diff --git a/client/src/native/widgets.test.ts b/client/src/native/widgets.test.ts
index 9fc79cbf4..286fa601b 100644
--- a/client/src/native/widgets.test.ts
+++ b/client/src/native/widgets.test.ts
@@ -51,6 +51,15 @@ describe('pickTrip', () => {
     expect(pickTrip(trips, '2026-11-12')?.id).toBe(2);
   });
 
+  it('of several running trips takes the dashboard hero: the one that started first', () => {
+    const trips = [
+      trip(1, '2026-11-02', '2026-11-06'),
+      trip(2, '2026-10-20', '2026-11-18'),
+      trip(3, '2026-11-04', '2026-11-12'),
+    ];
+    expect(pickTrip(trips, '2026-11-06')?.id).toBe(2);
+  });
+
   it('skips undated, archived and finished trips', () => {
     expect(
       pickTrip(
diff --git a/client/src/native/widgets.ts b/client/src/native/widgets.ts
index 95e5996ae..cf109afac 100644
--- a/client/src/native/widgets.ts
+++ b/client/src/native/widgets.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import type { Day, Reservation, Trip } from '../types';
 import { splitReservationDateTime } from '../utils/formatters';
+import { heroTrip, sortTripsByRelevance } from '../utils/heroTrip';
 import { hasNativeFeature } from './capabilities';
 import { isNativeIos } from './platform';
 import { reportNativeFailure } from './reportFailure';
@@ -121,17 +122,13 @@ function minutesOf(time: string | null | undefined): number | null {
 }
 
 /**
- * The running trip if there is one, else the next to start. Trips without dates
- * and trips already over are not candidates.
+ * The trip the dashboard's hero features (utils/heroTrip.ts): the running one,
+ * else the next to start, so the widgets show the trip the app opens on.
+ * Archived trips are not candidates, as on the dashboard.
  */
 export function pickTrip(trips: Trip[], today: string): Trip | null {
-  const dated = trips.flatMap((t) =>
-    t.start_date && t.end_date && !t.is_archived ? [{ trip: t, start: t.start_date, end: t.end_date }] : []
-  );
-  const running = dated.find((d) => d.start <= today && d.end >= today);
-  if (running) return running.trip;
-  const upcoming = dated.filter((d) => d.start > today).sort((a, b) => a.start.localeCompare(b.start));
-  return upcoming[0]?.trip ?? null;
+  const active = trips.filter((t) => !t.is_archived);
+  return heroTrip(sortTripsByRelevance(active, today), today);
 }
 
 /** The symbols of the booking kinds a day's timeline shows next to its stops. */
diff --git a/client/src/pages/dashboard/dashboardModel.ts b/client/src/pages/dashboard/dashboardModel.ts
index 981bcfc68..407504202 100644
--- a/client/src/pages/dashboard/dashboardModel.ts
+++ b/client/src/pages/dashboard/dashboardModel.ts
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 
 import type { Trip } from '../../types'
 import { localIsoDate } from '../../utils/localDate'
+import { sortTripsByRelevance } from '../../utils/heroTrip'
 
 // The dashboard works with the canonical Trip shape returned by the list/get
 // endpoints (it already carries the computed day_count/place_count/is_owner/
@@ -83,17 +84,5 @@ export function getTripStatus(trip: DashboardTrip): 'ongoing' | 'today' | 'tomor
 }
 
 export function sortTrips(trips: DashboardTrip[]): DashboardTrip[] {
-  const today = localIsoToday()
-  const rank = (t: DashboardTrip) => {
-    if (t.start_date && t.end_date && t.start_date <= today && t.end_date >= today) return 0
-    if (t.start_date && t.start_date >= today) return 1
-    return 2
-  }
-  return [...trips].sort((a, b) => {
-    const ra = rank(a), rb = rank(b)
-    if (ra !== rb) return ra - rb
-    const ad = a.start_date || '', bd = b.start_date || ''
-    if (ra <= 1) return ad.localeCompare(bd)
-    return bd.localeCompare(ad)
-  })
+  return sortTripsByRelevance(trips, localIsoToday())
 }
diff --git a/client/src/pages/dashboard/useDashboard.ts b/client/src/pages/dashboard/useDashboard.ts
index 524347e31..6afd1f1d5 100644
--- a/client/src/pages/dashboard/useDashboard.ts
+++ b/client/src/pages/dashboard/useDashboard.ts
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import { useTranslation } from '../../i18n'
 import { useToast } from '../../components/shared/Toast'
 import { getApiErrorMessage } from '../../types'
 import { localIsoToday } from './dashboardModel'
+import { heroTrip } from '../../utils/heroTrip'
 import { useTripSearch } from './useTripSearch'
 import type { TripCreateRequest } from '@trek/shared'
 import {
@@ -120,9 +121,7 @@ export function useDashboard() {
   // A trip the hero features on its own merit: one that is running, else the next
   // one coming up. Only that one is taken out of the grid below, so the same trip
   // isn't shown twice.
-  const featured = trips.find(t => t.start_date && t.end_date && t.start_date <= today && t.end_date >= today)
-    || trips.find(t => t.start_date && t.start_date >= today)
-    || null
+  const featured = heroTrip(trips, today)
   // With neither, the hero still shows something rather than sitting empty — but
   // that trip is only borrowed for the header and must stay in the grid, or a user
   // whose trips are all finished (or undated) sees "No trips yet". #1706
diff --git a/client/src/utils/heroTrip.test.ts b/client/src/utils/heroTrip.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7353bf052
--- /dev/null
+++ b/client/src/utils/heroTrip.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
+import { heroTrip, sortTripsByRelevance } from './heroTrip';
+
+const trip = (id: number, start_date: string | null, end_date: string | null) => ({ id, start_date, end_date });
+
+describe('heroTrip', () => {
+  const today = '2026-11-06';
+  const trips = [
+    trip(1, '2026-01-01', '2026-01-05'),
+    trip(2, '2026-12-01', '2026-12-05'),
+    trip(3, '2026-11-04', '2026-11-12'),
+    trip(4, '2026-10-20', '2026-11-18'),
+    trip(5, null, null),
+  ];
+
+  it('orders running trips first, then the ones coming up, then the rest, latest first', () => {
+    expect(sortTripsByRelevance(trips, today).map((t) => t.id)).toEqual([4, 3, 2, 1, 5]);
+  });
+
+  it('features the running trip that started first, else the next to come', () => {
+    expect(heroTrip(sortTripsByRelevance(trips, today), today)?.id).toBe(4);
+    expect(heroTrip(sortTripsByRelevance([trips[0], trips[1]], today), today)?.id).toBe(2);
+    expect(heroTrip(sortTripsByRelevance([trips[0], trips[4]], today), today)).toBeNull();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/client/src/utils/heroTrip.ts b/client/src/utils/heroTrip.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6f25217b3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/client/src/utils/heroTrip.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+/**
+ * Which trip the dashboard features, in one place: the dashboard's hero and
+ * the iOS widgets (native/widgets.ts) both ask here, so the trip on the home
+ * screen is always the one the app opens on.
+ */
+interface DatedTrip {
+  start_date?: string | null;
+  end_date?: string | null;
+}
+
+/** 0 running, 1 coming up, 2 past or undated. */
+function rank(trip: DatedTrip, today: string): number {
+  if (trip.start_date && trip.end_date && trip.start_date <= today && trip.end_date >= today) return 0;
+  if (trip.start_date && trip.start_date >= today) return 1;
+  return 2;
+}
+
+/** Running trips first, then the ones coming up, both soonest first; the rest latest first. */
+export function sortTripsByRelevance<T extends DatedTrip>(trips: T[], today: string): T[] {
+  return [...trips].sort((a, b) => {
+    const ra = rank(a, today);
+    const rb = rank(b, today);
+    if (ra !== rb) return ra - rb;
+    const ad = a.start_date || '';
+    const bd = b.start_date || '';
+    if (ra <= 1) return ad.localeCompare(bd);
+    return bd.localeCompare(ad);
+  });
+}
+
+/**
+ * The trip the hero features on its own merit: the first running one in that
+ * order, else the first coming up; null when every trip is past or undated.
+ */
+export function heroTrip<T extends DatedTrip>(sorted: T[], today: string): T | null {
+  return sorted.find((t) => rank(t, today) === 0) || sorted.find((t) => rank(t, today) === 1) || null;
+}