diff --git a/webapp/e2e/fixtures/navigation.ts b/webapp/e2e/fixtures/navigation.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..8de1cf44
--- /dev/null
+++ b/webapp/e2e/fixtures/navigation.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+// Which of the two navigations the viewport draws, asked once it has drawn one.
+
+import type { Page } from "@playwright/test";
+
+/**
+ * Whether the page shows the phone's bottom navigation rather than the
+ * sidebar.
+ *
+ * `isVisible()` answers at once, without waiting. Asked while the shell was
+ * still mounting, it saw neither navigation, and a test on a phone then looked
+ * for its links in the sidebar a phone never draws, until it timed out — on a
+ * loaded machine, now and then. This waits for whichever one the viewport
+ * draws, then asks.
+ */
+export async function onPhoneNavigation(page: Page): Promise<boolean> {
+  await page
+    .locator(".mobile-navigation:visible, .primary-navigation:visible")
+    .first()
+    .waitFor();
+  return page.locator(".mobile-navigation").isVisible();
+}
diff --git a/webapp/e2e/fixtures/radio.ts b/webapp/e2e/fixtures/radio.ts
index 07d53366..e73ebebe 100644
--- a/webapp/e2e/fixtures/radio.ts
+++ b/webapp/e2e/fixtures/radio.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 import type { Page } from "@playwright/test";
 
 import { silentWav } from "./media";
+import { onPhoneNavigation } from "./navigation";
 import { mock } from "./state";
 
 /**
@@ -12,7 +13,7 @@ import { mock } from "./state";
  */
 export async function navigateWithin(page: Page, name: string) {
   const sidebar = page.locator(".sidebar");
-  if (await sidebar.isVisible()) {
+  if (!(await onPhoneNavigation(page))) {
     await sidebar.getByRole("link", { name, exact: true }).click();
     return;
   }
diff --git a/webapp/e2e/library-cache.spec.ts b/webapp/e2e/library-cache.spec.ts
index 825a9eab..0cda5411 100644
--- a/webapp/e2e/library-cache.spec.ts
+++ b/webapp/e2e/library-cache.spec.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import { expect, test } from "@playwright/test";
 
 import { resetAndMockApi } from "./fixtures/api";
 import { albums, session, track } from "./fixtures/catalogue";
+import { onPhoneNavigation } from "./fixtures/navigation";
 import { mock } from "./fixtures/state";
 
 test.beforeEach(resetAndMockApi);
@@ -31,7 +32,7 @@ test("keeps the current tab visible while the next tab loads", async ({
 
   await page.goto("/");
   await expect(page.getByRole("heading", { name: "Albums" })).toBeVisible();
-  const mobile = await page.locator(".mobile-navigation").isVisible();
+  const mobile = await onPhoneNavigation(page);
   const genresLink = mobile
     ? page.locator('.more-sheet a[href="/genres"]')
     : page.locator(".primary-navigation").getByRole("link", { name: "Genres" });
@@ -76,7 +77,7 @@ test("shows the next tab with its wait when the answer is slow", async ({
 
   await page.goto("/");
   await expect(page.getByRole("heading", { name: "Albums" })).toBeVisible();
-  const mobile = await page.locator(".mobile-navigation").isVisible();
+  const mobile = await onPhoneNavigation(page);
   if (mobile) {
     await page
       .locator(".mobile-navigation")
@@ -102,7 +103,7 @@ test("shows the next tab with its wait when the answer is slow", async ({
 test("takes the current tab back to its plain address", async ({ page }) => {
   await page.goto("/playing?view=lyrics");
   await expect(page).toHaveURL(/\/playing\?view=lyrics$/);
-  const navigation = (await page.locator(".mobile-navigation").isVisible())
+  const navigation = (await onPhoneNavigation(page))
     ? page.locator(".mobile-navigation")
     : page.locator(".primary-navigation");
   await navigation.getByRole("link", { name: "Now playing" }).click();
@@ -128,7 +129,7 @@ test("draws the random tab once when switching to it", async ({ page }) => {
 
   await page.goto("/");
   await expect(page.getByRole("heading", { name: "Albums" })).toBeVisible();
-  if (await page.locator(".mobile-navigation").isVisible()) {
+  if (await onPhoneNavigation(page)) {
     await page.locator(".mobile-navigation").getByRole("button", { name: "More" }).click();
     await page.locator('.more-sheet a[href="/random"]').click();
   } else {
@@ -170,7 +171,7 @@ test("leaves a tab switch behind when the visitor moves on while it loads", asyn
 
   await page.goto("/");
   await expect(page.getByRole("heading", { name: "Albums" })).toBeVisible();
-  const mobile = await page.locator(".mobile-navigation").isVisible();
+  const mobile = await onPhoneNavigation(page);
   if (mobile) {
     await page.locator(".mobile-navigation").getByRole("button", { name: "More" }).click();
   }
diff --git a/webapp/e2e/smart-playlists-and-podcasts.spec.ts b/webapp/e2e/smart-playlists-and-podcasts.spec.ts
index 61565773..b0c3d716 100644
--- a/webapp/e2e/smart-playlists-and-podcasts.spec.ts
+++ b/webapp/e2e/smart-playlists-and-podcasts.spec.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 import AxeBuilder from "@axe-core/playwright";
 import { expect, type Page, test } from "@playwright/test";
 
+import { onPhoneNavigation } from "./fixtures/navigation";
+
 /**
  * Smart playlists and podcasts (RFC-025), against a mock that keeps what it is
  * sent: an editor that saved nothing, or a download that changed nothing,
@@ -646,7 +648,7 @@ function episodeElement(page: Page, ticket: string) {
  */
 async function navigateWithin(page: Page, name: string) {
   const sidebar = page.locator(".sidebar");
-  if (await sidebar.isVisible()) {
+  if (!(await onPhoneNavigation(page))) {
     await sidebar.getByRole("link", { name, exact: true }).click();
     return;
   }