diff --git a/src/components/ZoomableImage.tsx b/src/components/ZoomableImage.tsx
index 4f40c6b..0b613c8 100644
--- a/src/components/ZoomableImage.tsx
+++ b/src/components/ZoomableImage.tsx
@@ -1,21 +1,25 @@
 import React, { useRef } from 'react';
 import { Animated, PanResponder } from 'react-native';
 
-// Double-tap zoom for one preview photo inside the paging strip.
+// Pinch / double-tap zoom for one preview photo inside the paging strip.
 // Core PanResponder + Animated only (no react-native-gesture-handler dep).
 // While zoomed in, responder termination is refused so the parent ScrollView
 // cannot steal the gesture — the photo pans instead of paging; swiping to the
-// next photo resumes after zooming back out (double tap).
+// next photo resumes after zooming back out (double tap or pinch below 1.15).
+// Two-finger pinch only zooms once the photo is already zoomed in: at 100% the
+// pinch stays inert, so the paging strip still behaves like a plain gallery.
 //
-// ponytail: double tap only — a finished photo is not a map, and the two-finger
-// gesture conflicted with paging. Re-add a pinch branch in onPanResponderMove
-// (scale = start * dist/startDist, clamped) if pinch is ever wanted back.
+// ponytail: pinch zooms around the image center, not the finger midpoint;
+// focal zoom needs per-touch location math against the image's screen rect.
+// MAX_SCALE is a hard cap — add a dedicated slider/stepper when 4x is not
+// enough.
 
 interface ZoomableImageProps {
   uri: string;
   width: number;
 }
 
+const MAX_SCALE = 4;
 const TAP_SCALE = 2.5;
 const TAP_MS = 300;
 
@@ -30,6 +34,7 @@ export default function ZoomableImage({ uri, width }: ZoomableImageProps) {
     ty: 0,
     w: width,
     h: 0,
+    pinchStart: null as { scale: number; dist: number } | null,
     lastDx: 0,
     lastDy: 0,
     moved: false,
@@ -66,7 +71,9 @@ export default function ZoomableImage({ uri, width }: ZoomableImageProps) {
   };
 
   const finish = () => {
-    const wasTap = !st.moved && Date.now() - st.grantAt < 400;
+    const wasTap =
+      !st.moved && Date.now() - st.grantAt < 400 && st.pinchStart === null;
+    st.pinchStart = null;
     st.lastDx = 0;
     st.lastDy = 0;
     st.moved = false;
@@ -92,27 +99,52 @@ export default function ZoomableImage({ uri, width }: ZoomableImageProps) {
     PanResponder.create({
       onStartShouldSetPanResponder: () => true,
       onMoveShouldSetPanResponder: () => true,
-      // Page the strip while zoom is off; once zoomed the image keeps the
-      // gesture so a drag pans instead of paging.
-      onPanResponderTerminationRequest: () => st.scale <= 1.001,
+      // Page the strip while zoom is off; once zoomed (or mid-pinch) the
+      // image keeps the gesture for panning/zooming itself.
+      onPanResponderTerminationRequest: () =>
+        st.scale <= 1.001 && st.pinchStart === null,
       onPanResponderGrant: () => {
         st.grantAt = Date.now();
         st.moved = false;
         st.lastDx = 0;
         st.lastDy = 0;
       },
-      onPanResponderMove: (_e, g) => {
-        // Single finger only: pan the zoomed photo. A second finger is ignored
-        // on purpose (double tap is the only way in and out of zoom).
-        if (Math.abs(g.dx) > 8 || Math.abs(g.dy) > 8) st.moved = true;
-        if (st.scale > 1.001) {
-          st.tx += g.dx - st.lastDx;
-          st.ty += g.dy - st.lastDy;
+      onPanResponderMove: (e, g) => {
+        const touches = e.nativeEvent.touches;
+        if (touches.length >= 2) {
+          const a = touches[0];
+          const b = touches[1];
+          const dist = Math.hypot(a.pageX - b.pageX, a.pageY - b.pageY);
+          if (!st.pinchStart) st.pinchStart = { scale: st.scale, dist: dist || 1 };
+          const next =
+            st.pinchStart.scale > 1.001
+              ? Math.max(
+                  1,
+                  Math.min(MAX_SCALE, st.pinchStart.scale * (dist / st.pinchStart.dist))
+                )
+              : 1;
+          st.scale = next;
+          if (next <= 1.001) {
+            st.tx = 0;
+            st.ty = 0;
+          }
           clampTx();
           apply();
+          st.moved = true;
+          st.lastDx = g.dx;
+          st.lastDy = g.dy;
+        } else {
+          st.pinchStart = null;
+          if (Math.abs(g.dx) > 8 || Math.abs(g.dy) > 8) st.moved = true;
+          if (st.scale > 1.001) {
+            st.tx += g.dx - st.lastDx;
+            st.ty += g.dy - st.lastDy;
+            clampTx();
+            apply();
+          }
+          st.lastDx = g.dx;
+          st.lastDy = g.dy;
         }
-        st.lastDx = g.dx;
-        st.lastDy = g.dy;
       },
       onPanResponderRelease: finish,
       onPanResponderTerminate: finish,