diff --git a/lib/chat/views/no_conversation_widget.dart b/lib/chat/views/no_conversation_widget.dart
index e05cbf0..ccbc888 100644
--- a/lib/chat/views/no_conversation_widget.dart
+++ b/lib/chat/views/no_conversation_widget.dart
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@ class NoConversationWidget extends StatelessWidget {
       ),
       child: Column(
         mainAxisAlignment: MainAxisAlignment.center,
-        crossAxisAlignment: CrossAxisAlignment.stretch,
         children: [
           Icon(
             Icons.diversity_3,
diff --git a/lib/layout/home/home_account_ready/home_account_ready_main.dart b/lib/layout/home/home_account_ready/home_account_ready_main.dart
index 4b79771..440f4dc 100644
--- a/lib/layout/home/home_account_ready/home_account_ready_main.dart
+++ b/lib/layout/home/home_account_ready/home_account_ready_main.dart
@@ -76,14 +76,11 @@ class _HomeAccountReadyMainState extends State<HomeAccountReadyMain> {
             ]));
       });
 
-  Widget buildPhone(BuildContext context) =>
-      Material(color: Colors.transparent, child: buildUserPanel());
-
-  Widget buildTabletLeftPane(BuildContext context) => Builder(
+  Widget buildLeftPane(BuildContext context) => Builder(
       builder: (context) =>
           Material(color: Colors.transparent, child: buildUserPanel()));
 
-  Widget buildTabletRightPane(BuildContext context) {
+  Widget buildRightPane(BuildContext context) {
     final activeChatLocalConversationKey =
         context.watch<ActiveChatCubit>().state;
     if (activeChatLocalConversationKey == null) {
@@ -94,42 +91,73 @@ class _HomeAccountReadyMainState extends State<HomeAccountReadyMain> {
         key: ValueKey(activeChatLocalConversationKey));
   }
 
-  // ignore: prefer_expression_function_bodies
-  Widget buildTablet(BuildContext context) {
+  @override
+  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
+    final isLarge = responsiveVisibility(
+      context: context,
+      phone: false,
+    );
+
     final w = MediaQuery.of(context).size.width;
     final theme = Theme.of(context);
     final scale = theme.extension<ScaleScheme>()!;
     final scaleConfig = theme.extension<ScaleConfig>()!;
 
-    final children = [
-      ConstrainedBox(
-          constraints: const BoxConstraints(minWidth: 300, maxWidth: 300),
+    final activeChat = context.watch<ActiveChatCubit>().state;
+    final hasActiveChat = activeChat != null;
+    // if (hasActiveChat) {
+    //   _chatAnimationController.forward();
+    // } else {
+    //   _chatAnimationController.reset();
+    // }
+
+    late final bool offstageLeft;
+    late final bool offstageRight;
+    late final double leftWidth;
+    late final double rightWidth;
+    if (isLarge) {
+      leftWidth = 300;
+      rightWidth = w - 300 - 2;
+      offstageLeft = false;
+      offstageRight = false;
+    } else {
+      leftWidth = w;
+      rightWidth = w;
+      if (hasActiveChat) {
+        offstageLeft = true;
+        offstageRight = false;
+      } else {
+        offstageLeft = false;
+        offstageRight = true;
+      }
+    }
+
+    return Row(crossAxisAlignment: CrossAxisAlignment.stretch, children: [
+      Offstage(
+          offstage: offstageLeft,
           child: ConstrainedBox(
-              constraints: BoxConstraints(maxWidth: w / 2),
-              child: buildTabletLeftPane(context))),
-      SizedBox(
-          width: 2,
-          height: double.infinity,
-          child: ColoredBox(
-              color: scaleConfig.preferBorders
-                  ? scale.primaryScale.subtleBorder
-                  : scale.primaryScale.subtleBackground)),
-      Expanded(child: buildTabletRightPane(context)),
-    ];
-
-    return Row(
-      children: children,
-    );
+              constraints:
+                  BoxConstraints(minWidth: leftWidth, maxWidth: leftWidth),
+              child: buildLeftPane(context))),
+      Offstage(
+          offstage: offstageLeft || offstageRight,
+          child: SizedBox(
+              width: 2,
+              height: double.infinity,
+              child: ColoredBox(
+                  color: scaleConfig.preferBorders
+                      ? scale.primaryScale.subtleBorder
+                      : scale.primaryScale.subtleBackground))),
+      Offstage(
+          offstage: offstageRight,
+          child: ConstrainedBox(
+            constraints:
+                BoxConstraints(minWidth: rightWidth, maxWidth: rightWidth),
+            child: buildRightPane(context),
+          )),
+    ]);
   }
 
-  @override
-  Widget build(BuildContext context) => responsiveVisibility(
-        context: context,
-        phone: false,
-      )
-          ? buildTablet(context)
-          : buildPhone(context);
-
   ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
   final _mainPagerKey = GlobalKey(debugLabel: '_mainPagerKey');
 }
diff --git a/lib/layout/home/home_screen.dart b/lib/layout/home/home_screen.dart
index 018c3be..9083790 100644
--- a/lib/layout/home/home_screen.dart
+++ b/lib/layout/home/home_screen.dart
@@ -1,14 +1,12 @@
 import 'dart:math';
 
 import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
-import 'package:flutter_bloc/flutter_bloc.dart';
 import 'package:flutter_zoom_drawer/flutter_zoom_drawer.dart';
 import 'package:provider/provider.dart';
 import 'package:transitioned_indexed_stack/transitioned_indexed_stack.dart';
 import 'package:veilid_support/veilid_support.dart';
 
 import '../../account_manager/account_manager.dart';
-import '../../chat/chat.dart';
 import '../../theme/theme.dart';
 import '../../tools/tools.dart';
 import 'drawer_menu/drawer_menu.dart';
@@ -32,19 +30,6 @@ class HomeScreenState extends State<HomeScreen>
     with SingleTickerProviderStateMixin {
   @override
   void initState() {
-    // Chat animation setup (open in phone mode)
-    _chatAnimationController = AnimationController(
-      vsync: this,
-      duration: const Duration(milliseconds: 250),
-    );
-    _chatAnimation = Tween<Offset>(
-      begin: const Offset(1, 0),
-      end: Offset.zero,
-    ).animate(CurvedAnimation(
-      parent: _chatAnimationController,
-      curve: Curves.easeInOut,
-    ));
-
     WidgetsBinding.instance.addPostFrameCallback((_) async {
       final localAccounts = context.read<LocalAccountsCubit>().state;
       final activeLocalAccount = context.read<ActiveLocalAccountCubit>().state;
@@ -62,44 +47,6 @@ class HomeScreenState extends State<HomeScreen>
     super.initState();
   }
 
-  @override
-  void dispose() {
-    _chatAnimationController.dispose();
-    super.dispose();
-  }
-
-  Widget _buildAccountReadyDeviceSpecific(BuildContext context) {
-    if (responsiveVisibility(
-        context: context,
-        tablet: false,
-        tabletLandscape: false,
-        desktop: false)) {
-      final activeChatCubit = context.watch<ActiveChatCubit>();
-
-      return BlocConsumer<ActiveChatCubit, TypedKey?>(
-          bloc: activeChatCubit,
-          listener: (context, activeChat) {
-            final hasActiveChat = activeChat != null;
-            if (hasActiveChat) {
-              _chatAnimationController.forward();
-            } else {
-              _chatAnimationController.reset();
-            }
-          },
-          builder: (context, activeChat) => Stack(
-                children: <Widget>[
-                  const HomeAccountReadyMain(),
-                  Offstage(
-                      offstage: activeChat == null,
-                      child: SlideTransition(
-                          position: _chatAnimation,
-                          child: const HomeAccountReadyChat())),
-                ],
-              ));
-    }
-    return const HomeAccountReadyMain();
-  }
-
   Widget _buildAccountPage(
       BuildContext context,
       TypedKey superIdentityRecordKey,
@@ -117,7 +64,7 @@ class HomeScreenState extends State<HomeScreen>
 
         // Re-export all ready blocs to the account display subtree
         return perAccountCollectionState.provide(
-            child: Builder(builder: _buildAccountReadyDeviceSpecific));
+            child: const HomeAccountReadyMain());
     }
   }
 
@@ -217,6 +164,4 @@ class HomeScreenState extends State<HomeScreen>
   ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 
   final _zoomDrawerController = ZoomDrawerController();
-  late final Animation<Offset> _chatAnimation;
-  late final AnimationController _chatAnimationController;
 }