diff --git a/neode-ui/src/components/WalletScanModal.vue b/neode-ui/src/components/WalletScanModal.vue
index 8c38f345..6aa86204 100644
--- a/neode-ui/src/components/WalletScanModal.vue
+++ b/neode-ui/src/components/WalletScanModal.vue
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
           <div class="flex items-center justify-between gap-4 mb-4">
             <div class="flex items-center gap-2 min-w-0">
               <button
-                v-if="pane !== 'scan'"
+                v-if="pane !== 'choose'"
                 @click="goBack"
                 class="p-2 -ml-2 rounded-lg hover:bg-white/10 text-white/70 hover:text-white transition-colors shrink-0"
                 aria-label="Back"
@@ -41,8 +41,62 @@
           </div>
 
           <Transition :name="direction === 'forward' ? 'pane-forward' : 'pane-back'" mode="out-in">
+            <!-- ============ CHOOSE PANE ============ -->
+            <!-- Always the first stop: the user picks camera or image upload
+                 every time, instead of the camera auto-starting on open. -->
+            <div v-if="pane === 'choose'" key="choose">
+              <div class="grid grid-cols-2 gap-3 mb-4">
+                <button
+                  @click="chooseCamera"
+                  class="flex flex-col items-center gap-3 p-6 rounded-xl bg-white/5 border border-white/10 hover:bg-white/10 transition-colors"
+                >
+                  <svg class="w-8 h-8 text-orange-400" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" viewBox="0 0 24 24">
+                    <path stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" stroke-width="1.5" d="M3 9a2 2 0 012-2h.93a2 2 0 001.664-.89l.812-1.22A2 2 0 0110.07 4h3.86a2 2 0 011.664.89l.812 1.22A2 2 0 0018.07 7H19a2 2 0 012 2v9a2 2 0 01-2 2H5a2 2 0 01-2-2V9z" />
+                    <path stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" stroke-width="1.5" d="M15 13a3 3 0 11-6 0 3 3 0 016 0z" />
+                  </svg>
+                  <span class="text-sm font-medium text-white">Scan with camera</span>
+                </button>
+                <button
+                  @click="uploadInput?.click()"
+                  class="flex flex-col items-center gap-3 p-6 rounded-xl bg-white/5 border border-white/10 hover:bg-white/10 transition-colors"
+                >
+                  <svg class="w-8 h-8 text-orange-400" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" viewBox="0 0 24 24">
+                    <path stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" stroke-width="1.5" d="M3 16.5v2.25A2.25 2.25 0 005.25 21h13.5A2.25 2.25 0 0021 18.75V16.5M16.5 7.5L12 3m0 0L7.5 7.5M12 3v13.5" />
+                  </svg>
+                  <span class="text-sm font-medium text-white">Upload image</span>
+                </button>
+              </div>
+              <input
+                ref="uploadInput"
+                type="file"
+                accept="image/*"
+                class="hidden"
+                @change="onPhotoPicked"
+              />
+
+              <div v-if="scanStatus" class="mb-4 p-3 bg-white/5 rounded-lg">
+                <p class="text-sm text-center" :class="scanStatusIsError ? 'text-red-400' : 'text-white/60'">
+                  {{ scanStatus }}
+                </p>
+              </div>
+
+              <!-- Paste fallback (also the path on camera-less nodes) -->
+              <div class="flex gap-2">
+                <input
+                  v-model="pasteInput"
+                  type="text"
+                  placeholder="…or paste an invoice / address / token"
+                  class="flex-1 input-glass font-mono text-xs"
+                  @keydown.enter="submitPaste"
+                />
+                <button @click="submitPaste" :disabled="!pasteInput.trim()" class="glass-button px-4 py-2 rounded-lg text-sm font-medium disabled:opacity-40">
+                  Use
+                </button>
+              </div>
+            </div>
+
             <!-- ============ SCAN PANE ============ -->
-            <div v-if="pane === 'scan'" key="scan">
+            <div v-else-if="pane === 'scan'" key="scan">
               <div class="relative w-full aspect-square rounded-xl overflow-hidden bg-black/40 border border-white/10 mb-4">
                 <!-- opacity (not v-if/v-show): the scanner needs the element, and a
                      source-less <video> flashes a native play glyph in Android WebViews -->
@@ -251,7 +305,23 @@ import { useBodyScrollLock } from '@/composables/useBodyScrollLock'
 
 type Rail = 'onchain' | 'lightning' | 'cashu' | 'fedimint'
 type Action = 'pay-invoice' | 'send-onchain' | 'redeem-token' | 'fedimint-join'
-type Pane = 'scan' | 'amount' | 'success'
+type Pane = 'choose' | 'scan' | 'amount' | 'success'
+
+// JS bridge the Android companion app injects: when present, live scanning is
+// delegated to a native camera modal (styled like this one) — the WebView's
+// getUserMedia preview lags badly on phones. Decodes come back through the
+// window.__archyQr* callbacks; we mirror status lines out to the native modal.
+interface ArchipelagoQrBridge {
+  open(): void
+  setStatus(message: string, isError: boolean): void
+  close(): void
+}
+interface NativeWindow extends Window {
+  ArchipelagoQr?: ArchipelagoQrBridge
+  __archyQrResult?: (text: string) => void
+  __archyQrCancelled?: () => void
+}
+const nativeWin = window as NativeWindow
 
 const PRESETS = [21, 2100, 21000, 100000]
 
@@ -263,9 +333,10 @@ useModalKeyboard(modalRef, computed(() => props.show), close)
 useBodyScrollLock(computed(() => props.show))
 
 // --- Pane state ---
-const pane = ref<Pane>('scan')
+const pane = ref<Pane>('choose')
 const direction = ref<'forward' | 'back'>('forward')
 const paneTitle = computed(() => {
+  if (pane.value === 'choose') return 'Send'
   if (pane.value === 'scan') return 'Scan to send'
   if (pane.value === 'success') return 'Success'
   if (action.value === 'fedimint-join') return 'Join federation'
@@ -279,15 +350,26 @@ function goTo(p: Pane, dir: 'forward' | 'back' = 'forward') {
 }
 
 function goBack() {
-  if (pane.value === 'amount') {
+  if (pane.value === 'scan') {
+    stopScanning()
+    goTo('choose', 'back')
+  } else if (pane.value === 'amount') {
     error.value = ''
-    goTo('scan', 'back')
-    nextTick(() => { if (!liveCameraUnavailable.value) startScanning() })
+    goTo('choose', 'back')
   } else if (pane.value === 'success') {
     close()
   }
 }
 
+// --- Chooser ---
+function chooseCamera() {
+  scanStatus.value = ''
+  scanStatusIsError.value = false
+  if (startNativeScan()) return
+  goTo('scan')
+  nextTick(() => { if (!liveCameraUnavailable.value) startScanning() })
+}
+
 // --- Scanner ---
 const videoElement = ref<HTMLVideoElement | null>(null)
 const isScanning = ref(false)
@@ -302,6 +384,27 @@ const pasteInput = ref('')
 const qrScanner = ref<QrScanner | null>(null)
 const animatedDecoder = useAnimatedQRDecoder()
 
+// --- Native scanner (companion app) ---
+const nativeScanActive = ref(false)
+
+function startNativeScan(): boolean {
+  const bridge = nativeWin.ArchipelagoQr
+  if (!bridge) return false
+  nativeWin.__archyQrResult = (text: string) => handleScanned(text)
+  nativeWin.__archyQrCancelled = () => { nativeScanActive.value = false }
+  nativeScanActive.value = true
+  bridge.open()
+  return true
+}
+
+// Mirror scan status (animated-QR progress, "not recognised" errors) onto the
+// native modal's status strip while it's up.
+watch([scanStatus, scanStatusIsError], () => {
+  if (nativeScanActive.value) {
+    nativeWin.ArchipelagoQr?.setStatus(scanStatus.value, scanStatusIsError.value)
+  }
+})
+
 async function startScanning() {
   cameraError.value = false
   scanStatusIsError.value = false
@@ -344,6 +447,10 @@ function stopScanning() {
   qrScanner.value?.destroy()
   qrScanner.value = null
   isScanning.value = false
+  if (nativeScanActive.value) {
+    nativeScanActive.value = false
+    nativeWin.ArchipelagoQr?.close()
+  }
 }
 
 function submitPaste() {
@@ -357,6 +464,9 @@ function submitPaste() {
 // undefined), but <input capture> opens the native camera in any browser,
 // PWA or WebView; the shot is decoded locally by qr-scanner's scanImage.
 const photoInput = ref<HTMLInputElement | null>(null)
+// Chooser-pane picker: same decode path, but no capture attribute — the user
+// picks an existing image (screenshot, saved QR) rather than taking a photo.
+const uploadInput = ref<HTMLInputElement | null>(null)
 const liveCameraUnavailable = computed(() => !navigator.mediaDevices?.getUserMedia)
 
 async function onPhotoPicked(e: Event) {
@@ -663,7 +773,7 @@ async function confirmSend() {
 function resetAll() {
   stopScanning()
   animatedDecoder.reset()
-  pane.value = 'scan'
+  pane.value = 'choose'
   direction.value = 'forward'
   scanStatus.value = ''
   scanStatusIsError.value = false
@@ -683,10 +793,10 @@ function close() {
   emit('close')
 }
 
+// Every open lands on the chooser — the camera never auto-starts.
 watch(() => props.show, (open) => {
   if (open) {
     resetAll()
-    nextTick(() => { if (!liveCameraUnavailable.value) startScanning() })
   } else {
     stopScanning()
   }