diff --git a/__mocks__/react-native-sensitive-info.ts b/__mocks__/react-native-sensitive-info.ts
index 22a0c47e4..cafc2986a 100644
--- a/__mocks__/react-native-sensitive-info.ts
+++ b/__mocks__/react-native-sensitive-info.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,20 @@
+let clearAuthCache = () => {}; // Default no-op function
+
+// Try to get clearAuthCache function safely
+try {
+  const authModule = require( "components/LoginSignUp/AuthenticationService.ts" );
+
+  if ( authModule && typeof authModule.clearAuthCache === "function" ) {
+    // eslint-disable-next-line prefer-destructuring
+    clearAuthCache = authModule.clearAuthCache;
+  } else if ( authModule.default && typeof authModule.default.clearAuthCache === "function" ) {
+    // eslint-disable-next-line prefer-destructuring
+    clearAuthCache = authModule.default.clearAuthCache;
+  }
+} catch ( error ) {
+  console.warn( "Could not import clearAuthCache, using no-op function", error );
+}
+
 class RNSInfo {
   static stores = new Map();
 
@@ -11,6 +28,15 @@ class RNSInfo {
     if ( typeof s !== "string" ) { throw new Error( "Invalid string:", s ); }
   }
 
+  static clearAllStores = jest.fn( () => {
+    RNSInfo.stores.clear();
+    clearAuthCache();
+  } );
+
+  static clearAuthCache = jest.fn( () => {
+    clearAuthCache();
+  } );
+
   static getItem = jest.fn( async ( k, o ) => {
     RNSInfo.validateString( k );
 
@@ -27,11 +53,8 @@ class RNSInfo {
     let mappedValues = [];
 
     if ( service?.size ) {
-      // for ( const [k, v] of service.entries() ) {
-      //   mappedValues.push( { key: k, value: v, service: serviceName } );
-      // }
-      mappedValues = service.entries( ).map(
-        ( key, value ) => ( { key, value, service: serviceName } )
+      mappedValues = Array.from( service.entries() ).map(
+        ( [key, value] ) => ( { key, value, service: serviceName } )
       );
     }
 
@@ -52,6 +75,8 @@ class RNSInfo {
 
     service.set( k, v );
 
+    clearAuthCache( );
+
     return null;
   } );
 
@@ -63,6 +88,8 @@ class RNSInfo {
 
     if ( service ) { service.delete( k ); }
 
+    clearAuthCache( );
+
     return null;
   } );
 
diff --git a/src/components/LoginSignUp/AuthenticationService.ts b/src/components/LoginSignUp/AuthenticationService.ts
index 624d353da..40e0ec210 100644
--- a/src/components/LoginSignUp/AuthenticationService.ts
+++ b/src/components/LoginSignUp/AuthenticationService.ts
@@ -44,6 +44,25 @@ const API_HOST: string = Config.OAUTH_API_URL || process.env.OAUTH_API_URL || "h
 // expire every 30 mins, so might as well be futureproof.
 const JWT_EXPIRATION_MINS = 25;
 
+/**
+ * Cache for isLoggedIn, to avoid making too many calls to RNSInfo.getItem
+ */
+const authCache = {
+  isLoggedIn: null,
+  lastChecked: null,
+  cacheTimeout: 5000
+};
+
+/**
+ * Clear cache for isLoggedIn.
+ *
+ * @returns {void}
+ */
+const clearAuthCache = ( ) => {
+  authCache.isLoggedIn = null;
+  authCache.lastChecked = null;
+};
+
 async function getSensitiveItem( key: string, options = {} ) {
   try {
     return await RNSInfo.getItem( key, options );
@@ -65,7 +84,9 @@ async function getSensitiveItem( key: string, options = {} ) {
 
 async function setSensitiveItem( key: string, value: string, options = {} ) {
   try {
-    return await RNSInfo.setItem( key, value, options );
+    const result = await RNSInfo.setItem( key, value, options );
+    clearAuthCache( );
+    return result;
   } catch ( e ) {
     if ( isDebugMode( ) ) {
       localLogger.info( `RNSInfo.setItem not available for ${key}, sleeping` );
@@ -84,7 +105,9 @@ async function setSensitiveItem( key: string, value: string, options = {} ) {
 
 async function deleteSensitiveItem( key: string, options = {} ) {
   try {
-    return await RNSInfo.deleteItem( key, options );
+    const result = await RNSInfo.deleteItem( key, options );
+    clearAuthCache( );
+    return result;
   } catch ( e ) {
     if ( isDebugMode( ) ) {
       localLogger.info( `RNSInfo.deleteItem not available for ${key}, sleeping` );
@@ -120,8 +143,29 @@ const createAPI = ( additionalHeaders?: { [header: string]: string } ) => create
  * @returns {Promise<boolean>}
  */
 const isLoggedIn = async (): Promise<boolean> => {
-  const accessToken = await getSensitiveItem( "accessToken" );
-  return typeof accessToken === "string";
+  const now = Date.now();
+
+  // if cached value is fresh, return it before checking storage
+  if (
+    authCache.isLoggedIn !== null
+    && authCache.lastChecked
+    && ( now - authCache.lastChecked ) < authCache.cacheTimeout
+  ) {
+    return authCache.isLoggedIn;
+  }
+
+  try {
+    const accessToken = await getSensitiveItem( "accessToken" );
+    const result = typeof accessToken === "string";
+
+    authCache.isLoggedIn = result;
+    authCache.lastChecked = now;
+
+    return result;
+  } catch ( error ) {
+    console.warn( "Auth check failed:", error );
+    return false;
+  }
 };
 
 /**
@@ -189,6 +233,7 @@ const signOut = async (
   await removeAllFilesFromDirectory( photoUploadPath );
   await removeAllFilesFromDirectory( rotatedOriginalPhotosPath );
   await removeAllFilesFromDirectory( soundUploadPath );
+
   // delete all keys from mmkv
   storage.clearAll( );
   RNRestart.restart( );
@@ -622,6 +667,7 @@ export {
   API_HOST,
   authenticateUser,
   authenticateUserByAssertion,
+  clearAuthCache,
   emailAvailable,
   getAnonymousJWT,
   getJWT,
diff --git a/src/components/LoginSignUp/LoginForm.tsx b/src/components/LoginSignUp/LoginForm.tsx
index 1ea2e8526..d519a710a 100644
--- a/src/components/LoginSignUp/LoginForm.tsx
+++ b/src/components/LoginSignUp/LoginForm.tsx
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import { RouteProp, useNavigation, useRoute } from "@react-navigation/native";
 import classnames from "classnames";
+import { authenticateUser } from "components/LoginSignUp/AuthenticationService.ts";
 import {
   Body1, Body2, Button, Heading4, INatIcon, INatIconButton, List2
 } from "components/SharedComponents";
@@ -19,7 +20,6 @@ import { useLayoutPrefs } from "sharedHooks";
 import useKeyboardInfo from "sharedHooks/useKeyboardInfo";
 import colors from "styles/tailwindColors";
 
-import { authenticateUser } from "./AuthenticationService";
 import Error from "./Error";
 import { signInWithApple, signInWithGoogle } from "./loginFormHelpers";
 import LoginSignUpInputField from "./LoginSignUpInputField";
@@ -88,6 +88,7 @@ const LoginForm = ( {
       setLoading( false );
       return;
     }
+
     setLoading( false );
 
     // Set a state to zustand that we just logged in while in default mode
diff --git a/src/sharedHooks/useAuthenticatedQuery.js b/src/sharedHooks/useAuthenticatedQuery.js
index fe43cd54d..5b61ac974 100644
--- a/src/sharedHooks/useAuthenticatedQuery.js
+++ b/src/sharedHooks/useAuthenticatedQuery.js
@@ -16,17 +16,19 @@ const useAuthenticatedQuery = (
   const [userLoggedIn, setUserLoggedIn] = useState( LOGGED_IN_UNKNOWN );
   const route = useSafeRoute( );
 
-  // Whether we perform this query and whether we need to re-perform it
-  // depends on whether the user is signed in. The possible vulnerability
-  // here is that this effect might not run frequently enough to change when
-  // a user signs in or out. The reason we're not using useCurrentUser is it
-  // doesn't tell us whether we know the user's auth state yet, it only
-  // returns null when we don't know OR the user is signed out.
   useEffect( ( ) => {
-    isLoggedIn()
-      .then( result => setUserLoggedIn( result ) )
-      .catch( ( ) => setUserLoggedIn( LOGGED_IN_UNKNOWN ) );
-  }, [queryKey, queryOptions] );
+    const checkAuth = async ( ) => {
+      try {
+        const result = await isLoggedIn( );
+        setUserLoggedIn( result );
+      } catch ( error ) {
+        console.warn( "Auth check failed:", error );
+        setUserLoggedIn( false );
+      }
+    };
+
+    checkAuth( );
+  }, [] );
 
   // The results will probably be different depending on whether the user is
   // signed in or we wouldn't be using useAuthenticatedQuery in the first
diff --git a/tests/helpers/user.js b/tests/helpers/user.js
index 22a9f5624..42dabcdf7 100644
--- a/tests/helpers/user.js
+++ b/tests/helpers/user.js
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 // tests finish
 // eslint-disable-next-line testing-library/no-manual-cleanup
 import { cleanup } from "@testing-library/react-native";
-import { API_HOST } from "components/LoginSignUp/AuthenticationService.ts";
+import { API_HOST, clearAuthCache } from "components/LoginSignUp/AuthenticationService.ts";
 import { getInatLocaleFromSystemLocale } from "i18n/initI18next";
 import i18next from "i18next";
 import inatjs from "inaturalistjs";
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ async function signOut( options = {} ) {
   await RNSInfo.deleteItem( "jwtToken" );
   await RNSInfo.deleteItem( "jwtGeneratedAt" );
   await RNSInfo.deleteItem( "accessToken" );
+  clearAuthCache( );
   inatjs.users.me.mockClear( );
 }
 
@@ -45,6 +46,7 @@ async function signIn( user, options = {} ) {
   await RNSInfo.setItem( "jwtToken", TEST_JWT );
   await RNSInfo.setItem( "jwtGeneratedAt", Date.now( ).toString( ), {} );
   await RNSInfo.setItem( "accessToken", TEST_ACCESS_TOKEN );
+  clearAuthCache( );
   inatjs.users.me.mockResolvedValue( makeResponse( [user] ) );
   user.signedIn = true;
   safeRealmWrite( realm, ( ) => {