diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/lagradost/cloudstream3/MainActivity.kt b/app/src/main/java/com/lagradost/cloudstream3/MainActivity.kt
index 5d39f6554cd..d84005d0afa 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/com/lagradost/cloudstream3/MainActivity.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/lagradost/cloudstream3/MainActivity.kt
@@ -194,6 +194,15 @@ import kotlin.math.absoluteValue
 import kotlin.reflect.full.createInstance
 import kotlin.system.exitProcess
 
+internal fun shouldFocusSearchOnReselection(
+    currentDestinationId: Int?,
+    selectedDestinationId: Int,
+    isPhoneLayout: Boolean,
+): Boolean =
+    isPhoneLayout &&
+        currentDestinationId == R.id.navigation_search &&
+        selectedDestinationId == R.id.navigation_search
+
 class MainActivity : AppCompatActivity(), ColorPickerDialogListener, BiometricCallback {
     companion object {
         var activityResultLauncher: ActivityResultLauncher<Intent>? = null
@@ -746,7 +755,11 @@ class MainActivity : AppCompatActivity(), ColorPickerDialogListener, BiometricCa
         hierarchy.any { it.id == destId }
 
     private var lastNavTime = 0L
-    private fun onNavDestinationSelected(item: MenuItem, navController: NavController): Boolean {
+    private fun onNavDestinationSelected(
+        item: MenuItem,
+        navController: NavController,
+        navHostFragment: NavHostFragment,
+    ): Boolean {
         val currentTime = System.currentTimeMillis()
         // safeDebounce: Check if a previous tap happened within the last 400ms
         if (currentTime - lastNavTime < 400) return false
@@ -755,7 +768,14 @@ class MainActivity : AppCompatActivity(), ColorPickerDialogListener, BiometricCa
         val destinationId = item.itemId
 
         // Check if we are already at the selected destination
-        if (navController.currentDestination?.id == destinationId) return false
+        val currentDestinationId = navController.currentDestination?.id
+        if (shouldFocusSearchOnReselection(currentDestinationId, destinationId, isLayout(PHONE))) {
+            (navHostFragment.childFragmentManager.primaryNavigationFragment as? SearchFragment)
+                ?.focusSearchInput()
+        }
+        if (currentDestinationId == destinationId) {
+            return false
+        }
 
         // Make all nav buttons focus on this specific view when nextFocusRightId
         val targetView = when (destinationId) {
@@ -1704,7 +1724,8 @@ class MainActivity : AppCompatActivity(), ColorPickerDialogListener, BiometricCa
             setOnItemSelectedListener { item ->
                 onNavDestinationSelected(
                     item,
-                    navController
+                    navController,
+                    navHostFragment
                 )
             }
 
@@ -1732,7 +1753,8 @@ class MainActivity : AppCompatActivity(), ColorPickerDialogListener, BiometricCa
             setOnItemSelectedListener { item ->
                 onNavDestinationSelected(
                     item,
-                    navController
+                    navController,
+                    navHostFragment
                 )
             }
 
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/lagradost/cloudstream3/ui/search/SearchFragment.kt b/app/src/main/java/com/lagradost/cloudstream3/ui/search/SearchFragment.kt
index 5f5b064b543..644e2c6c457 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/com/lagradost/cloudstream3/ui/search/SearchFragment.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/lagradost/cloudstream3/ui/search/SearchFragment.kt
@@ -157,6 +157,10 @@ class SearchFragment : BaseFragment<FragmentSearchBinding>(
         afterPluginsLoadedEvent -= ::reloadRepos
     }
 
+    internal fun focusSearchInput() {
+        binding?.mainSearch?.requestFocusFromTouch()
+    }
+
     var selectedSearchTypes = mutableListOf<TvType>()
     var selectedApis = mutableSetOf<String>()
 
diff --git a/app/src/test/java/com/lagradost/cloudstream3/SearchNavigationTest.kt b/app/src/test/java/com/lagradost/cloudstream3/SearchNavigationTest.kt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..6d62a083342
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/src/test/java/com/lagradost/cloudstream3/SearchNavigationTest.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+package com.lagradost.cloudstream3
+
+import org.junit.Assert.assertFalse
+import org.junit.Assert.assertTrue
+import org.junit.Test
+
+class SearchNavigationTest {
+    @Test
+    fun `phone search reselection requests focus`() {
+        assertTrue(
+            shouldFocusSearchOnReselection(
+                currentDestinationId = R.id.navigation_search,
+                selectedDestinationId = R.id.navigation_search,
+                isPhoneLayout = true,
+            )
+        )
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `tv search reselection keeps existing focus behavior`() {
+        assertFalse(
+            shouldFocusSearchOnReselection(
+                currentDestinationId = R.id.navigation_search,
+                selectedDestinationId = R.id.navigation_search,
+                isPhoneLayout = false,
+            )
+        )
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `first search selection does not request focus`() {
+        assertFalse(
+            shouldFocusSearchOnReselection(
+                currentDestinationId = R.id.navigation_home,
+                selectedDestinationId = R.id.navigation_search,
+                isPhoneLayout = true,
+            )
+        )
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `non-search reselection does not request focus`() {
+        assertFalse(
+            shouldFocusSearchOnReselection(
+                currentDestinationId = R.id.navigation_home,
+                selectedDestinationId = R.id.navigation_home,
+                isPhoneLayout = true,
+            )
+        )
+    }
+}