diff --git a/examples/E2ETestApp/android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml b/examples/E2ETestApp/android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml
index dcd82215a6..32f558c6ef 100644
--- a/examples/E2ETestApp/android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml
+++ b/examples/E2ETestApp/android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml
@@ -6,6 +6,9 @@
     <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.READ_MEDIA_VIDEO" />
     <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" />
 
+    <!-- gwpAsanMode: Android 14 samples allocations with GWP-ASan in every app, and on the x86_64
+         emulator its stack recorder (android_unsafe_frame_pointer_chase) segfaults on a Hermes
+         free right after launch, which Detox reports as "The app has unexpectedly disconnected". -->
     <application
       android:name=".MainApplication"
       android:label="@string/app_name"
@@ -15,6 +18,7 @@
       android:theme="@style/AppTheme"
       android:usesCleartextTraffic="${usesCleartextTraffic}"
       android:networkSecurityConfig="@xml/network_security_config"
+      android:gwpAsanMode="never"
       android:supportsRtl="true">
       <activity
         android:name=".MainActivity"
diff --git a/examples/E2ETestApp/e2e/mock-server/MockServer.ts b/examples/E2ETestApp/e2e/mock-server/MockServer.ts
index 57230a8192..ecf0555bbf 100644
--- a/examples/E2ETestApp/e2e/mock-server/MockServer.ts
+++ b/examples/E2ETestApp/e2e/mock-server/MockServer.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,22 @@
+import { createServer } from 'net';
+
 declare const process: { env: Record<string, string | undefined> };
 
+/** A port free on the host's IPv4 and IPv6 loopback: `::` listens on both (dual stack). */
+const freePort = () =>
+  new Promise<number>((resolve, reject) => {
+    const server = createServer();
+    server.once('error', reject);
+    server.listen({ host: '::', port: 0 }, () => {
+      const address = server.address();
+      server.close(() =>
+        address && typeof address === 'object'
+          ? resolve(address.port)
+          : reject(new Error('No free port')),
+      );
+    });
+  });
+
 /**
  * Client for `stream-chat-test-mock-server`. The driver (`driver.rb`) spawns one mock server per
  * test on its own port; `start` asks it for one and `stop` shuts it down.
@@ -27,13 +44,32 @@ export class MockServer {
     return this.url.replace('localhost', host);
   }
 
-  /** Never retried: every call to the driver's `/start` spawns a new server on a new port. */
-  async start(testName: string): Promise<void> {
-    const response = await this.execute(
-      `${MockServer.driverUrl}/start/${encodeURIComponent(testName)}?api_version=v2&timestamps=ns`,
-    );
-    this.port = (await response.text()).trim();
-    await this.waitUntilReady();
+  /**
+   * Every call to the driver's `/start` spawns a new server, so a start is only retried after the
+   * server failed to answer, and always on a new port.
+   *
+   * The port is picked here rather than by the driver: on CI the driver's probe twice handed out a
+   * port the server then never answered on (41215, an hour apart, nightly 43138494994). This probe
+   * also checks IPv6, which `localhost` may resolve to.
+   */
+  async start(testName: string, attempts = 3): Promise<void> {
+    for (let attempt = 1; ; attempt++) {
+      const port = await freePort();
+      const response = await this.execute(
+        `${MockServer.driverUrl}/start/${encodeURIComponent(testName)}` +
+          `?api_version=v2&timestamps=ns&port=${port}`,
+      );
+      this.port = (await response.text()).trim();
+      try {
+        await this.waitUntilReady();
+        return;
+      } catch (error) {
+        await this.stop();
+        if (attempt >= attempts) {
+          throw error;
+        }
+      }
+    }
   }
 
   async stop(): Promise<void> {
diff --git a/examples/E2ETestApp/e2e/robots/UserRobot.ts b/examples/E2ETestApp/e2e/robots/UserRobot.ts
index 26b206445f..9eea84db68 100644
--- a/examples/E2ETestApp/e2e/robots/UserRobot.ts
+++ b/examples/E2ETestApp/e2e/robots/UserRobot.ts
@@ -350,6 +350,12 @@ export class UserRobot extends Robot {
         .perform(async () => {
           await (await waitToAppearAndClick(CreatePoll.fields, { index: 0 })).replaceText(question);
           for (const [index, option] of options.entries()) {
+            if (device.getPlatform() === 'android') {
+              // The keyboard, often already open from the composer, covers the option field that
+              // appears below the last filled one, so it never counts as visible. A tap outside
+              // the fields hides it (see below).
+              await element(CreatePoll.questionLabel).tap();
+            }
             await (
               await waitToAppearAndClick(CreatePoll.fields, { index: index + 1 })
             ).replaceText(option);
diff --git a/examples/E2ETestApp/e2e/robots/UserRobotMessageListAsserts.ts b/examples/E2ETestApp/e2e/robots/UserRobotMessageListAsserts.ts
index 278e33824c..aece96ded9 100644
--- a/examples/E2ETestApp/e2e/robots/UserRobotMessageListAsserts.ts
+++ b/examples/E2ETestApp/e2e/robots/UserRobotMessageListAsserts.ts
@@ -104,6 +104,31 @@ declare module './UserRobot' {
   }
 }
 
+/**
+ * Waits until `selector` has been hidden for `stableMs` in a row. A single check can land before an
+ * element briefly shows: on iOS 17 the scroll-to-bottom button flashes while the list catches up
+ * with a message that just arrived, so "hidden" read once was a coin toss (nightly 43138494994).
+ */
+const waitUntilStaysHidden = async (
+  selector: Detox.NativeMatcher,
+  timeout: number,
+  stableMs = 1000,
+) => {
+  const deadline = Date.now() + timeout;
+  let hiddenSince: number | undefined;
+  while (Date.now() < deadline) {
+    if (await isDisplayed(selector, 0)) {
+      hiddenSince = undefined;
+    } else {
+      hiddenSince ??= Date.now();
+      if (Date.now() - hiddenSince >= stableMs) {
+        return;
+      }
+    }
+    await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 200));
+  }
+};
+
 export const assertVisibility = async (
   selector: Detox.NativeMatcher,
   shouldBeDisplayed: boolean,
@@ -123,6 +148,7 @@ export const assertVisibility = async (
     }
   } else {
     await waitToDisappear(selector, { index: 0, timeout });
+    await waitUntilStaysHidden(selector, timeout);
     jestExpect(await isDisplayed(selector, 0)).toBe(false);
   }
 };