diff --git a/lib/screens/channel/channel.dart b/lib/screens/channel/channel.dart
index c66dae36..6c130a8a 100644
--- a/lib/screens/channel/channel.dart
+++ b/lib/screens/channel/channel.dart
@@ -128,6 +128,12 @@ class _VideoChatState extends State<VideoChat>
 
     if (state == AppLifecycleState.resumed) {
       _videoStore.handleAppResume();
+      _chatTabsStore.onAppResumed();
+    } else if (state == AppLifecycleState.paused) {
+      // No frames are produced while backgrounded, but Dart timers keep
+      // firing — stop the chat flush timers until resume. (Messages keep
+      // buffering; PiP hides chat anyway, so pausing during PiP is safe.)
+      _chatTabsStore.onAppPaused();
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/lib/screens/channel/chat/stores/chat_store.dart b/lib/screens/channel/chat/stores/chat_store.dart
index 356d09db..a905c5fb 100644
--- a/lib/screens/channel/chat/stores/chat_store.dart
+++ b/lib/screens/channel/chat/stores/chat_store.dart
@@ -189,6 +189,12 @@ abstract class ChatStoreBase with Store {
   /// The periodic timer used for batching chat message re-renders.
   Timer? _messageBufferTimer;
 
+  /// Whether the app is backgrounded. Gates the message flush timer — no
+  /// frames are produced while paused, so the 5x/s wakeups would be pure
+  /// battery cost. Messages keep parsing into [messageBuffer] and are flushed
+  /// on resume (with the overflow drain in [_handleIRCData] bounding growth).
+  var _isAppPaused = false;
+
   /// The list of chat messages to add once autoscroll is resumed.
   /// This is used as an optimization to prevent the list from being updated/shifted while the user is scrolling.
   final messageBuffer = ObservableList<IRCMessage>();
@@ -817,8 +823,10 @@ abstract class ChatStoreBase with Store {
             continue;
         }
 
-        if (!_autoScroll) {
-          // While autoscroll is disabled, occasionally move messages from the buffer to the messages to prevent a memory leak.
+        if (!_autoScroll || _isAppPaused) {
+          // While the flush is held (scrolled up, or app backgrounded),
+          // occasionally move messages from the buffer to the messages to
+          // prevent unbounded buffer growth.
           if (messageBuffer.length >= _messagesToRemove) {
             _messages.addAll(messageBuffer);
             messageBuffer.clear();
@@ -841,13 +849,7 @@ abstract class ChatStoreBase with Store {
         );
 
         // Activate the message buffer.
-        // Cancel any existing timer before creating a new one to prevent duplicates on reconnect.
-        _messageBufferTimer?.cancel();
-        // Create a timer that will add messages from the buffer every 200 milliseconds.
-        _messageBufferTimer = Timer.periodic(
-          const Duration(milliseconds: 200),
-          (timer) => addMessages(),
-        );
+        _startMessageBufferTimer();
 
         // Set up 7TV real-time listener (assets already fetched in connectToChat)
         if (settings.show7TVEmotes) {
@@ -1251,6 +1253,38 @@ abstract class ChatStoreBase with Store {
     }
   }
 
+  /// (Re)starts the periodic buffer flush. Cancels any existing timer first
+  /// to prevent duplicates on reconnect; no-ops while the app is backgrounded
+  /// ([onAppResumed] restarts it).
+  void _startMessageBufferTimer() {
+    _messageBufferTimer?.cancel();
+    _messageBufferTimer = null;
+    if (_isAppPaused) return;
+    // Create a timer that will add messages from the buffer every 200 milliseconds.
+    _messageBufferTimer = Timer.periodic(
+      const Duration(milliseconds: 200),
+      (timer) => addMessages(),
+    );
+  }
+
+  /// Stops the flush timer while the app is backgrounded.
+  void onAppPaused() {
+    _isAppPaused = true;
+    _messageBufferTimer?.cancel();
+    _messageBufferTimer = null;
+  }
+
+  /// Restarts the flush timer after [onAppPaused] and flushes the backlog
+  /// immediately so chat is current on the first visible frame.
+  void onAppResumed() {
+    if (!_isAppPaused) return;
+    _isAppPaused = false;
+    if (_hasConnected) {
+      _startMessageBufferTimer();
+      addMessages();
+    }
+  }
+
   @action
   void addMessages() {
     _flushDueDelayedCallbacks();
diff --git a/lib/screens/channel/chat/stores/chat_tabs_store.dart b/lib/screens/channel/chat/stores/chat_tabs_store.dart
index ee095442..5b06cb78 100644
--- a/lib/screens/channel/chat/stores/chat_tabs_store.dart
+++ b/lib/screens/channel/chat/stores/chat_tabs_store.dart
@@ -407,6 +407,32 @@ abstract class ChatTabsStoreBase with Store {
     }
   }
 
+  /// Forwards app-pause to every activated tab and stops the merged render
+  /// timer — no frames are produced while the app is backgrounded, so the
+  /// periodic flush/recompute work would be pure battery cost.
+  void onAppPaused() {
+    _mergedRenderTimer?.cancel();
+    _mergedRenderTimer = null;
+    for (final tab in _tabs) {
+      tab.chatStore?.onAppPaused();
+    }
+  }
+
+  /// Resumes tab flush timers and (if merged mode is active) the merged
+  /// render timer after [onAppPaused].
+  void onAppResumed() {
+    for (final tab in _tabs) {
+      tab.chatStore?.onAppResumed();
+    }
+    if (mergedMode && _mergedRenderTimer == null) {
+      _refreshMergedMessages();
+      _mergedRenderTimer = Timer.periodic(
+        const Duration(milliseconds: 200),
+        (_) => _refreshMergedMessages(),
+      );
+    }
+  }
+
   /// Re-enables auto-scroll and jumps to the latest message in merged view.
   @action
   void resumeMergedScroll() {
diff --git a/lib/screens/channel/chat/widgets/chat_tabs.dart b/lib/screens/channel/chat/widgets/chat_tabs.dart
index 490ce0df..0321169b 100644
--- a/lib/screens/channel/chat/widgets/chat_tabs.dart
+++ b/lib/screens/channel/chat/widgets/chat_tabs.dart
@@ -112,17 +112,26 @@ class ChatTabs extends StatelessWidget {
                       )
                     : IndexedStack(
                         index: activeIndex,
-                        children: tabs.map((tabInfo) {
-                          if (tabInfo.chatStore == null) {
-                            return const SizedBox.shrink();
-                          }
-                          return Chat(
-                            key: ValueKey(tabInfo.channelId),
-                            chatStore: tabInfo.chatStore!,
-                            listPadding: adjustedPadding,
-                            onAddChat: () => _handleAddChat(context),
-                          );
-                        }).toList(),
+                        children: [
+                          for (var i = 0; i < tabs.length; i++)
+                            if (tabs[i].chatStore == null)
+                              const SizedBox.shrink()
+                            else
+                              // IndexedStack children stay mounted (and keep
+                              // animating) when hidden. Disabling TickerMode
+                              // pauses inactive tabs' animated emotes — the
+                              // Image widget stops its frame-decode loop while
+                              // the ticker mode is off and resumes on switch.
+                              TickerMode(
+                                key: ValueKey(tabs[i].channelId),
+                                enabled: i == activeIndex,
+                                child: Chat(
+                                  chatStore: tabs[i].chatStore!,
+                                  listPadding: adjustedPadding,
+                                  onAddChat: () => _handleAddChat(context),
+                                ),
+                              ),
+                        ],
                       ),
               ),
               if (showTabBar)