diff --git a/App.tsx b/App.tsx
index d7a1990b..df4f9a1b 100644
--- a/App.tsx
+++ b/App.tsx
@@ -26,6 +26,26 @@ import { ThemeProvider, useTheme } from '@hooks/persisted/useTheme';
 enableFreeze(true);
 const sqliteAdapters = __DEV__ && opSqliteAdapter ? [opSqliteAdapter] : [];
 
+/**
+ * The Android window background is resolved from the system light/dark setting,
+ * so it is bright white whenever the system is light – regardless of the theme
+ * picked inside the app. Nothing between it and the navigators paints a
+ * background of its own, so every frame in which no screen is drawn (mounting a
+ * nested navigator, freezing the screen being left) shows through as a flash.
+ * Painting the root view keeps the window covered at all times.
+ */
+const ThemedRootView = ({ children }: PropsWithChildren) => {
+  const theme = useTheme();
+
+  return (
+    <GestureHandlerRootView
+      style={[styles.flex, { backgroundColor: theme.background }]}
+    >
+      {children}
+    </GestureHandlerRootView>
+  );
+};
+
 const ThemedPaperProvider = ({ children }: PropsWithChildren) => {
   const theme = useTheme();
   const paperTheme = useMemo(() => {
@@ -71,8 +91,8 @@ const App = () => {
 
   return (
     <Suspense fallback={null}>
-      <GestureHandlerRootView style={styles.flex}>
-        <ThemeProvider>
+      <ThemeProvider>
+        <ThemedRootView>
           <AppErrorBoundary>
             <SafeAreaProvider>
               <ThemedPaperProvider>
@@ -83,8 +103,8 @@ const App = () => {
               </ThemedPaperProvider>
             </SafeAreaProvider>
           </AppErrorBoundary>
-        </ThemeProvider>
-      </GestureHandlerRootView>
+        </ThemedRootView>
+      </ThemeProvider>
     </Suspense>
   );
 };
diff --git a/plugins/withAndroidCustomizations.js b/plugins/withAndroidCustomizations.js
index 38c63c1b..4b509917 100644
--- a/plugins/withAndroidCustomizations.js
+++ b/plugins/withAndroidCustomizations.js
@@ -1,4 +1,8 @@
 const {
+  AndroidConfig,
+  withAndroidColors,
+  withAndroidColorsNight,
+  withAndroidStyles,
   withAppBuildGradle,
   withDangerousMod,
 } = require('@expo/config-plugins');
@@ -35,6 +39,53 @@ const DRAWABLE_RESOURCE_NAMES = [
 ];
 const ANDROID_DENSITIES = ['mdpi', 'hdpi', 'xhdpi', 'xxhdpi', 'xxxhdpi'];
 
+/**
+ * `AppTheme` inherits `android:windowBackground` from
+ * `Theme.AppCompat.DayNight.NoActionBar`, which resolves to a near-white colour
+ * whenever the system is in light mode. The window is visible for the frames
+ * between the splash screen going away and React drawing its first frame, so
+ * the app opens with a white flash for anyone using a dark theme on a light
+ * system. These are the backgrounds of the default light and dark themes.
+ */
+const WINDOW_BACKGROUND_RESOURCE = 'lnreaderWindowBackground';
+const WINDOW_BACKGROUND_LIGHT = '#FEFBFF';
+const WINDOW_BACKGROUND_DARK = '#1B1B1F';
+
+const withWindowBackgroundColors = config => {
+  config = withAndroidColors(config, config => {
+    config.modResults = AndroidConfig.Colors.assignColorValue(
+      config.modResults,
+      { name: WINDOW_BACKGROUND_RESOURCE, value: WINDOW_BACKGROUND_LIGHT },
+    );
+
+    return config;
+  });
+
+  return withAndroidColorsNight(config, config => {
+    config.modResults = AndroidConfig.Colors.assignColorValue(
+      config.modResults,
+      { name: WINDOW_BACKGROUND_RESOURCE, value: WINDOW_BACKGROUND_DARK },
+    );
+
+    return config;
+  });
+};
+
+const withWindowBackgroundStyle = config =>
+  withAndroidStyles(config, config => {
+    config.modResults = AndroidConfig.Styles.assignStylesValue(
+      config.modResults,
+      {
+        add: true,
+        parent: AndroidConfig.Styles.getAppThemeGroup(),
+        name: 'android:windowBackground',
+        value: `@color/${WINDOW_BACKGROUND_RESOURCE}`,
+      },
+    );
+
+    return config;
+  });
+
 const withBuildGradleCustomizations = config =>
   withAppBuildGradle(config, config => {
     const { contents } = config.modResults;
@@ -133,5 +184,7 @@ const withAndroidVariantAssets = config =>
 
 module.exports = config => {
   config = withBuildGradleCustomizations(config);
+  config = withWindowBackgroundColors(config);
+  config = withWindowBackgroundStyle(config);
   return withAndroidVariantAssets(config);
 };
diff --git a/src/navigators/ReaderStack.tsx b/src/navigators/ReaderStack.tsx
index 5bb8e04a..59e2e62f 100644
--- a/src/navigators/ReaderStack.tsx
+++ b/src/navigators/ReaderStack.tsx
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ import {
   ReaderStackParamList,
 } from './types';
 import { NovelContextProvider } from '@screens/novel/NovelContext';
-import { useTheme } from '@hooks/persisted';
+import { useChapterReaderSettings, useTheme } from '@hooks/persisted';
 
 const Stack = createNativeStackNavigator<ReaderStackParamList>();
 
@@ -20,6 +20,9 @@ const Stack = createNativeStackNavigator<ReaderStackParamList>();
 const ReaderStack = ({ route }) => {
   const params = useRef(route?.params);
   const theme = useTheme();
+  // The reader has a background of its own, so the screen is given the same one
+  // to keep the app background from showing while the chapter is pushed.
+  const { theme: readerBackground } = useChapterReaderSettings();
   // eslint-disable-next-line react-hooks/refs
   const routeParams = route?.params ?? params.current;
 
@@ -36,7 +39,11 @@ const ReaderStack = ({ route }) => {
         }}
       >
         <Stack.Screen name="Novel" component={Novel} />
-        <Stack.Screen name="Chapter" component={Reader} />
+        <Stack.Screen
+          name="Chapter"
+          component={Reader}
+          options={{ contentStyle: { backgroundColor: readerBackground } }}
+        />
       </Stack.Navigator>
     </NovelContextProvider>
   );