diff --git a/src/app/features/room/MediaGallery.tsx b/src/app/features/room/MediaGallery.tsx
index 44138016e..ff213cc7e 100644
--- a/src/app/features/room/MediaGallery.tsx
+++ b/src/app/features/room/MediaGallery.tsx
@@ -261,7 +261,6 @@ function Lightbox({
           escapeDeactivates: false,
         }}
       >
-        {}
         <div
           role="dialog"
           aria-modal
diff --git a/src/app/features/room/RoomViewTyping.tsx b/src/app/features/room/RoomViewTyping.tsx
index 2ff4bbc12..7fa6341e6 100644
--- a/src/app/features/room/RoomViewTyping.tsx
+++ b/src/app/features/room/RoomViewTyping.tsx
@@ -33,11 +33,10 @@ export const RoomViewTyping = as<'div', RoomViewTypingProps>(
       [typingMembers, myUserId, room],
     );
 
-    if (typingNames.length === 0) {
-      return null;
-    }
-
     // A single, non-truncated string for assistive technology to announce.
+    // Computed even when empty so the live region can stay mounted (below) —
+    // a `role="status"` region added to the DOM together with its first text
+    // is not reliably announced by some screen readers.
     let typingAnnouncement = '';
     if (typingNames.length === 1) {
       typingAnnouncement = `${typingNames[0]} is typing`;
@@ -65,85 +64,88 @@ export const RoomViewTyping = as<'div', RoomViewTypingProps>(
 
     return (
       <div style={{ position: 'relative' }}>
+        {/* Persistently mounted so the FIRST "X is typing" is announced. */}
         <span className={css.SrOnly} role="status" aria-live="polite" aria-atomic="true">
           {typingAnnouncement}
         </span>
-        <Box
-          className={classNames(css.RoomViewTyping, className)}
-          alignItems="Center"
-          gap="400"
-          {...props}
-          ref={ref}
-        >
-          <TypingIndicator />
-          <Text className={css.TypingText} size="T300" truncate aria-hidden>
-            {typingNames.length === 1 && (
-              <>
-                <b>{typingNames[0]}</b>
-                <Text as="span" size="Inherit" priority="300">
-                  {' is typing...'}
-                </Text>
-              </>
-            )}
-            {typingNames.length === 2 && (
-              <>
-                <b>{typingNames[0]}</b>
-                <Text as="span" size="Inherit" priority="300">
-                  {' and '}
-                </Text>
-                <b>{typingNames[1]}</b>
-                <Text as="span" size="Inherit" priority="300">
-                  {' are typing...'}
-                </Text>
-              </>
-            )}
-            {typingNames.length === 3 && (
-              <>
-                <b>{typingNames[0]}</b>
-                <Text as="span" size="Inherit" priority="300">
-                  {', '}
-                </Text>
-                <b>{typingNames[1]}</b>
-                <Text as="span" size="Inherit" priority="300">
-                  {' and '}
-                </Text>
-                <b>{typingNames[2]}</b>
-                <Text as="span" size="Inherit" priority="300">
-                  {' are typing...'}
-                </Text>
-              </>
-            )}
-            {typingNames.length > 3 && (
-              <>
-                <b>{typingNames[0]}</b>
-                <Text as="span" size="Inherit" priority="300">
-                  {', '}
-                </Text>
-                <b>{typingNames[1]}</b>
-                <Text as="span" size="Inherit" priority="300">
-                  {', '}
-                </Text>
-                <b>{typingNames[2]}</b>
-                <Text as="span" size="Inherit" priority="300">
-                  {' and '}
-                </Text>
-                <b>{typingNames.length - 3} others</b>
-                <Text as="span" size="Inherit" priority="300">
-                  {' are typing...'}
-                </Text>
-              </>
-            )}
-          </Text>
-          <IconButton
-            title="Drop Typing Status"
-            aria-label="Drop typing status"
-            size="300"
-            radii="Pill"
-            onClick={handleDropAll}
+        {typingNames.length > 0 && (
+          <Box
+            className={classNames(css.RoomViewTyping, className)}
+            alignItems="Center"
+            gap="400"
+            {...props}
+            ref={ref}
           >
-            <Icon size="50" src={Icons.Cross} />
-          </IconButton>
-        </Box>
+            <TypingIndicator />
+            <Text className={css.TypingText} size="T300" truncate aria-hidden>
+              {typingNames.length === 1 && (
+                <>
+                  <b>{typingNames[0]}</b>
+                  <Text as="span" size="Inherit" priority="300">
+                    {' is typing...'}
+                  </Text>
+                </>
+              )}
+              {typingNames.length === 2 && (
+                <>
+                  <b>{typingNames[0]}</b>
+                  <Text as="span" size="Inherit" priority="300">
+                    {' and '}
+                  </Text>
+                  <b>{typingNames[1]}</b>
+                  <Text as="span" size="Inherit" priority="300">
+                    {' are typing...'}
+                  </Text>
+                </>
+              )}
+              {typingNames.length === 3 && (
+                <>
+                  <b>{typingNames[0]}</b>
+                  <Text as="span" size="Inherit" priority="300">
+                    {', '}
+                  </Text>
+                  <b>{typingNames[1]}</b>
+                  <Text as="span" size="Inherit" priority="300">
+                    {' and '}
+                  </Text>
+                  <b>{typingNames[2]}</b>
+                  <Text as="span" size="Inherit" priority="300">
+                    {' are typing...'}
+                  </Text>
+                </>
+              )}
+              {typingNames.length > 3 && (
+                <>
+                  <b>{typingNames[0]}</b>
+                  <Text as="span" size="Inherit" priority="300">
+                    {', '}
+                  </Text>
+                  <b>{typingNames[1]}</b>
+                  <Text as="span" size="Inherit" priority="300">
+                    {', '}
+                  </Text>
+                  <b>{typingNames[2]}</b>
+                  <Text as="span" size="Inherit" priority="300">
+                    {' and '}
+                  </Text>
+                  <b>{typingNames.length - 3} others</b>
+                  <Text as="span" size="Inherit" priority="300">
+                    {' are typing...'}
+                  </Text>
+                </>
+              )}
+            </Text>
+            <IconButton
+              title="Drop Typing Status"
+              aria-label="Drop typing status"
+              size="300"
+              radii="Pill"
+              onClick={handleDropAll}
+            >
+              <Icon size="50" src={Icons.Cross} />
+            </IconButton>
+          </Box>
+        )}
       </div>
     );
   },
diff --git a/src/app/features/shortcuts/KeyboardShortcutsDialog.tsx b/src/app/features/shortcuts/KeyboardShortcutsDialog.tsx
index e89f2e9b9..c10c454f4 100644
--- a/src/app/features/shortcuts/KeyboardShortcutsDialog.tsx
+++ b/src/app/features/shortcuts/KeyboardShortcutsDialog.tsx
@@ -55,6 +55,10 @@ export function useKeyboardShortcutsTrigger() {
         // `?` is produced by Shift + `/` on the common layouts.
         if (evt.key === '?') {
           evt.preventDefault();
+          // Stop RoomView's window-level "type any char → focus composer"
+          // handler from also firing — otherwise focus lands in the composer
+          // behind the dialog and Escape gets swallowed by the contenteditable.
+          evt.stopImmediatePropagation();
           setOpen(true);
         }
       },