diff --git a/.github/copilot-instructions.md b/.github/copilot-instructions.md
index 50d1255db..0222a9636 100644
--- a/.github/copilot-instructions.md
+++ b/.github/copilot-instructions.md
@@ -137,6 +137,10 @@ Always run commands in the following order to ensure reliability. Do not attempt
 - Pull request CI is main-only (`.github/workflows/pull-request.yml` targets `main` branch).
 - Gradle cache writes are trusted on `main` and merge queue runs (`merge_group` / `gh-readonly-queue/*`); other refs use read-only cache mode in reusable CI.
 - PR `check-changes` path filtering lives in `.github/workflows/pull-request.yml` and must include module dirs plus build/workflow entrypoints (`build-logic/**`, `gradle/**`, `.github/workflows/**`, `gradlew`, `settings.gradle.kts`, etc.) so CI is not skipped for infra-only changes.
+- **Runner strategy (three tiers):**
+  - **`ubuntu-24.04-arm`** — Lightweight/utility jobs (status checks, labelers, triage, changelog, release metadata, stale, moderation). These run only shell scripts or GitHub API calls and benefit from ARM runners' shorter queue times.
+  - **`ubuntu-24.04`** — Gradle-heavy jobs (CI host-check, android-check, release builds, Dokka, CodeQL, publish, dependency-submission). Pinned for reproducibility; avoid `ubuntu-latest` to prevent breakage when GitHub rolls the alias forward.
+  - **Desktop release matrix** — `[macos-latest, windows-latest, ubuntu-24.04, ubuntu-24.04-arm]` for cross-platform native packaging (DMG, MSI, deb/rpm/AppImage for x64 and ARM).
 - **Terminal Pagers:** When running shell commands like `git diff` or `git log`, ALWAYS use `--no-pager` (e.g., `git --no-pager diff`) to prevent the agent from getting stuck in an interactive prompt.
 - **Text Search:** Prefer using `rg` (ripgrep) over `grep` or `find` for fast text searching across the codebase.
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/codeql.yml b/.github/workflows/codeql.yml
index b84fc8607..250e34253 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/codeql.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/codeql.yml
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ jobs:
     #   - https://gh.io/supported-runners-and-hardware-resources
     #   - https://gh.io/using-larger-runners (GitHub.com only)
     # Consider using larger runners or machines with greater resources for possible analysis time improvements.
-    runs-on: ${{ (matrix.language == 'swift' && 'macos-latest') || 'ubuntu-latest' }}
+    runs-on: ${{ (matrix.language == 'swift' && 'macos-latest') || 'ubuntu-24.04' }}
     if: github.repository == 'meshtastic/Meshtastic-Android'
     permissions:
       # required for all workflows
diff --git a/.github/workflows/create-or-promote-release.yml b/.github/workflows/create-or-promote-release.yml
index 053174c00..0d5877270 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/create-or-promote-release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/create-or-promote-release.yml
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ permissions:
 
 jobs:
   determine-tags:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04-arm
     outputs:
       tag_to_process: ${{ steps.calculate_tags.outputs.tag_to_process }}
       release_name: ${{ steps.calculate_tags.outputs.release_name }}
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ jobs:
   cleanup-on-failure:
     needs: [determine-tags, call-release-workflow]
     if: ${{ (failure() || cancelled()) && !inputs.dry_run && inputs.channel == 'internal' }}
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04-arm
     steps:
       - name: Checkout code
         uses: actions/checkout@v6
diff --git a/.github/workflows/dependency-submission.yml b/.github/workflows/dependency-submission.yml
index 10f2463f3..4e14783bf 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/dependency-submission.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/dependency-submission.yml
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ permissions:
 
 jobs:
   dependency-submission:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04
     if: github.repository == 'meshtastic/Meshtastic-Android'
 
     steps:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/docs.yml b/.github/workflows/docs.yml
index e6e16c0af..12cee4d46 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/docs.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/docs.yml
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ concurrency:
 jobs:
   build-docs:
     if: github.repository == 'meshtastic/Meshtastic-Android'
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04
     steps:
       - name: Checkout code
         uses: actions/checkout@v6
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ jobs:
     environment:
       name: github-pages
       url: ${{ steps.deployment.outputs.page_url }}
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04-arm
     needs: build-docs
     steps:
       - name: Deploy to GitHub Pages
diff --git a/.github/workflows/main-push-changelog.yml b/.github/workflows/main-push-changelog.yml
index fb6f4a75e..09446c50b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/main-push-changelog.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/main-push-changelog.yml
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ concurrency:
 jobs:
   main-push-changelog:
     name: Generate main push changelog
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04-arm
     steps:
       - name: Checkout code
         uses: actions/checkout@v6
diff --git a/.github/workflows/merge-queue.yml b/.github/workflows/merge-queue.yml
index 263246f1e..2818ca939 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/merge-queue.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/merge-queue.yml
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ jobs:
 
   check-workflow-status:
     name: Check Workflow Status
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04-arm
     permissions: {}
     needs:
       - android-check
diff --git a/.github/workflows/models_issue_triage.yml b/.github/workflows/models_issue_triage.yml
index f61a15fe6..87756b616 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/models_issue_triage.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/models_issue_triage.yml
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ concurrency:
 jobs:
   triage:
     if: ${{ github.repository == 'meshtastic/firmware' && github.event.issue.user.type != 'Bot' }}
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04-arm
     steps:
       # ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
       # Step 1: Quality check (spam/AI-slop detection) - runs first, exits early if spam
diff --git a/.github/workflows/models_pr_triage.yml b/.github/workflows/models_pr_triage.yml
index ef303c02a..af1b04037 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/models_pr_triage.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/models_pr_triage.yml
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ concurrency:
 jobs:
   triage:
     if: ${{ github.repository == 'meshtastic/firmware' && github.event.pull_request.user.type != 'Bot' }}
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04-arm
     steps:
       # ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
       # Step 1: Check if PR already has automation/type labels (skip if so)
diff --git a/.github/workflows/moderate.yml b/.github/workflows/moderate.yml
index b576ad9a6..81eff6b59 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/moderate.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/moderate.yml
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ on:
 
 jobs:
   spam-detection:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04-arm
     permissions:
       issues: write
       pull-requests: write
diff --git a/.github/workflows/post-release-cleanup.yml b/.github/workflows/post-release-cleanup.yml
index 925d265fa..d62c36ed9 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/post-release-cleanup.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/post-release-cleanup.yml
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ permissions:
 
 jobs:
   cleanup_prereleases:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04-arm
     environment: Release
     steps:
       - name: Checkout code
diff --git a/.github/workflows/pr_enforce_labels.yml b/.github/workflows/pr_enforce_labels.yml
index 8669b3c43..05603796f 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/pr_enforce_labels.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/pr_enforce_labels.yml
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ permissions:
 
 jobs:
  check-label:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04-arm
     steps:
       - name: Check for PR labels
         uses: actions/github-script@v8
diff --git a/.github/workflows/promote.yml b/.github/workflows/promote.yml
index 2fbba2b2a..2338a6aeb 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/promote.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/promote.yml
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ permissions:
 
 jobs:
   prepare-build-info:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04-arm
     outputs:
       APP_VERSION_NAME: ${{ steps.prep_version.outputs.APP_VERSION_NAME }}
       APP_VERSION_CODE: ${{ steps.calculate_version_code.outputs.versionCode }}
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ jobs:
         shell: bash
 
   promote-release:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04-arm
     environment: Release
     needs: [ prepare-build-info ]
     steps:
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ jobs:
           user-fraction: ${{ (inputs.channel == 'production' && '0.1') || (inputs.channel == 'open' && '0.5') || '1.0' }}
 
   update-github-release:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04-arm
     needs: [ prepare-build-info, promote-release ]
     steps:
       - name: Checkout code
diff --git a/.github/workflows/publish-core.yml b/.github/workflows/publish-core.yml
index f22634a5d..59c22505a 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/publish-core.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/publish-core.yml
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ on:
 
 jobs:
   publish:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04
     permissions:
       contents: read
       packages: write
diff --git a/.github/workflows/pull-request-target.yml b/.github/workflows/pull-request-target.yml
index cebe7e588..7dfe1674b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/pull-request-target.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/pull-request-target.yml
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ jobs:
     permissions:
       contents: read
       pull-requests: write
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04-arm
     steps:
     - id: label-the-PR
       uses: actions/labeler@v6
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/.github/workflows/pull-request.yml b/.github/workflows/pull-request.yml
index c154d0a52..f5bdeb15d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/pull-request.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/pull-request.yml
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ jobs:
   # 1. CHANGE DETECTION: Prevents unnecessary builds
   check-changes:
     if: github.repository == 'meshtastic/Meshtastic-Android' && !( github.head_ref == 'scheduled-updates' || github.head_ref == 'l10n_main' )
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04-arm
     outputs:
       android: ${{ steps.filter.outputs.android }}
     steps:
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ jobs:
   # 1b. FILTER DRIFT CHECK: Ensures check-changes stays aligned with module roots
   verify-check-changes-filter:
     if: github.repository == 'meshtastic/Meshtastic-Android' && !( github.head_ref == 'scheduled-updates' || github.head_ref == 'l10n_main' )
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04-arm
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v6
       - name: Verify module roots are represented in check-changes filter
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ jobs:
   # 3. WORKFLOW STATUS: Ensures required checks are satisfied
   check-workflow-status:
     name: Check Workflow Status
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04-arm
     permissions: {}
     needs: [check-changes, verify-check-changes-filter, validate-and-build]
     if: always()
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index ed6cf0c7f..54641d569 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ permissions:
 
 jobs:
   prepare-build-info:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04-arm
     outputs:
       APP_VERSION_NAME: ${{ steps.prep_version.outputs.APP_VERSION_NAME }}
       APP_VERSION_CODE: ${{ steps.calculate_version_code.outputs.versionCode }}
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ jobs:
         shell: bash
 
   release-google:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04
     needs: [prepare-build-info]
     environment: Release
     env:
@@ -193,7 +193,7 @@ jobs:
           subject-path: app/build/outputs/apk/google/release/*.apk
 
   release-fdroid:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04
     needs: [prepare-build-info]
     environment: Release
     env:
@@ -266,7 +266,7 @@ jobs:
     strategy:
       fail-fast: false
       matrix:
-        os: [macos-latest, windows-latest, ubuntu-22.04, ubuntu-22.04-arm]
+        os: [macos-latest, windows-latest, ubuntu-24.04, ubuntu-24.04-arm]
     env:
       GRADLE_CACHE_URL: ${{ secrets.GRADLE_CACHE_URL }}
       GRADLE_CACHE_USERNAME: ${{ secrets.GRADLE_CACHE_USERNAME }}
@@ -324,7 +324,7 @@ jobs:
           if-no-files-found: ignore
 
   github-release:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04-arm
     needs: [prepare-build-info, release-google, release-fdroid, release-desktop]
     env:
       INTERNAL_BUILDS_HOST: ${{ secrets.INTERNAL_BUILDS_HOST }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/reusable-check.yml b/.github/workflows/reusable-check.yml
index 7aa1c7f31..11821db07 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/reusable-check.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/reusable-check.yml
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ env:
 
 jobs:
   host-check:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04
     permissions:
       contents: read
     timeout-minutes: 60
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@ jobs:
           retention-days: 7
 
   android-check:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04
     permissions:
       contents: read
     timeout-minutes: 60
diff --git a/.github/workflows/scheduled-updates.yml b/.github/workflows/scheduled-updates.yml
index d7e5a4b7d..3fdec9f9d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/scheduled-updates.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/scheduled-updates.yml
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ on:
 
 jobs:
   update_assets:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04
     if: github.repository == 'meshtastic/Meshtastic-Android'
     permissions:
       contents: write      # To commit files and push branches
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ jobs:
 
   check-workflow-status:
     name: Check Workflow Status
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04-arm
     permissions: {}
     needs:
         - update_assets
diff --git a/.github/workflows/stale.yml b/.github/workflows/stale.yml
index e0647e27e..1b9ee1fd6 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/stale.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/stale.yml
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ permissions:
 jobs:
   stale_issues:
     name: Close Stale Issues
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04-arm
     if: github.repository == 'meshtastic/Meshtastic-Android'
 
     steps:
diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index a4bdbf32a..7a62b61d5 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -139,6 +139,10 @@ Always run commands in the following order to ensure reliability. Do not attempt
 - Pull request CI is main-only (`.github/workflows/pull-request.yml` targets `main` branch).
 - Gradle cache writes are trusted on `main` and merge queue runs (`merge_group` / `gh-readonly-queue/*`); other refs use read-only cache mode in reusable CI.
 - PR `check-changes` path filtering lives in `.github/workflows/pull-request.yml` and must include module dirs plus build/workflow entrypoints (`build-logic/**`, `gradle/**`, `.github/workflows/**`, `gradlew`, `settings.gradle.kts`, etc.) so CI is not skipped for infra-only changes.
+- **Runner strategy (three tiers):**
+  - **`ubuntu-24.04-arm`** — Lightweight/utility jobs (status checks, labelers, triage, changelog, release metadata, stale, moderation). These run only shell scripts or GitHub API calls and benefit from ARM runners' shorter queue times.
+  - **`ubuntu-24.04`** — Gradle-heavy jobs (CI host-check, android-check, release builds, Dokka, CodeQL, publish, dependency-submission). Pinned for reproducibility; avoid `ubuntu-latest` to prevent breakage when GitHub rolls the alias forward.
+  - **Desktop release matrix** — `[macos-latest, windows-latest, ubuntu-24.04, ubuntu-24.04-arm]` for cross-platform native packaging (DMG, MSI, deb/rpm/AppImage for x64 and ARM).
 - **Terminal Pagers:** When running shell commands like `git diff` or `git log`, ALWAYS use `--no-pager` (e.g., `git --no-pager diff`) to prevent the agent from getting stuck in an interactive prompt.
 - **Text Search:** Prefer using `rg` (ripgrep) over `grep` or `find` for fast text searching across the codebase.
 
diff --git a/GEMINI.md b/GEMINI.md
index dd60dc47b..371032c2d 100644
--- a/GEMINI.md
+++ b/GEMINI.md
@@ -135,6 +135,10 @@ Always run commands in the following order to ensure reliability. Do not attempt
 - Pull request CI is main-only (`.github/workflows/pull-request.yml` targets `main` branch).
 - Gradle cache writes are trusted on `main` and merge queue runs (`merge_group` / `gh-readonly-queue/*`); other refs use read-only cache mode in reusable CI.
 - PR `check-changes` path filtering lives in `.github/workflows/pull-request.yml` and must include module dirs plus build/workflow entrypoints (`build-logic/**`, `gradle/**`, `.github/workflows/**`, `gradlew`, `settings.gradle.kts`, etc.) so CI is not skipped for infra-only changes.
+- **Runner strategy (three tiers):**
+  - **`ubuntu-24.04-arm`** — Lightweight/utility jobs (status checks, labelers, triage, changelog, release metadata, stale, moderation). These run only shell scripts or GitHub API calls and benefit from ARM runners' shorter queue times.
+  - **`ubuntu-24.04`** — Gradle-heavy jobs (CI host-check, android-check, release builds, Dokka, CodeQL, publish, dependency-submission). Pinned for reproducibility; avoid `ubuntu-latest` to prevent breakage when GitHub rolls the alias forward.
+  - **Desktop release matrix** — `[macos-latest, windows-latest, ubuntu-24.04, ubuntu-24.04-arm]` for cross-platform native packaging (DMG, MSI, deb/rpm/AppImage for x64 and ARM).
 - **Terminal Pagers:** When running shell commands like `git diff` or `git log`, ALWAYS use `--no-pager` (e.g., `git --no-pager diff`) to prevent the agent from getting stuck in an interactive prompt.
 - **Text Search:** Prefer using `rg` (ripgrep) over `grep` or `find` for fast text searching across the codebase.