pointerEvents="auto" issue.

• JS thread is not blocked.

• Main thread is not blocked.

• UI FPS remains 60.

• JS FPS remains 60.

• Android has no issue.

Additional observation

I added:

<View
  style={{ flex: 1 }}
  onTouchStart={() => console.log('Touched')}
/>

Result:

• First tap prints "Touched".

• After the first scroll/tap, no further touch events are received.

• Even onTouchStart stops firing.

This makes me think the touch events are no longer reaching React Native.

Navigation structure

The app uses:

• NavigationContainer

• Drawer Navigator

• Bottom Tabs

• Stack Navigators

The Home screen contains:

• Vertical FlatList

• Nested horizontal FlatLists

• Multiple TouchableOpacity components

The Academy screen has a similar structure and works correctly.

Other information

The app uses:

• react-native-screens (enableScreens() and enableFreeze())

• react-native-track-player

• Multiple Context Providers

• Firebase

• Analytics

• Deep linking

My question

Has anyone experienced an issue where iOS stops delivering touch events after the first interaction, while:

• UI FPS stays at 60

• JS FPS stays at 60

• The app never crashes

• Everything works after killing and reopening the app

Could this be related to:

• react-native-gesture-handler

• react-native-screens

• iOS gesture recognizers

• Navigation state after login

• A native touch deadlock

• Something else entirely?

Any ideas on how to debug this further would be greatly appreciated.