diff --git a/apps/browser-extension/src/entrypoints/popup/pages/Reinitialize.tsx b/apps/browser-extension/src/entrypoints/popup/pages/Reinitialize.tsx
index 30f558403..8970d7704 100644
--- a/apps/browser-extension/src/entrypoints/popup/pages/Reinitialize.tsx
+++ b/apps/browser-extension/src/entrypoints/popup/pages/Reinitialize.tsx
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ const Reinitialize: React.FC = () => {
 
   // Auth and DB state
   const { isInitialized: authInitialized, isLoggedIn } = useApp();
-  const { dbInitialized, dbAvailable } = useDb();
+  const { dbInitialized, dbAvailable, refreshSyncState } = useDb();
 
   // Derived state
   const isFullyInitialized = authInitialized && dbInitialized;
@@ -127,8 +127,18 @@ const Reinitialize: React.FC = () => {
          * 1. Download and merge (if needed)
          * 2. Call dbContext.loadDatabase() which updates sqliteClient
          * 3. ItemsList reacts to sqliteClient changes and auto-refreshes
+         *
+         * Note: onSuccess triggers refreshSyncState to ensure any UI components
+         * watching sync state will re-render with the updated vault data.
          */
         syncVault({
+          /**
+           * Handle successful sync - refresh sync state to trigger UI updates.
+           * @param _hasNewVault Whether a new vault was downloaded
+           */
+          onSuccess: async (_hasNewVault) => {
+            await refreshSyncState();
+          },
           /**
            * Handle upgrade required - redirect to upgrade page.
            */
@@ -151,7 +161,7 @@ const Reinitialize: React.FC = () => {
     };
 
     handleInitialization();
-  }, [isFullyInitialized, requiresAuth, isLoggedIn, dbAvailable, navigate, setIsInitialLoading, syncVault, restoreLastPage]);
+  }, [isFullyInitialized, requiresAuth, isLoggedIn, dbAvailable, navigate, setIsInitialLoading, syncVault, restoreLastPage, refreshSyncState]);
 
   // This component doesn't render anything visible - it just handles initialization
   return null;
diff --git a/apps/mobile-app/app/(tabs)/items/index.tsx b/apps/mobile-app/app/(tabs)/items/index.tsx
index 172cdb451..4a4faa39b 100644
--- a/apps/mobile-app/app/(tabs)/items/index.tsx
+++ b/apps/mobile-app/app/(tabs)/items/index.tsx
@@ -360,6 +360,25 @@ export default function ItemsScreen(): React.ReactNode {
     loadItems();
   }, [isAuthenticated, isDatabaseAvailable, loadItems, setIsLoadingItems]);
 
+  /**
+   * Track previous syncing state to detect when sync completes.
+   */
+  const wasSyncingRef = useRef(dbContext.isSyncing);
+
+  /**
+   * Reload items when background sync completes (isSyncing goes from true to false).
+   * This ensures newly synced data is displayed without requiring manual pull-to-refresh.
+   */
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const wasSyncing = wasSyncingRef.current;
+    wasSyncingRef.current = dbContext.isSyncing;
+
+    // Only reload when sync just completed (was syncing, now not syncing)
+    if (wasSyncing && !dbContext.isSyncing && isAuthenticated && isDatabaseAvailable) {
+      loadItems();
+    }
+  }, [dbContext.isSyncing, isAuthenticated, isDatabaseAvailable, loadItems]);
+
   // Set header for Android
   useEffect(() => {
     navigation.setOptions({