diff --git a/client/src/components/chat-popup/chat-popup.component.jsx b/client/src/components/chat-popup/chat-popup.component.jsx
index 01c5b3e85..95513e09c 100644
--- a/client/src/components/chat-popup/chat-popup.component.jsx
+++ b/client/src/components/chat-popup/chat-popup.component.jsx
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import { InfoCircleOutlined, MessageOutlined, ShrinkOutlined, SyncOutlined } from "@ant-design/icons";
 import { useApolloClient, useLazyQuery, useQuery } from "@apollo/client";
 import { Badge, Card, Col, Row, Space, Tag, Tooltip, Typography } from "antd";
-import { useEffect, useState } from "react";
+import { useEffect, useRef, useState } from "react";
 import { useTranslation } from "react-i18next";
 import { connect } from "react-redux";
 import { createStructuredSelector } from "reselect";
@@ -27,32 +27,52 @@ const mapDispatchToProps = (dispatch) => ({
 
 export function ChatPopupComponent({ chatVisible, selectedConversation, toggleChatVisible }) {
   const { t } = useTranslation();
-  const [pollInterval, setPollInterval] = useState(0);
   const { socket } = useSocket();
-  const client = useApolloClient(); // Apollo Client instance for cache operations
+  const client = useApolloClient();
 
-  // Lazy query for conversations
-  const [getConversations, { loading, data, refetch }] = useLazyQuery(CONVERSATION_LIST_QUERY, {
+  // When socket is connected, we do NOT poll (socket should push updates).
+  // When disconnected, we poll as a fallback.
+  const [pollInterval, setPollInterval] = useState(0);
+
+  // Ensure conversations query runs once on initial page load (component mount).
+  const hasLoadedConversationsOnceRef = useRef(false);
+
+  // Preserve the last known unread aggregate count so the badge doesn't "vanish"
+  // when UNREAD_CONVERSATION_COUNT gets skipped after socket connects.
+  const [unreadAggregateCount, setUnreadAggregateCount] = useState(0);
+
+  // Lazy query for conversations (executed manually)
+  const [getConversations, { loading, data, refetch, called }] = useLazyQuery(CONVERSATION_LIST_QUERY, {
     fetchPolicy: "network-only",
     nextFetchPolicy: "network-only",
-    skip: !chatVisible,
+    notifyOnNetworkStatusChange: true,
     ...(pollInterval > 0 ? { pollInterval } : {})
   });
 
-  // Query for unread count when chat is not visible
-  const { data: unreadData } = useQuery(UNREAD_CONVERSATION_COUNT, {
+  // Query for unread count when chat is not visible and socket is not connected.
+  // (Once socket connects, we stop this query; we keep the last known value in state.)
+  useQuery(UNREAD_CONVERSATION_COUNT, {
     fetchPolicy: "network-only",
     nextFetchPolicy: "network-only",
-    pollInterval: 60 * 1000 // TODO: This is a fix for now, should be coming from sockets
+    skip: chatVisible || socket?.connected,
+    pollInterval: socket?.connected ? 0 : 60 * 1000,
+    onCompleted: (result) => {
+      const nextCount = result?.messages_aggregate?.aggregate?.count;
+      if (typeof nextCount === "number") setUnreadAggregateCount(nextCount);
+    },
+    onError: (err) => {
+      // Keep last known count; do not force badge to zero on transient failures
+      console.warn("UNREAD_CONVERSATION_COUNT failed:", err?.message || err);
+    }
   });
 
-  // Socket connection status
+  // Socket connection status -> polling strategy for CONVERSATION_LIST_QUERY
   useEffect(() => {
     const handleSocketStatus = () => {
       if (socket?.connected) {
-        setPollInterval(15 * 60 * 1000); // 15 minutes
+        setPollInterval(0); // skip polling if socket connected
       } else {
-        setPollInterval(60 * 1000); // 60 seconds
+        setPollInterval(60 * 1000); // fallback polling if disconnected
       }
     };
 
@@ -71,19 +91,32 @@ export function ChatPopupComponent({ chatVisible, selectedConversation, toggleCh
     };
   }, [socket]);
 
-  // Fetch conversations when chat becomes visible
+  // Run conversations query exactly once on initial load (component mount)
   useEffect(() => {
-    if (chatVisible)
-      getConversations({
-        variables: {
-          offset: 0
-        }
-      }).catch((err) => {
-        console.error(`Error fetching conversations: ${(err, err.message || "")}`);
-      });
-  }, [chatVisible, getConversations]);
+    if (hasLoadedConversationsOnceRef.current) return;
 
-  // Get unread count from the cache
+    hasLoadedConversationsOnceRef.current = true;
+
+    getConversations({
+      variables: { offset: 0 }
+    }).catch((err) => {
+      console.error(`Error fetching conversations: ${err?.message || ""}`, err);
+    });
+  }, [getConversations]);
+
+  const handleManualRefresh = async () => {
+    try {
+      if (called && typeof refetch === "function") {
+        await refetch({ offset: 0 });
+      } else {
+        await getConversations({ variables: { offset: 0 } });
+      }
+    } catch (err) {
+      console.error(`Error refreshing conversations: ${err?.message || ""}`, err);
+    }
+  };
+
+  // Get unread count from the cache (preferred). Fallback to preserved aggregate count.
   const unreadCount = (() => {
     try {
       const cachedData = client.readQuery({
@@ -91,18 +124,23 @@ export function ChatPopupComponent({ chatVisible, selectedConversation, toggleCh
         variables: { offset: 0 }
       });
 
-      if (!cachedData?.conversations) {
-        return unreadData?.messages_aggregate?.aggregate?.count;
+      const conversations = cachedData?.conversations;
+
+      if (!Array.isArray(conversations) || conversations.length === 0) {
+        return unreadAggregateCount;
       }
 
-      // Aggregate unread message count
-      return cachedData.conversations.reduce((total, conversation) => {
-        const unread = conversation.messages_aggregate?.aggregate?.count || 0;
+      const hasUnreadCounts = conversations.some((c) => c?.messages_aggregate?.aggregate?.count != null);
+      if (!hasUnreadCounts) {
+        return unreadAggregateCount;
+      }
+
+      return conversations.reduce((total, conversation) => {
+        const unread = conversation?.messages_aggregate?.aggregate?.count || 0;
         return total + unread;
       }, 0);
-    } catch (error) {
-      console.warn("Unread count not found in cache:", error);
-      return 0; // Fallback if not in cache
+    } catch {
+      return unreadAggregateCount;
     }
   })();
 
@@ -117,9 +155,12 @@ export function ChatPopupComponent({ chatVisible, selectedConversation, toggleCh
               <Tooltip title={t("messaging.labels.recentonly")}>
                 <InfoCircleOutlined />
               </Tooltip>
-              <SyncOutlined style={{ cursor: "pointer" }} onClick={() => refetch()} />
+
+              <SyncOutlined style={{ cursor: "pointer" }} onClick={handleManualRefresh} />
+
               {!socket?.connected && <Tag color="yellow">{t("messaging.labels.nopush")}</Tag>}
             </Space>
+
             <ShrinkOutlined
               onClick={() => toggleChatVisible()}
               style={{ position: "absolute", right: ".5rem", top: ".5rem" }}