diff --git a/ElementX/Sources/Screens/Timeline/TimelineTableViewController.swift b/ElementX/Sources/Screens/Timeline/TimelineTableViewController.swift
index 17910355cf..4eb45d38a0 100644
--- a/ElementX/Sources/Screens/Timeline/TimelineTableViewController.swift
+++ b/ElementX/Sources/Screens/Timeline/TimelineTableViewController.swift
@@ -292,7 +292,7 @@ class TimelineTableViewController: UIViewController {
             }
         }
         
-        // We only animate when there's a new last message, so its safe
+        // We only animate when there's a new last message, so it's safe
         // to animate from the bottom (which is the top as we're flipped).
         dataSource?.defaultRowAnimation = (UIAccessibility.isReduceMotionEnabled ? .none : .top)
         tableView.delegate = self
diff --git a/ElementX/Sources/Screens/Timeline/View/Style/TimelineItemBubbledStylerView.swift b/ElementX/Sources/Screens/Timeline/View/Style/TimelineItemBubbledStylerView.swift
index 344c9bd55e..8f1bb09b76 100644
--- a/ElementX/Sources/Screens/Timeline/View/Style/TimelineItemBubbledStylerView.swift
+++ b/ElementX/Sources/Screens/Timeline/View/Style/TimelineItemBubbledStylerView.swift
@@ -45,7 +45,12 @@ struct TimelineItemBubbledStylerView<Content: View>: View {
                         .zIndex(1)
                 }
 
-                VStack(alignment: alignment, spacing: 0) {
+                VStack(alignment: alignment, spacing: -4) {
+                    // -4 spacing to compensate for the Spacer we have to add to stop
+                    // animation oversteer - see below.
+                    // XXX: does this squidge the bubble & the SR too close together now?
+                    // it looks like it should, but in practice it doesn't seem to.
+
                     HStack(spacing: 0) {
                         if timelineItem.isOutgoing {
                             Spacer()
@@ -59,17 +64,36 @@ struct TimelineItemBubbledStylerView<Content: View>: View {
                         if !timelineItem.isOutgoing {
                             Spacer()
                         }
-                        TimelineItemStatusView(timelineItem: timelineItem, adjustedDeliveryStatus: adjustedDeliveryStatus)
+                        TimelineItemStatusView(timelineItem: timelineItem, adjustedDeliveryStatus: adjustedDeliveryStatus, context: context)
                             .environmentObject(context)
                             .padding(.top, 8)
                             .padding(.bottom, 3)
                     }
+                    // .background(Color.purple)
+
+                    // we need a Spacer here to top-align the bubble within the VStack, so that
+                    // when the the animation doesn't drift around and overshoot when the SR is hidden
+                    // see https://github.com/element-hq/element-x-ios/issues/4127
+                    Spacer()
+                    //    .background { Color.yellow.frame(minWidth: 10) }
                 }
                 .padding(.horizontal, bubbleHorizontalPadding)
                 .padding(.leading, bubbleAvatarPadding)
             }
         }
+        // .background {
+        //    Int(timelineItem.id.uniqueID.value).unsafelyUnwrapped % 4 == 0 ? Color.green :
+        //    Int(timelineItem.id.uniqueID.value).unsafelyUnwrapped % 4 == 1 ? Color.cyan :
+        //    Int(timelineItem.id.uniqueID.value).unsafelyUnwrapped % 4 == 2 ? Color.brown :
+        //    Color.indigo
+        // }
         .padding(EdgeInsets(top: 1, leading: 8, bottom: 1, trailing: 8))
+        // hoist the unanimated messageBubbleTopPadding to the topmost view, as otherwise the
+        // UITableView row pops when this View changes layout seemingly.
+        // N.B. we can't combine two paddings together without triggering popping.
+        .padding(.top, messageBubbleTopPadding)
+        // don't reanimate bubble layouts if we're just changing the messageBubbleTopPadding
+        .animation(nil, value: messageBubbleTopPadding)
         .highlightedTimelineItem(isFocussed)
     }
     
@@ -163,7 +187,6 @@ struct TimelineItemBubbledStylerView<Content: View>: View {
                 }
             }
             .pinnedIndicator(isPinned: isPinned, isOutgoing: timelineItem.isOutgoing)
-            .padding(.top, messageBubbleTopPadding)
     }
     
     var messageBubble: some View {
diff --git a/ElementX/Sources/Screens/Timeline/View/Supplementary/TimelineItemStatusView.swift b/ElementX/Sources/Screens/Timeline/View/Supplementary/TimelineItemStatusView.swift
index 08c3aadf8f..0f5c6330ed 100644
--- a/ElementX/Sources/Screens/Timeline/View/Supplementary/TimelineItemStatusView.swift
+++ b/ElementX/Sources/Screens/Timeline/View/Supplementary/TimelineItemStatusView.swift
@@ -12,13 +12,35 @@ struct TimelineItemStatusView: View {
     let timelineItem: EventBasedTimelineItemProtocol
     let adjustedDeliveryStatus: TimelineItemDeliveryStatus?
     @EnvironmentObject private var context: TimelineViewModel.Context
+    @State private var isSendReceiptVisible: Bool
 
     private var isLastOutgoingMessage: Bool {
         timelineItem.isOutgoing && context.viewState.timelineState.uniqueIDs.last == timelineItem.id.uniqueID
     }
 
+    init(timelineItem: EventBasedTimelineItemProtocol, adjustedDeliveryStatus: TimelineItemDeliveryStatus?, context: TimelineViewModel.Context, isSendReceiptVisible: Bool = false) {
+        self.timelineItem = timelineItem
+        self.adjustedDeliveryStatus = adjustedDeliveryStatus
+        // Ugly - we can't call isLastOutgoingMessage here as the real `context` hasn't loaded yet
+        // so instead we manually pass in context to init() and duplicate isLastOutgoingMessage here.
+        self.isSendReceiptVisible = timelineItem.isOutgoing && context.viewState.timelineState.uniqueIDs.last == timelineItem.id.uniqueID
+    }
+
     var body: some View {
         mainContent
+            .onChange(of: context.viewState.timelineState.uniqueIDs.last) { _, _ in
+                if isLastOutgoingMessage {
+                    isSendReceiptVisible = true
+                } else if isSendReceiptVisible {
+                    // we were the last msg in the timeline, but not any more
+                    // so remove the SR after a short delay to avoid racing with the new msg animation
+                    DispatchQueue.main.asyncAfter(deadline: .now() + 0.2) {
+                        withAnimation {
+                            isSendReceiptVisible = false
+                        }
+                    }
+                }
+            }
     }
 
     @ViewBuilder
@@ -39,9 +61,10 @@ struct TimelineItemStatusView: View {
         case .sending:
             TimelineDeliveryStatusView(deliveryStatus: .sending)
         case .sent, .none:
-            if isLastOutgoingMessage {
+            if isSendReceiptVisible {
                 // We only display the sent icon for the latest outgoing message
                 TimelineDeliveryStatusView(deliveryStatus: .sent)
+                // .transition(.identity) // makes the SR disappear rapidly to avoid ugly z-index flickering
             }
         case .sendingFailed:
             // Bubbles handle the case internally
diff --git a/ElementX/Sources/Screens/Timeline/View/TimelineItemViews/SeparatorRoomTimelineView.swift b/ElementX/Sources/Screens/Timeline/View/TimelineItemViews/SeparatorRoomTimelineView.swift
index 2535a8c20c..b40e7c9f98 100644
--- a/ElementX/Sources/Screens/Timeline/View/TimelineItemViews/SeparatorRoomTimelineView.swift
+++ b/ElementX/Sources/Screens/Timeline/View/TimelineItemViews/SeparatorRoomTimelineView.swift
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ struct SeparatorRoomTimelineView: View {
             .multilineTextAlignment(.center)
             .padding(.horizontal, 36.0)
             .padding(.vertical, 8.0)
+        //  .background(Color.red)
     }
 }