diff --git a/fluxer_app/src/features/channel/components/GifVideoPool.tsx b/fluxer_app/src/features/channel/components/GifVideoPool.tsx
index cfc985ffb..2b6768ea5 100644
--- a/fluxer_app/src/features/channel/components/GifVideoPool.tsx
+++ b/fluxer_app/src/features/channel/components/GifVideoPool.tsx
@@ -40,36 +40,34 @@ export function safePause(video: HTMLVideoElement): void {
 }
 
 class ElementPool<T> {
-	private _elements: Array<T>;
-	private _createElement: () => T;
-	private _cleanElement: (element: T) => void;
+	private idleElements: Array<T>;
+	private spawnElement: () => T;
+	private recycleElement: (element: T) => void;
 
-	constructor(createElement: () => T, cleanElement: (element: T) => void) {
-		this._elements = [];
-		this._createElement = createElement;
-		this._cleanElement = cleanElement;
+	constructor(spawnElement: () => T, recycleElement: (element: T) => void) {
+		this.idleElements = [];
+		this.spawnElement = spawnElement;
+		this.recycleElement = recycleElement;
 	}
 
-	getElement(): T {
-		return this._elements.length === 0 ? this._createElement() : this._elements.pop()!;
+	takeElement(): T {
+		return this.idleElements.length === 0 ? this.spawnElement() : this.idleElements.pop()!;
 	}
 
-	poolElement(element: T): void {
-		this._cleanElement(element);
-		this._elements.push(element);
+	returnElement(element: T): void {
+		this.recycleElement(element);
+		this.idleElements.push(element);
 	}
 
-	clearPool(): void {
-		this._elements.length = 0;
+	dropAllElements(): void {
+		this.idleElements.length = 0;
 	}
 }
 
 interface PooledVideo {
-	getElement: (src?: string) => HTMLVideoElement;
-	poolElement: (element: HTMLVideoElement, src?: string) => void;
-	clearPool: () => void;
-	getBlobUrl: (src: string) => Promise<string>;
-	clearBlobCache: () => void;
+	takeElement: () => HTMLVideoElement;
+	returnElement: (element: HTMLVideoElement) => void;
+	dropAllElements: () => void;
 	registerActive: (element: HTMLVideoElement) => void;
 	unregisterActive: (element: HTMLVideoElement) => void;
 	pauseAll: () => void;
@@ -98,101 +96,32 @@ export const GifVideoPoolProvider = ({children}: {children: React.ReactNode}) =>
 				return video;
 			},
 			(video) => {
-				video.src = '';
 				video.oncanplay = null;
-				video.currentTime = 0;
+				video.removeAttribute('src');
+				video.load();
 				const {parentNode} = video;
 				if (parentNode != null) {
 					parentNode.removeChild(video);
 				}
 			},
 		);
-		const elementCache = new Map<string, HTMLVideoElement>();
-		const MAX_ELEMENTS = 16;
-		const blobCache = new Map<string, string>();
-		const inflight = new Map<string, Promise<string>>();
-		const MAX_BLOBS = 32;
 		const activeElements = new Set<HTMLVideoElement>();
 		let globallyPaused = !getAnimatedMediaPlaybackAllowed();
-		const evictOldestBlob = () => {
-			const oldest = blobCache.keys().next();
-			if (!oldest.done) {
-				const key = oldest.value;
-				const url = blobCache.get(key);
-				if (url) {
-					URL.revokeObjectURL(url);
-				}
-				blobCache.delete(key);
-			}
-		};
-		const getBlobUrl = async (src: string): Promise<string> => {
-			if (blobCache.has(src)) {
-				return blobCache.get(src)!;
-			}
-			if (inflight.has(src)) {
-				return inflight.get(src)!;
-			}
-			const promise = (async () => {
-				const response = await fetch(src, {cache: 'force-cache'});
-				const blob = await response.blob();
-				const url = URL.createObjectURL(blob);
-				if (blobCache.size >= MAX_BLOBS) {
-					evictOldestBlob();
-				}
-				blobCache.set(src, url);
-				return url;
-			})().finally(() => {
-				inflight.delete(src);
-			});
-			inflight.set(src, promise);
-			return promise;
-		};
 		return {
-			getElement(src?: string): HTMLVideoElement {
-				if (src && elementCache.has(src)) {
-					const el = elementCache.get(src)!;
-					elementCache.delete(src);
-					return el;
-				}
-				return basePool.getElement();
+			takeElement(): HTMLVideoElement {
+				return basePool.takeElement();
 			},
-			poolElement(element: HTMLVideoElement, src?: string): void {
+			returnElement(element: HTMLVideoElement): void {
 				activeElements.delete(element);
 				const {parentNode} = element;
 				if (parentNode != null) {
 					parentNode.removeChild(element);
 				}
-				if (src) {
-					element.oncanplay = null;
-					element.pause();
-					element.currentTime = 0;
-					element.src = '';
-					if (elementCache.size >= MAX_ELEMENTS) {
-						const oldestKey = elementCache.keys().next().value as string | undefined;
-						if (oldestKey) {
-							const oldest = elementCache.get(oldestKey);
-							if (oldest) {
-								basePool.poolElement(oldest);
-							}
-							elementCache.delete(oldestKey);
-						}
-					}
-					elementCache.set(src, element);
-					return;
-				}
-				basePool.poolElement(element);
+				basePool.returnElement(element);
 			},
-			clearPool(): void {
+			dropAllElements(): void {
 				activeElements.clear();
-				elementCache.forEach((el) => {
-					el.src = '';
-					el.oncanplay = null;
-				});
-				elementCache.clear();
-				basePool.clearPool();
-				blobCache.forEach((url) => URL.revokeObjectURL(url));
-				blobCache.clear();
-				inflight.clear();
+				basePool.dropAllElements();
 			},
 			registerActive(element: HTMLVideoElement) {
 				activeElements.add(element);
@@ -216,16 +145,11 @@ export const GifVideoPoolProvider = ({children}: {children: React.ReactNode}) =>
 			isGloballyPaused() {
 				return globallyPaused;
 			},
-			getBlobUrl,
-			clearBlobCache(): void {
-				blobCache.forEach((url) => URL.revokeObjectURL(url));
-				blobCache.clear();
-			},
 		};
 	});
 	useEffect(() => {
 		return () => {
-			videoPool.clearPool();
+			videoPool.dropAllElements();
 		};
 	}, [videoPool]);
 	return <GifVideoPoolContext.Provider value={videoPool}>{children}</GifVideoPoolContext.Provider>;
diff --git a/fluxer_app/src/features/channel/components/pickers/memes/MemeGridItem.tsx b/fluxer_app/src/features/channel/components/pickers/memes/MemeGridItem.tsx
index 2e12578e9..aa3492c3e 100644
--- a/fluxer_app/src/features/channel/components/pickers/memes/MemeGridItem.tsx
+++ b/fluxer_app/src/features/channel/components/pickers/memes/MemeGridItem.tsx
@@ -106,9 +106,13 @@ export const MemeGridItem = observer(
 		const videoPool = useGifVideoPool();
 		const isAudio = meme.contentType.startsWith('audio/');
 		const isVideo = meme.contentType.startsWith('video/');
-		const shouldAnimateGif = useShouldAnimate({kind: 'gif', isHovering: isVideoPreviewActive});
-		const shouldRenderVideoPreview = !isAudio && isVideo && isVideoPreviewActive && shouldAnimateGif;
 		const isGifImage = !isVideo && meme.contentType.toLowerCase().includes('gif');
+		const shouldAnimateGif = useShouldAnimate({
+			kind: 'gif',
+			isAnimated: !isAudio && (isVideo || isGifImage),
+			isHovering: isVideoPreviewActive,
+		});
+		const shouldRenderVideoPreview = !isAudio && isVideo && isVideoPreviewActive && shouldAnimateGif;
 		const thumbnailSrc = isGifImage && !shouldAnimateGif ? buildStaticGifPreviewURL(meme.url) : meme.url;
 		const videoPreviewStartTime = meme.duration && meme.duration > 0 ? meme.duration / 2 : null;
 		usePooledVideo({
@@ -118,7 +122,6 @@ export const MemeGridItem = observer(
 			autoPlay: shouldRenderVideoPreview,
 			enabled: shouldRenderVideoPreview,
 			preload: 'auto',
-			useBlobCache: false,
 			playbackStartTime: videoPreviewStartTime ?? 0,
 		});
 		const clearHoverPreviewTimeout = useCallback(() => {
diff --git a/fluxer_app/src/features/channel/components/pickers/shared/usePooledVideo.ts b/fluxer_app/src/features/channel/components/pickers/shared/usePooledVideo.ts
index b2b8451d0..da5144be4 100644
--- a/fluxer_app/src/features/channel/components/pickers/shared/usePooledVideo.ts
+++ b/fluxer_app/src/features/channel/components/pickers/shared/usePooledVideo.ts
@@ -1,18 +1,15 @@
 // SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-or-later
 
 import {safePause, safePlay} from '@app/features/channel/components/GifVideoPool';
-import {Platform} from '@app/features/platform/types/Platform';
 import {useEffect, useRef} from 'react';
 
-const BYPASS_BLOB_URL_PATH = Platform.isIOSWeb;
 const HAVE_METADATA_READY_STATE = 1;
 
 interface GifVideoPoolLike {
-	getElement: (key: string) => HTMLVideoElement;
-	getBlobUrl: (key: string) => Promise<string>;
+	takeElement: () => HTMLVideoElement;
 	registerActive: (video: HTMLVideoElement) => void;
 	unregisterActive: (video: HTMLVideoElement) => void;
-	poolElement: (video: HTMLVideoElement, key: string) => void;
+	returnElement: (video: HTMLVideoElement) => void;
 	isGloballyPaused?: () => boolean;
 }
 
@@ -22,8 +19,7 @@ export function usePooledVideo({
 	videoPool,
 	autoPlay,
 	enabled = true,
-	preload = 'auto',
-	useBlobCache = true,
+	preload,
 	playbackStartTime = null,
 }: {
 	src: string | null | undefined;
@@ -32,86 +28,59 @@ export function usePooledVideo({
 	autoPlay: boolean;
 	enabled?: boolean;
 	preload?: HTMLVideoElement['preload'];
-	useBlobCache?: boolean;
 	playbackStartTime?: number | null;
 }) {
 	const videoRef = useRef<HTMLVideoElement | null>(null);
+	const effectivePreload = preload ?? (autoPlay ? 'auto' : 'metadata');
 	useEffect(() => {
 		if (!enabled) return;
 		if (!src) return;
 		const container = containerRef.current;
 		if (!container) return;
-		let cancelled = false;
-		let attached = false;
-		let playOnMetadata: (() => void) | null = null;
-		const video = videoPool.getElement(src);
+		const video = videoPool.takeElement();
 		videoRef.current = video;
-		video.autoplay = autoPlay && playbackStartTime === null;
-		if (video.autoplay) {
-			video.setAttribute('autoplay', '');
-		} else {
-			video.removeAttribute('autoplay');
-		}
-		video.preload = preload;
+		video.autoplay = false;
+		video.preload = effectivePreload;
+		video.src = src;
+		container.appendChild(video);
 		videoPool.registerActive(video);
-		attached = true;
-		const seekToPlaybackStart = () => {
-			if (playbackStartTime === null || playbackStartTime <= 0) return;
-			const duration = Number.isFinite(video.duration) && video.duration > 0 ? video.duration : null;
-			const target = duration === null ? playbackStartTime : Math.min(playbackStartTime, Math.max(0, duration - 0.05));
-			try {
-				video.currentTime = target;
-			} catch {}
-		};
-		const playFromStartTime = () => {
-			if (cancelled) return;
-			seekToPlaybackStart();
-			void safePlay(video);
-		};
-		const run = async () => {
-			if (BYPASS_BLOB_URL_PATH || !useBlobCache) {
-				if (video.src !== src) video.src = src;
-			} else {
-				try {
-					const blobUrl = await videoPool.getBlobUrl(src);
-					if (cancelled) return;
-					if (video.src !== blobUrl) video.src = blobUrl;
-				} catch {
-					if (cancelled) return;
-					if (video.src !== src) video.src = src;
-				}
-			}
-			if (cancelled) return;
-			const currentContainer = containerRef.current;
-			if (!currentContainer) return;
-			currentContainer.appendChild(video);
-			if (videoPool.isGloballyPaused?.() ?? false) {
-				safePause(video);
-			} else if (playbackStartTime !== null && playbackStartTime > 0 && video.readyState < HAVE_METADATA_READY_STATE) {
-				playOnMetadata = playFromStartTime;
-				video.addEventListener('loadedmetadata', playOnMetadata, {once: true});
-			} else if (autoPlay) {
-				playFromStartTime();
-			}
-		};
-		void run();
 		return () => {
-			cancelled = true;
-			if (playOnMetadata) {
-				video.removeEventListener('loadedmetadata', playOnMetadata);
-			}
-			if (attached) {
-				videoPool.unregisterActive(video);
-			}
-			safePause(video);
-			try {
-				video.currentTime = 0;
-			} catch {}
-			videoPool.poolElement(video, src);
+			videoPool.unregisterActive(video);
+			videoPool.returnElement(video);
 			if (videoRef.current === video) {
 				videoRef.current = null;
 			}
 		};
-	}, [src, enabled, containerRef, videoPool, autoPlay, preload, useBlobCache, playbackStartTime]);
+	}, [src, enabled, containerRef, videoPool, effectivePreload]);
+	useEffect(() => {
+		const video = videoRef.current;
+		if (!video) return;
+		const globallyPaused = videoPool.isGloballyPaused?.() ?? false;
+		video.autoplay = autoPlay && playbackStartTime === null && !globallyPaused;
+		if (globallyPaused) return;
+		if (!autoPlay) {
+			safePause(video);
+			return;
+		}
+		const seekTarget = playbackStartTime !== null && playbackStartTime > 0 ? playbackStartTime : null;
+		const playFromStartTime = () => {
+			if (seekTarget !== null) {
+				const duration = Number.isFinite(video.duration) && video.duration > 0 ? video.duration : null;
+				const target = duration === null ? seekTarget : Math.min(seekTarget, Math.max(0, duration - 0.05));
+				try {
+					video.currentTime = target;
+				} catch {}
+			}
+			void safePlay(video);
+		};
+		if (seekTarget !== null && video.readyState < HAVE_METADATA_READY_STATE) {
+			video.addEventListener('loadedmetadata', playFromStartTime, {once: true});
+			return () => {
+				video.removeEventListener('loadedmetadata', playFromStartTime);
+			};
+		}
+		playFromStartTime();
+		return;
+	}, [src, enabled, containerRef, videoPool, effectivePreload, autoPlay, playbackStartTime]);
 	return videoRef;
 }