diff --git a/fluxer_api/src/api/push/ApnsPushService.ts b/fluxer_api/src/api/push/ApnsPushService.ts
index 2bcb9c472..23c8ee3a3 100644
--- a/fluxer_api/src/api/push/ApnsPushService.ts
+++ b/fluxer_api/src/api/push/ApnsPushService.ts
@@ -143,7 +143,7 @@ function buildApnsHeaders(params: {
 		'apns-topic': params.topic,
 		'apns-push-type': isClear ? APNS_PUSH_TYPE_BACKGROUND : APNS_PUSH_TYPE_ALERT,
 		'apns-priority': isClear ? '5' : '10',
-		'apns-expiration': String(Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000) + (isClear ? 300 : 86400)),
+		'apns-expiration': String(Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000) + (isClear ? 3600 : 86400)),
 		'content-type': 'application/json',
 	};
 	if (collapseId && Buffer.byteLength(collapseId) <= 64) {
@@ -155,18 +155,11 @@ function buildApnsHeaders(params: {
 function buildApnsPayload(payload: Record<string, unknown>): Record<string, unknown> {
 	if (isClearNotificationPayload(payload)) {
 		const data = isRecord(payload.data) ? payload.data : {};
-		const badge = normalizeBadgeCount(data.badge_count);
-		const aps: Record<string, unknown> = {
-			'content-available': 1,
-		};
-		if (badge !== undefined) {
-			aps.badge = badge;
-		}
 		return {
 			...data,
 			type: 'notification_clear',
 			action: 'clear_channel',
-			aps,
+			aps: {'content-available': 1},
 		};
 	}
 	const data = isRecord(payload.data) ? payload.data : {};
@@ -177,16 +170,18 @@ function buildApnsPayload(payload: Record<string, unknown>): Record<string, unkn
 	const channelId = optionalString(data.channel_id);
 	const threadId =
 		optionalString(data.notification_tag) ?? (channelId ? `channel:${channelId}` : undefined) ?? 'fluxer-message';
-	const imageUrl = firstString([payload.image_url, notification.image, notification.icon, payload.icon]);
+	const imageUrl = firstString([payload.image_url, notification.image]);
 	const aps: Record<string, unknown> = {
 		alert: {title, body},
 		sound: APNS_DEFAULT_SOUND,
-		badge,
 		'thread-id': threadId,
 		category: APNS_CATEGORY_MESSAGE,
 		'interruption-level': 'active',
 		'relevance-score': 0.5,
 	};
+	if (badge !== undefined) {
+		aps.badge = badge;
+	}
 	if (imageUrl) {
 		aps['mutable-content'] = 1;
 	}
@@ -292,13 +287,13 @@ function isPermanentApnsFailure(statusCode: number, reason: string): boolean {
 	return reason === 'Unregistered';
 }
 
-function normalizeBadgeCount(value: unknown): number {
+function normalizeBadgeCount(value: unknown): number | undefined {
 	if (typeof value === 'number' && Number.isFinite(value)) return Math.max(0, Math.floor(value));
 	if (typeof value === 'string') {
 		const parsed = Number.parseInt(value, 10);
-		return Number.isFinite(parsed) ? Math.max(0, parsed) : 0;
+		return Number.isFinite(parsed) ? Math.max(0, parsed) : undefined;
 	}
-	return 0;
+	return undefined;
 }
 
 function firstString(values: Array<unknown>): string | undefined {
diff --git a/fluxer_api/src/api/push/tests/ApnsPushService.test.ts b/fluxer_api/src/api/push/tests/ApnsPushService.test.ts
index 5be0d364d..d3878a30d 100644
--- a/fluxer_api/src/api/push/tests/ApnsPushService.test.ts
+++ b/fluxer_api/src/api/push/tests/ApnsPushService.test.ts
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ describe('ApnsPushService', () => {
 			},
 		});
 	});
-	it('builds silent APNs clear payloads with badge when badge_count is present', () => {
+	it('builds silent APNs clear payloads as pure background pushes', () => {
 		const payload = ApnsPushServiceTestHooks.buildApnsPayload({
 			type: 'notification_clear',
 			action: 'clear_channel',
@@ -56,11 +56,11 @@ describe('ApnsPushService', () => {
 			badge_count: 0,
 			aps: {
 				'content-available': 1,
-				badge: 0,
 			},
 		});
 		expect(payload.aps).not.toHaveProperty('alert');
 		expect(payload.aps).not.toHaveProperty('sound');
+		expect(payload.aps).not.toHaveProperty('badge');
 	});
 	it('uses APNs push-type and priority headers that match alert versus background delivery', () => {
 		const alertHeaders = ApnsPushServiceTestHooks.buildApnsHeaders({
@@ -94,6 +94,43 @@ describe('ApnsPushService', () => {
 			'apns-priority': '5',
 			'apns-collapse-id': 'channel:123',
 		});
+		const now = Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000);
+		expect(Number(clearHeaders['apns-expiration']) - now).toBeGreaterThan(1800);
+	});
+
+	it('omits the badge entirely when no usable badge count is supplied', () => {
+		const payload = ApnsPushServiceTestHooks.buildApnsPayload({
+			tag: 'channel:123:456',
+			data: {channel_id: '123', message_id: '456'},
+			notification: {title: 'Alice', body: 'Hello'},
+		});
+		expect(payload.aps).not.toHaveProperty('badge');
+		const unparseable = ApnsPushServiceTestHooks.buildApnsPayload({
+			tag: 'channel:123:456',
+			data: {channel_id: '123', message_id: '456', badge_count: 'not-a-number'},
+			notification: {title: 'Alice', body: 'Hello'},
+		});
+		expect(unparseable.aps).not.toHaveProperty('badge');
+	});
+
+	it('keeps a genuine zero badge so reading the last message clears the app icon', () => {
+		const payload = ApnsPushServiceTestHooks.buildApnsPayload({
+			tag: 'channel:123:456',
+			data: {channel_id: '123', message_id: '456', badge_count: 0},
+			notification: {title: 'Alice', body: 'Hello'},
+		});
+		expect((payload.aps as Record<string, unknown>).badge).toBe(0);
+	});
+
+	it('does not use the sender avatar as the notification media image', () => {
+		const payload = ApnsPushServiceTestHooks.buildApnsPayload({
+			tag: 'channel:123:456',
+			data: {channel_id: '123', message_id: '456', author_avatar_url: 'https://cdn.example/avatar.png'},
+			notification: {title: 'Alice', body: 'Hello', icon: 'https://cdn.example/avatar.png'},
+		});
+		expect(payload.image_url).toBeUndefined();
+		expect(payload.aps).not.toHaveProperty('mutable-content');
+		expect(payload.author_avatar_url).toBe('https://cdn.example/avatar.png');
 	});
 	it('marks only permanent APNs token failures as subscription deletion signals', () => {
 		expect(ApnsPushServiceTestHooks.isPermanentApnsFailure(410, 'Unregistered')).toBe(true);