diff --git a/src/app/features/settings/account/Profile.tsx b/src/app/features/settings/account/Profile.tsx
index 78a0deece..cf2aade5c 100644
--- a/src/app/features/settings/account/Profile.tsx
+++ b/src/app/features/settings/account/Profile.tsx
@@ -363,12 +363,17 @@ function ProfileStatus() {
   const [presenceStatus] = useSetting(settingsAtom, 'presenceStatus');
   const [hidePresence] = useSetting(settingsAtom, 'hidePresence');
 
-  const [statusMsg, setStatusMsg] = useState<string>(
-    presence?.status ?? localStorage.getItem(STATUS_MSG_KEY(userId)) ?? '',
-  );
+  const initialStatus = presence?.status ?? localStorage.getItem(STATUS_MSG_KEY(userId)) ?? '';
+  const [statusMsg, setStatusMsg] = useState<string>(initialStatus);
   // True while the user has unsaved local edits — prevents a server presence
   // echo from overwriting what the user is currently typing/inserting.
   const statusDirtyRef = useRef(false);
+  // The last remote status we synced into the input. Presence heartbeats fire
+  // every few seconds carrying the SAME status; the sync effect must only react
+  // when the remote value actually changes, otherwise a repeated heartbeat can
+  // overwrite an unsaved local edit (e.g. an emoji just inserted) the instant
+  // the dirty flag is out of sync. Seeded with the value the input started on.
+  const lastSyncedRemoteRef = useRef<string>(initialStatus);
   // The value we most recently applied (with the apply time). A presence
   // heartbeat can echo the PREVIOUS status just after we save the new one; that
   // stale echo would otherwise revert the input. We ignore non-matching echoes
@@ -390,6 +395,10 @@ function ProfileStatus() {
     // wipe the saved status on every invisible toggle.
     if (presence.presence === Presence.Offline) return;
     const remoteStatus = presence.status ?? '';
+    // Only act on an actual remote change. Repeated heartbeats carrying the same
+    // status are ignored so they can never clobber an unsaved local edit.
+    if (remoteStatus === lastSyncedRemoteRef.current) return;
+    lastSyncedRemoteRef.current = remoteStatus;
     const pending = pendingAppliedRef.current;
     if (pending) {
       if (remoteStatus === pending.value) {