diff --git a/.github/actions/android-sdk-packages/action.yml b/.github/actions/android-sdk-packages/action.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a65482a565
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/actions/android-sdk-packages/action.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+name: Android SDK packages
+description: >-
+  Installs the SDK packages reactivecircus/android-emulator-runner would download, with retries.
+  The action downloads the emulator and the system image on every run and doesn't retry: a
+  corrupted download ("Error reading Zip content from a SeekableByteChannel") fails the job before
+  the emulator boots. sdkmanager skips packages that are installed and current, so the action's own
+  install becomes a no-op.
+inputs:
+  api-level:
+    description: The system image API level, as passed to android-emulator-runner
+    required: true
+runs:
+  using: composite
+  steps:
+    - name: Install the emulator and the system image
+      shell: bash
+      env:
+        API_LEVEL: ${{ inputs.api-level }}
+      run: |
+        sdkmanager="$ANDROID_HOME/cmdline-tools/latest/bin/sdkmanager"
+        packages=(emulator platform-tools "platforms;android-$API_LEVEL" "system-images;android-$API_LEVEL;default;x86_64")
+        yes | "$sdkmanager" --licenses > /dev/null || true
+        for attempt in 1 2 3; do
+          "$sdkmanager" --install "${packages[@]}" --channel=0 > /dev/null && exit 0
+          echo "::warning::sdkmanager failed (attempt $attempt of 3); retrying in 30 s"
+          sleep 30
+        done
+        echo "::error::Could not install ${packages[*]}"
+        exit 1
diff --git a/.github/workflows/e2e-test-cron.yml b/.github/workflows/e2e-test-cron.yml
index 8af4ead87a..bf6ce67f9b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/e2e-test-cron.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/e2e-test-cron.yml
@@ -352,6 +352,10 @@ jobs:
         working-directory: examples/SampleApp
         run: bundle exec fastlane allure_launch cron:true
         continue-on-error: true
+      # The emulator runner downloads these without retrying; a corrupted download fails the job.
+      - uses: ./.github/actions/android-sdk-packages
+        with:
+          api-level: ${{ matrix.api-level }}
       - name: Run e2e tests (Android emulator)
         id: tests
         uses: reactivecircus/android-emulator-runner@v2
@@ -362,7 +366,10 @@ jobs:
           emulator-options: ${{ env.ANDROID_EMULATOR_OPTIONS }}
           disable-animations: true
           working-directory: examples/SampleApp
-          script: bundle exec fastlane test_e2e platform:android device:att skip_build:true mock_server_branch:"$MOCK_SERVER_BRANCH" coverage:${{ matrix.coverage == true }} batch:${{ matrix.batch }} batch_count:${{ matrix.batch_count }}
+          # Logcat is written on the runner, so it survives the emulator dying mid-run (RN-513).
+          script: |
+            nohup "$ANDROID_HOME/platform-tools/adb" -s emulator-5554 logcat -b all -v threadtime > "$RUNNER_TEMP/logcat.txt" 2>&1 < /dev/null &
+            bundle exec fastlane test_e2e platform:android device:att skip_build:true mock_server_branch:"$MOCK_SERVER_BRANCH" coverage:${{ matrix.coverage == true }} batch:${{ matrix.batch }} batch_count:${{ matrix.batch_count }}
 
       # Also when tests failed: those keep their coverage from the previous map. Not when they never
       # ran: a batch without its failed-tests file keeps the whole previous map.
@@ -407,6 +414,7 @@ jobs:
             examples/E2ETestApp/stream-chat-test-mock-server/logs
             examples/E2ETestApp/artifacts
             /tmp/android-runner
+            ${{ runner.temp }}/logcat.txt
 
   coverage_map:
     name: Build e2e coverage map
diff --git a/.github/workflows/e2e-test.yml b/.github/workflows/e2e-test.yml
index 4a7af02577..398fe3e59b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/e2e-test.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/e2e-test.yml
@@ -386,6 +386,10 @@ jobs:
         with:
           name: e2e-selection
           path: examples/E2ETestApp
+      # The emulator runner downloads these without retrying; a corrupted download fails the job.
+      - uses: ./.github/actions/android-sdk-packages
+        with:
+          api-level: ${{ env.ANDROID_API_LEVEL }}
       - name: Run e2e tests (Android emulator)
         uses: reactivecircus/android-emulator-runner@v2
         with:
diff --git a/examples/E2ETestApp/e2e/robots/UserRobot.ts b/examples/E2ETestApp/e2e/robots/UserRobot.ts
index 3f1a115e4c..26b206445f 100644
--- a/examples/E2ETestApp/e2e/robots/UserRobot.ts
+++ b/examples/E2ETestApp/e2e/robots/UserRobot.ts
@@ -57,9 +57,10 @@ const tapInContextMenu = async (selector: Detox.NativeMatcher) => {
 };
 
 /**
- * Long-presses a message until its menu opens. iOS runs without Detox's idle sync, so a long press
- * that lands while the list is still settling after a scroll is cancelled by the movement, and the
- * menu never opens. `target` is re-resolved on each attempt, since the frames may have moved.
+ * Long-presses a message until its menu opens. A long press that lands while the list is still
+ * settling after a scroll is cancelled by the movement, and the menu never opens: on iOS, which runs
+ * without Detox's idle sync, and now and then on Android too. `target` is re-resolved on each
+ * attempt, since the frames may have moved.
  */
 const longPressUntilMenuOpens = async (
   target: () => Promise<{ index: number; selector: Detox.NativeMatcher }>,
@@ -68,11 +69,7 @@ const longPressUntilMenuOpens = async (
   for (let attempt = 1; ; attempt++) {
     const { index, selector } = await target();
     await waitToAppearAndLongPress(selector, { index });
-    if (
-      device.getPlatform() !== 'ios' ||
-      attempt >= attempts ||
-      (await waitForExistence(ContextMenu.backdrop, { timeout: 3000 }))
-    ) {
+    if (attempt >= attempts || (await waitForExistence(ContextMenu.backdrop, { timeout: 3000 }))) {
       return;
     }
   }