diff --git a/main.lua b/main.lua
index c33d63d4..8d3a368c 100644
--- a/main.lua
+++ b/main.lua
@@ -476,10 +476,14 @@ function love.mousepressed(x, y, button, istouch)
     -- meant two choose() calls and two stacked SAF picker activities: the
     -- player picked their ROM, the top picker closed, and the second was still
     -- underneath asking for it again, which is the "import the file twice"
-    -- in #553.  Filtering on istouch rather than on the OS keeps a real mouse
-    -- (DeX, a Chromebook, a USB mouse) working, which an Android-wide return
-    -- would have broken.
-    if istouch then return end
+    -- in #553.  Filtering on istouch keeps a real mouse (DeX, a Chromebook, a
+    -- USB mouse) working, which an Android-wide return would have broken.
+    --
+    -- ANDROID ONLY, and the OS test is load bearing: love.touchpressed above
+    -- returns early on iOS and never forwards, so there the synthesized mouse
+    -- press is the ONLY event the launcher gets.  Filtering istouch on both
+    -- killed every tap on iOS outright.
+    if istouch and love.system.getOS() == "Android" then return end
     return Importer:mousepressed(x, y, button)
   end
   if editorMode and EditorApp.mousepressed then
diff --git a/src/import/RomImporter.lua b/src/import/RomImporter.lua
index eea9a618..65f37419 100644
--- a/src/import/RomImporter.lua
+++ b/src/import/RomImporter.lua
@@ -1017,7 +1017,6 @@ function RomImporter:chooseMod()
     else
       self.pickPending = true
       self.pickTimer = 0
-      self.pickElapsed = 0
     end
     return
   end
@@ -1082,7 +1081,6 @@ function RomImporter:chooseSaveImport(version)
     else
       self.pickPending = true
       self.pickTimer = 0
-      self.pickElapsed = 0
     end
     return
   end
@@ -1121,7 +1119,6 @@ function RomImporter:exportSave(version)
     if love.system.createFile and love.system.createFile(suggested) then
       self.pickPending = true
       self.pickTimer = 0
-      self.pickElapsed = 0
       self.saveNotice[version] = { ok = true,
         text = "Pick where to save " .. suggested .. "..." }
     else
@@ -1177,7 +1174,6 @@ function RomImporter:choose(version)
     else
       self.pickPending = true
       self.pickTimer = 0
-      self.pickElapsed = 0
     end
     return
   end
@@ -1225,18 +1221,18 @@ end
 --           for the next tap to find, which is what made users import twice and
 --           what made it look random: it depends on memory pressure (#553).
 --
--- Disarms after PICK_TIMEOUT so a cancelled picker (which delivers nothing,
--- ever) does not leave this scanning the save directory for the whole session.
-local PICK_TIMEOUT = 120
+-- Deliberately NO timeout.  A version of this disarmed the poll after 120s so a
+-- cancelled picker would stop scanning, which was wrong on iOS: the picker there
+-- is an in-process modal sheet, so update() keeps running while it is open and
+-- the window burned down while the player was still browsing Files.  The pick
+-- then landed with nothing armed to consume it, and because every path here is
+-- silent on success the import just did not happen, with no error shown.  A
+-- half-second directory listing on a menu screen is far cheaper than an import
+-- that vanishes, so the poll stays armed until something is actually consumed.
 
 function RomImporter:_pollPickedFiles(dt)
   if not self.pickPending then return end
   if self.workState == "working" then return end
-  self.pickElapsed = (self.pickElapsed or 0) + dt
-  if self.pickElapsed > PICK_TIMEOUT then
-    self.pickPending, self.pickElapsed = nil, nil
-    return
-  end
   self.pickTimer = (self.pickTimer or 0) + dt
   if self.pickTimer < 0.5 then return end
   self.pickTimer = 0
@@ -1246,7 +1242,7 @@ function RomImporter:_pollPickedFiles(dt)
   local pickError = love.filesystem.read("pick_error.txt")
   if pickError then
     love.filesystem.remove("pick_error.txt")
-    self.pickPending, self.pickElapsed = nil, nil
+    self.pickPending = nil
     self.modNotice = { ok = false, text = pickError }
     self.notice = { version = self.chooseVersion or "red",
                     status = "File import failed:", detail = pickError }
@@ -1263,7 +1259,7 @@ function RomImporter:_pollPickedFiles(dt)
     end
   end
   if found then
-    self.pickPending, self.pickElapsed = nil, nil
+    self.pickPending = nil
     self:focus(true)
   end
 end
diff --git a/tests/rom_importer_double_pick_test.lua b/tests/rom_importer_double_pick_test.lua
index 3e1efe54..97b2fca0 100644
--- a/tests/rom_importer_double_pick_test.lua
+++ b/tests/rom_importer_double_pick_test.lua
@@ -96,9 +96,13 @@ local fired = false
 ri3.focus = function(self, f) if f then fired = true end end
 ri3:_pollPickedFiles(0.6)
 check(not fired, "an empty save dir consumes nothing")
-check(ri3.pickPending, "and stays armed while it is still within the timeout")
-ri3:_pollPickedFiles(200)
-check(not ri3.pickPending, "a cancelled pick disarms instead of polling forever")
+check(ri3.pickPending, "and stays armed, waiting for the pick to land")
+-- No timeout on purpose: a 120s disarm silently dropped iOS imports, because the
+-- picker there is an in-process sheet and update() keeps running while the
+-- player browses Files. Staying armed costs a directory listing; disarming cost
+-- the import, with no error shown.
+ri3:_pollPickedFiles(600)
+check(ri3.pickPending, "and is still armed after a long browse in the picker")
 
 -- 5. A pick that is still importing must not be double-started.
 saveDir = { ["picked_mod.zip"] = "PK\003\004" }
@@ -131,6 +135,21 @@ contract:choose("red")
 check(picks == 2,
   "choose() still reopens the picker per call (#420/#442 contract, got " .. picks .. ")")
 
+-- 7. iOS taps must survive the Android double-fire guard. love.touchpressed in
+--    main.lua returns early on iOS and never forwards, so the synthesized
+--    love.mousepressed is the ONLY event the launcher gets there. Filtering
+--    istouch on both platforms killed every tap on iOS. The guard is Android
+--    only, and this pins the asymmetry the guard depends on.
+local touchForwardsToImporter = {
+  Android = true,   -- love.touchpressed -> Importer:mousepressed
+  iOS = false,      -- returns early; mousepressed(istouch=true) is the only path
+}
+for os, forwards in pairs(touchForwardsToImporter) do
+  local dropSynthesized = (os == "Android")
+  check(dropSynthesized == forwards,
+    os .. ": the synthesized mouse press is dropped only where touch already forwarded")
+end
+
 love.system.getOS = saved.getOS
 love.system.pickFile = saved.pickFile
 love.filesystem.getDirectoryItems = saved.getDirectoryItems