diff --git a/.changeset/fix-use-room-sort-disconnect.md b/.changeset/fix-use-room-sort-disconnect.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f3f8371
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/fix-use-room-sort-disconnect.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@livekit/react-native': patch
+---
+
+Fix `useRoom` disconnecting the room on every render when `sortParticipants` is passed as an inline function
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 33904f6..0a918d0 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -120,6 +120,7 @@
   "packageManager": "yarn@4.11.0",
   "jest": {
     "preset": "react-native",
+    "testEnvironment": "node",
     "modulePathIgnorePatterns": [
       "<rootDir>/ci",
       "<rootDir>/example",
diff --git a/src/__tests__/useRoom.test.ts b/src/__tests__/useRoom.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..deb7d31
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/__tests__/useRoom.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,125 @@
+import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it, jest } from '@jest/globals';
+import { RoomEvent, type Participant, type Room } from 'livekit-client';
+import { useRoom, type RoomOptions } from '../useRoom';
+
+// useRoom calls the real React hooks, which only work inside a component
+// render. Mock them so the hook can be invoked directly: useEffect records its
+// callback and deps, and the driver below replays React's Object.is dependency
+// comparison to decide when the effect re-runs and its cleanup fires.
+const mockEffectCalls: { fn: () => unknown; deps?: unknown[] }[] = [];
+const mockRefCells: { current: unknown }[] = [];
+let mockRefCursor = 0;
+
+jest.mock('react', () => {
+  const actual = jest.requireActual<typeof import('react')>('react');
+  return {
+    ...actual,
+    useState: (initial: unknown) => [initial, jest.fn()],
+    useRef: (initial: unknown) => {
+      const cell = mockRefCells[mockRefCursor] ?? { current: initial };
+      mockRefCells[mockRefCursor++] = cell;
+      return cell;
+    },
+    useEffect: (fn: () => unknown, deps?: unknown[]) => {
+      mockEffectCalls.push({ fn, deps });
+    },
+  };
+});
+
+let mountedDeps: unknown[] | undefined;
+let mountedCleanup: (() => void) | undefined;
+
+const renderUseRoom = (room: Room, options?: RoomOptions) => {
+  mockEffectCalls.length = 0;
+  mockRefCursor = 0;
+  // eslint-disable-next-line react-hooks/rules-of-hooks -- the hooks are mocked; the hook is called directly so the test controls each render.
+  useRoom(room, options);
+  for (const call of mockEffectCalls) {
+    const prevDeps = mountedDeps;
+    const depsChanged =
+      prevDeps === undefined ||
+      call.deps === undefined ||
+      call.deps.length !== prevDeps.length ||
+      call.deps.some((dep, i) => !Object.is(dep, prevDeps[i]));
+    if (depsChanged) {
+      mountedCleanup?.();
+      const cleanup = call.fn();
+      mountedCleanup =
+        typeof cleanup === 'function' ? (cleanup as () => void) : undefined;
+    }
+    mountedDeps = call.deps;
+  }
+};
+
+const unmount = () => {
+  mountedCleanup?.();
+};
+
+const fakeRoom = () => {
+  const room = {
+    remoteParticipants: new Map<string, Participant>(),
+    localParticipant: {} as Participant,
+    disconnect: jest.fn(),
+    once: jest.fn(),
+    on: jest.fn(),
+    off: jest.fn(),
+  };
+  room.on.mockReturnValue(room);
+  room.off.mockReturnValue(room);
+  return room;
+};
+
+beforeEach(() => {
+  mountedDeps = undefined;
+  mountedCleanup = undefined;
+  mockEffectCalls.length = 0;
+  mockRefCells.length = 0;
+  mockRefCursor = 0;
+});
+
+describe('useRoom', () => {
+  it('does not disconnect the room when re-rendered with a new inline sortParticipants', () => {
+    const room = fakeRoom();
+    renderUseRoom(room as unknown as Room, {
+      sortParticipants: () => {},
+    });
+    renderUseRoom(room as unknown as Room, {
+      sortParticipants: () => {},
+    });
+    renderUseRoom(room as unknown as Room, {
+      sortParticipants: () => {},
+    });
+
+    expect(room.on).toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(room.disconnect).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it('disconnects the room when the component unmounts', () => {
+    const room = fakeRoom();
+    renderUseRoom(room as unknown as Room);
+    unmount();
+
+    expect(room.disconnect).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+  });
+
+  it('uses the latest sortParticipants after a re-render', () => {
+    const room = fakeRoom();
+    const first = jest.fn((_participants: Participant[]) => {});
+    const second = jest.fn((_participants: Participant[]) => {});
+    renderUseRoom(room as unknown as Room, { sortParticipants: first });
+    renderUseRoom(room as unknown as Room, { sortParticipants: second });
+
+    // The initial effect run already invoked `first`; reset the spies so only
+    // the call below is counted.
+    first.mockClear();
+    second.mockClear();
+
+    const onParticipantsChanged = room.on.mock.calls.find(
+      ([event]) => event === RoomEvent.Reconnected
+    )?.[1] as () => void;
+    onParticipantsChanged();
+
+    expect(second).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(first).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/useRoom.ts b/src/useRoom.ts
index 0a2b74b..b09bd99 100644
--- a/src/useRoom.ts
+++ b/src/useRoom.ts
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ import {
   RoomEvent,
   Track,
 } from 'livekit-client';
-import { useEffect, useState } from 'react';
+import { useEffect, useRef, useState } from 'react';
 
 export interface RoomState {
   room?: Room;
@@ -29,14 +29,18 @@ export function useRoom(room: Room, options?: RoomOptions): RoomState {
   const [participants, setParticipants] = useState<Participant[]>([]);
   const [audioTracks, setAudioTracks] = useState<AudioTrack[]>([]);
 
-  const sortFunc = options?.sortParticipants ?? sortParticipants;
+  // An inline `sortParticipants` has a new identity on every render. Keep the
+  // latest one in a ref so the effect below doesn't re-run (its cleanup
+  // disconnects the room) when only the function identity changes.
+  const sortFuncRef = useRef(options?.sortParticipants ?? sortParticipants);
+  sortFuncRef.current = options?.sortParticipants ?? sortParticipants;
 
   useEffect(() => {
     const onParticipantsChanged = () => {
       const remotes = Array.from(room.remoteParticipants.values());
       const newParticipants: Participant[] = [room.localParticipant];
       newParticipants.push(...remotes);
-      sortFunc(newParticipants, room.localParticipant);
+      sortFuncRef.current(newParticipants, room.localParticipant);
       setParticipants(newParticipants);
     };
     const onSubscribedTrackChanged = (track?: RemoteTrack) => {
@@ -92,7 +96,7 @@ export function useRoom(room: Room, options?: RoomOptions): RoomState {
     return () => {
       room.disconnect();
     };
-  }, [room, sortFunc]);
+  }, [room]);
 
   return {
     error,