diff --git a/client/src/components/Journey/JourneyDetailPageProviderPicker.tsx b/client/src/components/Journey/JourneyDetailPageProviderPicker.tsx
index fd4200b03..d74af8777 100644
--- a/client/src/components/Journey/JourneyDetailPageProviderPicker.tsx
+++ b/client/src/components/Journey/JourneyDetailPageProviderPicker.tsx
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ export function ProviderPicker({
     setSearchPage(page);
     try {
       const data = await memoriesApi.search(provider, { from, to, page, size: 50 }, signal);
-      const assets = data.assets || [];
+      const assets = sortProviderPhotos(data.assets || [], contextLocation);
       setPhotos((prev) => (append ? [...prev, ...assets] : assets));
       setHasMore(!!data.hasMore);
     } catch {
@@ -119,7 +119,8 @@ export function ProviderPicker({
     setPhotos([]);
     setHasMore(false);
     try {
-      setPhotos((await memoriesApi.albumPhotos(provider, album.id, album.passphrase, signal)).assets || []);
+      const assets = (await memoriesApi.albumPhotos(provider, album.id, album.passphrase, signal)).assets || [];
+      setPhotos(sortProviderPhotos(assets, contextLocation));
     } catch {
       /* ignore */
     }
@@ -149,11 +150,6 @@ export function ProviderPicker({
     if (customFrom && customTo) searchPhotos(customFrom, customTo);
   };
 
-  const sortedPhotos = useMemo(
-    () => sortProviderPhotos(photos, contextLocation),
-    [photos, contextLocation?.lat, contextLocation?.lng]
-  );
-
   const toggleAsset = (id: string) => {
     setSelected((prev) => {
       const next = new Map(prev);
@@ -414,9 +410,9 @@ export function ProviderPicker({
 
         {/* Select all bar — sticky above grid */}
         {!loading &&
-          sortedPhotos.length > 0 &&
+          photos.length > 0 &&
           (() => {
-            const selectable = sortedPhotos.filter((a: any) => !existingAssetIds.has(a.id));
+            const selectable = photos.filter((a: any) => !existingAssetIds.has(a.id));
             const allSelected = selectable.length > 0 && selectable.every((a: any) => selected.has(a.id));
             if (selectable.length === 0) return null;
             return (
@@ -464,7 +460,7 @@ export function ProviderPicker({
             <div className="flex justify-center py-12">
               <div className="h-6 w-6 animate-spin rounded-full border-2 border-zinc-300 border-t-zinc-900" />
             </div>
-          ) : sortedPhotos.length === 0 ? (
+          ) : photos.length === 0 ? (
             <div className="py-12 text-center">
               <p className="text-[13px] text-zinc-500">
                 {filter === 'trip' && !tripRange.from
@@ -474,7 +470,7 @@ export function ProviderPicker({
             </div>
           ) : (
             <div>
-              {groupPhotosByDate(sortedPhotos).map((group) => (
+              {groupPhotosByDate(photos).map((group) => (
                 <div key={group.date}>
                   {(!embedded || filter !== 'day') && (
                     <p className="mt-4 mb-2 text-[11px] font-medium text-zinc-500 first:mt-0 dark:text-zinc-400">
diff --git a/client/src/pages/journeyDetail/JourneyDetailPage.helpers.test.ts b/client/src/pages/journeyDetail/JourneyDetailPage.helpers.test.ts
index 5b3eecad9..42258516e 100644
--- a/client/src/pages/journeyDetail/JourneyDetailPage.helpers.test.ts
+++ b/client/src/pages/journeyDetail/JourneyDetailPage.helpers.test.ts
@@ -16,7 +16,15 @@ describe('Journey provider photo ranking', () => {
     ]);
   });
 
-  it('preserves provider order when the selected entry has no valid location', () => {
+  it('falls back to newest-taken-first when the selected entry has no valid location', () => {
+    const photos = [
+      { id: 'older', takenAt: '2026-03-14T09:00:00Z' },
+      { id: 'newer', takenAt: '2026-03-16T09:00:00Z' },
+    ];
+    expect(sortProviderPhotos(photos, { lat: 200, lng: 12 }).map((photo) => photo.id)).toEqual(['newer', 'older']);
+  });
+
+  it('keeps original relative order for photos without a valid location and without takenAt', () => {
     const photos = [{ id: 'first' }, { id: 'second' }];
     expect(sortProviderPhotos(photos, { lat: 200, lng: 12 }).map((photo) => photo.id)).toEqual(['first', 'second']);
   });
diff --git a/client/src/pages/journeyDetail/JourneyDetailPage.helpers.ts b/client/src/pages/journeyDetail/JourneyDetailPage.helpers.ts
index 11c6857da..607c2fe69 100644
--- a/client/src/pages/journeyDetail/JourneyDetailPage.helpers.ts
+++ b/client/src/pages/journeyDetail/JourneyDetailPage.helpers.ts
@@ -132,10 +132,24 @@ export function distanceBetweenGeoPoints(a: GeoPoint, b: GeoPoint): number {
 
 /**
  * Keep every asset, but put assets with usable GPS nearest to the selected
- * Journey location. The original provider order is the stable fallback.
+ * Journey location. Without a usable location, fall back to newest-taken-first
+ * (provider search order isn't guaranteed chronological), with a stable index
+ * tiebreak so photos missing `takenAt` keep a deterministic relative order.
  */
 export function sortProviderPhotos<T extends ProviderPhotoAsset>(photos: T[], location?: GeoPoint | null): T[] {
-  if (!isValidGeoPoint(location)) return photos;
+  if (!isValidGeoPoint(location)) {
+    return photos
+      .map((photo, index) => ({ photo, index }))
+      .sort((a, b) => {
+        const at = a.photo.takenAt;
+        const bt = b.photo.takenAt;
+        if (!at && !bt) return a.index - b.index;
+        if (!at) return 1;
+        if (!bt) return -1;
+        return bt.localeCompare(at) || a.index - b.index;
+      })
+      .map((item) => item.photo);
+  }
 
   return photos
     .map((photo, index) => ({