diff --git a/src/features/gifPicker/GifPickerDialog.tsx b/src/features/gifPicker/GifPickerDialog.tsx
index f8bfdfb241..af92a891b6 100644
--- a/src/features/gifPicker/GifPickerDialog.tsx
+++ b/src/features/gifPicker/GifPickerDialog.tsx
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ import {GifPickerGrid} from '#/features/gifPicker/components/GifPickerGrid'
 import {GifPickerHeader} from '#/features/gifPicker/components/GifPickerHeader'
 import {GifPickerPlaceholder} from '#/features/gifPicker/components/GifPickerPlaceholder'
 import {useGifPickerData} from '#/features/gifPicker/hooks/useGifPickerData'
+import {useRecentGifs} from '#/features/gifPicker/hooks/useRecentGifs'
 import {type Gif} from '#/features/gifPicker/types'
 
 export function GifPickerDialog({
@@ -71,15 +72,18 @@ function GifPickerBody({
   const [rawSearch, setRawSearch] = useState('')
   const [activeCategory, setActiveCategory] = useState<string>('trending')
   const search = useThrottledValue(rawSearch, 750)
+  const {getRecents, addRecent, hasRecents} = useRecentGifs()
 
   // Determine the effective search query:
   // - If user is typing, use the typed text
   // - If a non-trending category is active, use its searchterm
-  // - Otherwise (trending), empty string triggers the featured endpoint
+  // - Otherwise (trending/recents), empty string triggers the featured endpoint
   const activeCategorySearchterm =
     GIF_CATEGORIES.find(c => c.id === activeCategory)?.searchterm ?? ''
   const effectiveSearch = search.length > 0 ? search : activeCategorySearchterm
 
+  const isRecentsActive = activeCategory === 'recents' && rawSearch.length === 0
+
   const {
     data,
     fetchNextPage,
@@ -90,18 +94,20 @@ function GifPickerBody({
     isError,
     isSearching,
     refetch,
-  } = useGifPickerData(effectiveSearch)
+  } = useGifPickerData(effectiveSearch, {enabled: !isRecentsActive})
 
-  const items = data?.pages.flatMap(page => page.results) ?? []
+  const networkItems = data?.pages.flatMap(page => page.results) ?? []
+  const items = isRecentsActive ? getRecents() : networkItems
   const hasData = items.length > 0
 
   const onEndReached = () => {
+    if (isRecentsActive) return
     if (isFetchingNextPage || !hasNextPage || error) return
     void fetchNextPage()
   }
 
   const onGoBack = () => {
-    if (isSearching) {
+    if (isSearching || activeCategory !== 'trending') {
       textInputRef.current?.clear()
       setRawSearch('')
       setActiveCategory('trending')
@@ -120,6 +126,11 @@ function GifPickerBody({
     listRef.current?.scrollToOffset({offset: 0, animated: false})
   }
 
+  const handleSelectGif = (gif: Gif) => {
+    addRecent(gif)
+    onSelectGif(gif)
+  }
+
   const showPills = rawSearch.length === 0
 
   const header = (
@@ -134,12 +145,13 @@ function GifPickerBody({
         <GifCategoryPills
           activeId={activeCategory}
           onSelect={onSelectCategory}
+          hasRecents={hasRecents}
         />
       )}
       {!hasData && (
         <GifPickerPlaceholder
-          isLoading={isPending}
-          isError={isError}
+          isLoading={!isRecentsActive && isPending}
+          isError={!isRecentsActive && isError}
           isSearching={isSearching}
           query={effectiveSearch}
           onRetry={refetch}
@@ -157,11 +169,11 @@ function GifPickerBody({
         items={items}
         header={header}
         hasData={hasData}
-        isFetchingNextPage={isFetchingNextPage}
-        error={error}
+        isFetchingNextPage={!isRecentsActive && isFetchingNextPage}
+        error={isRecentsActive ? null : error}
         fetchNextPage={fetchNextPage}
         onEndReached={onEndReached}
-        onSelectGif={onSelectGif}
+        onSelectGif={handleSelectGif}
       />
     </>
   )
diff --git a/src/features/gifPicker/components/GifCategoryPills.tsx b/src/features/gifPicker/components/GifCategoryPills.tsx
index ffbc804a5a..ced1e070c5 100644
--- a/src/features/gifPicker/components/GifCategoryPills.tsx
+++ b/src/features/gifPicker/components/GifCategoryPills.tsx
@@ -10,10 +10,11 @@ export type GifCategory = {
   id: string
   emoji: string
   label: MessageDescriptor
-  searchterm: string | null // null = trending (uses featured endpoint)
+  searchterm: string | null // null = trending/recents (handled by consumer)
 }
 
 export const GIF_CATEGORIES: readonly GifCategory[] = [
+  {id: 'recents', emoji: '🕐', label: msg`Recents`, searchterm: null},
   {id: 'trending', emoji: '🔥', label: msg`Trending`, searchterm: null},
   {id: 'love', emoji: '❤️', label: msg`Love`, searchterm: 'love'},
   {id: 'happy', emoji: '😄', label: msg`Happy`, searchterm: 'happy'},
@@ -27,9 +28,11 @@ export const GIF_CATEGORIES: readonly GifCategory[] = [
 export function GifCategoryPills({
   activeId,
   onSelect,
+  hasRecents,
 }: {
   activeId: string
   onSelect: (category: GifCategory) => void
+  hasRecents: boolean
 }) {
   // useLingui() is called to re-render when the locale changes, even though we
   // translate via i18n._() below to satisfy the lingui-msg-rule lint constraint.
@@ -42,6 +45,7 @@ export function GifCategoryPills({
         showsHorizontalScrollIndicator={false}
         contentContainerStyle={[a.flex_row, a.gap_xs, a.px_xl]}>
         {GIF_CATEGORIES.map(category => {
+          if (category.id === 'recents' && !hasRecents) return null
           const isActive = category.id === activeId
           const label = i18n._(category.label)
           return (
@@ -52,10 +56,8 @@ export function GifCategoryPills({
               size="small"
               variant={isActive ? 'solid' : 'outline'}
               color={isActive ? 'primary' : 'secondary'}
-              shape="default">
-              <ButtonText emoji>
-                {category.emoji} {label}
-              </ButtonText>
+              shape="round">
+              <ButtonText emoji>{category.emoji}</ButtonText>
             </Button>
           )
         })}
diff --git a/src/features/gifPicker/hooks/useRecentGifs.ts b/src/features/gifPicker/hooks/useRecentGifs.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..cd572deacb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/features/gifPicker/hooks/useRecentGifs.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+import {useSession} from '#/state/session'
+import {type Gif} from '#/features/gifPicker/types'
+import {account} from '#/storage'
+
+const MAX_RECENT_GIFS = 20
+
+export function useRecentGifs() {
+  const {currentAccount} = useSession()
+  const did = currentAccount?.did
+
+  const getRecents = (): Gif[] => {
+    if (!did) return []
+    const stored = account.get([did, 'recentGifs'])
+    if (!stored) return []
+    try {
+      return stored.map(s => JSON.parse(s) as Gif)
+    } catch {
+      return []
+    }
+  }
+
+  const addRecent = (gif: Gif) => {
+    if (!did) return
+    const stored = account.get([did, 'recentGifs']) ?? []
+    // Remove duplicate if already in recents
+    const filtered = stored.filter(s => {
+      try {
+        return (JSON.parse(s) as Gif).id !== gif.id
+      } catch {
+        return true
+      }
+    })
+    // Prepend and cap
+    const updated = [JSON.stringify(gif), ...filtered].slice(0, MAX_RECENT_GIFS)
+    account.set([did, 'recentGifs'], updated)
+  }
+
+  return {
+    getRecents,
+    addRecent,
+    hasRecents: did
+      ? (account.get([did, 'recentGifs'])?.length ?? 0) > 0
+      : false,
+  }
+}
diff --git a/src/storage/schema.ts b/src/storage/schema.ts
index 2dd99ace2d..e5cb225f9f 100644
--- a/src/storage/schema.ts
+++ b/src/storage/schema.ts
@@ -79,4 +79,10 @@ export type Account = {
   birthdateLastUpdatedAt?: string
 
   lastSelectedHomeFeed?: string
+
+  /**
+   * Recently selected GIFs in the GIF picker, stored as serialized Gif objects.
+   * Most recent first, capped at 20.
+   */
+  recentGifs?: string[]
 }