diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/bitchat/android/ui/globe/GlobeState.kt b/app/src/main/java/com/bitchat/android/ui/globe/GlobeState.kt
index 89efc689b..1ef738756 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/com/bitchat/android/ui/globe/GlobeState.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/bitchat/android/ui/globe/GlobeState.kt
@@ -37,7 +37,8 @@ class GlobeState(
         private set
     var centerLon by mutableDoubleStateOf(if (startZoomedOut) GlobeMath.normalizeLon(targetLon - 70.0) else targetLon)
         private set
-    var zoom by mutableFloatStateOf(if (startZoomedOut) GlobeMath.MIN_ZOOM else 1f)
+    // The opening rotation starts a little smaller than the whole-globe view and grows into it.
+    var zoom by mutableFloatStateOf(if (startZoomedOut) INTRO_START_ZOOM else 1f)
         private set
     var precision by mutableIntStateOf(initialPrecision.coerceIn(1, GlobeMath.MAX_PRECISION))
         private set
@@ -93,7 +94,9 @@ class GlobeState(
     /** Continuous zoom from pinch gestures; precision follows automatically. */
     fun zoomBy(factor: Float) {
         if (factor == 1f) return
-        zoom = (zoom * factor).coerceIn(GlobeMath.MIN_ZOOM, GlobeMath.MAX_ZOOM)
+        // An interrupted intro can leave the globe below the minimum; continue from there rather
+        // than snapping up, while never pinching further out than the current size.
+        zoom = (zoom * factor).coerceIn(minOf(GlobeMath.MIN_ZOOM, zoom), GlobeMath.MAX_ZOOM)
         syncPrecisionFromZoom()
         syncSelection()
     }
@@ -192,7 +195,10 @@ class GlobeState(
         animateTo(centerLat, centerLon, targetZoom, p, durationMs = 450)
     }
 
-    /** Cinematic intro: spin and zoom from a far view into the target location. */
+    /**
+     * Cinematic intro: turn to the target while gently zooming from [INTRO_START_ZOOM] into the
+     * frame for [targetPrecision] (the whole globe at level 1).
+     */
     private fun playIntro(targetLat: Double, targetLon: Double, targetPrecision: Int) {
         if (baseRadiusPx <= 0f) {
             // viewport not ready yet; retry once attached to layout via caller
@@ -255,6 +261,11 @@ class GlobeState(
         // clamping tighter would make syncSelection() encode the wrong cell.
         const val MIN_LAT = -89.0
         const val MAX_LAT = 89.0
+        /**
+         * Where the opening rotation's gentle zoom-in starts. Within [FLIGHT_ZOOM_RATIO] of the
+         * whole-globe view, so the intro rotates and zooms together on the glide path.
+         */
+        const val INTRO_START_ZOOM = 0.72f
         /** Zoom changes beyond this factor fly along [GlobeFlight]; smaller ones glide. */
         const val FLIGHT_ZOOM_RATIO = 1.5f
         const val FLIGHT_MS_PER_UNIT = 230.0
diff --git a/app/src/test/kotlin/com/bitchat/android/ui/globe/GlobeStateTest.kt b/app/src/test/kotlin/com/bitchat/android/ui/globe/GlobeStateTest.kt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..04ff97a75
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/src/test/kotlin/com/bitchat/android/ui/globe/GlobeStateTest.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+package com.bitchat.android.ui.globe
+
+import org.junit.Assert.assertEquals
+import org.junit.Assert.assertTrue
+import org.junit.Test
+
+class GlobeStateTest {
+
+    private fun introState() = GlobeState(
+        targetLat = 57.0,
+        targetLon = 10.0,
+        initialPrecision = 1,
+        startZoomedOut = true
+    ).apply { setViewport(baseRadiusPx = 475f, screenMinPx = 1080f) }
+
+    @Test
+    fun intro_startsSlightlySmallerThanTheWholeGlobeAtLevelOne() {
+        val state = introState()
+
+        assertTrue(state.zoom < GlobeMath.MIN_ZOOM)
+        assertTrue(state.zoom > 0.5f)
+        assertEquals(1, state.precision)
+        assertEquals(1, state.selectedGeohash.length)
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun wholeGlobeFrame_isLevelOne() {
+        // The intro lands on the level-1 frame, which is the whole-globe view.
+        assertEquals(
+            GlobeMath.MIN_ZOOM,
+            GlobeMath.zoomForPrecision(1, baseRadiusPx = 475f, screenMinPx = 1080f)
+        )
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun pinchingAnInterruptedIntro_continuesWithoutSnapping() {
+        val state = introState()
+        val start = state.zoom
+
+        state.zoomBy(1.1f)
+        assertEquals(start * 1.1f, state.zoom, 1e-4f)
+
+        state.zoomBy(0.5f)
+        assertEquals(start * 1.1f, state.zoom, 1e-4f)
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun pinchingOut_stopsAtTheWholeGlobe() {
+        val state = GlobeState(57.0, 10.0, initialPrecision = 1, startZoomedOut = false)
+            .apply { setViewport(475f, 1080f) }
+
+        state.zoomBy(0.5f)
+
+        assertEquals(GlobeMath.MIN_ZOOM, state.zoom)
+    }
+}