diff --git a/packages/react-native-gesture-handler/apple/RNGestureHandlerDetector.mm b/packages/react-native-gesture-handler/apple/RNGestureHandlerDetector.mm
index af3d46fe31..86a537b00b 100644
--- a/packages/react-native-gesture-handler/apple/RNGestureHandlerDetector.mm
+++ b/packages/react-native-gesture-handler/apple/RNGestureHandlerDetector.mm
@@ -42,24 +42,10 @@ - (instancetype)initWithFrame:(CGRect)frame
   return self;
 }
 
-// TODO: I'm not sure whether this is the correct place for cleanup
-// Possibly allowing recycling and doing this in prepareForRecycle would be better
 - (void)willMoveToWindow:(RNGHWindow *)newWindow
 {
   if (newWindow == nil) {
-    RNGestureHandlerManager *handlerManager = [RNGestureHandlerModule handlerManagerForModuleId:_moduleId];
-    react_native_assert(handlerManager != nullptr && "Tried to access a non-existent handler manager");
-
-    [handlerManager.registry cancelAllObservationsForOwner:self];
-
-    for (NSNumber *handlerTag in _attachedHandlers) {
-      [handlerManager.registry detachHandlerWithTag:handlerTag fromHostDetector:self];
-    }
-
-    [_attachedHandlers removeAllObjects];
-    _subscribedVirtualHandlers.clear();
-    [_subscribedHandlers removeAllObjects];
-    [_nativeHandlers removeAllObjects];
+    [self detachAllHandlers];
   } else {
     const auto &props = *std::static_pointer_cast<const RNGestureHandlerDetectorProps>(_props);
     [self attachHandlers:props.handlerTags
@@ -70,6 +56,36 @@ - (void)willMoveToWindow:(RNGHWindow *)newWindow
   }
 }
 
+// Detaching in `willMoveToWindow:` alone is not enough - a detector unmounted while
+// its ancestor is already off-window (e.g. an inactive screen) never gets that call,
+// and would enter the recycle pool still carrying recognizers of live handlers.
+- (void)detachAllHandlers
+{
+  if (_moduleId == -1) {
+    return;
+  }
+
+  RNGestureHandlerManager *handlerManager = [RNGestureHandlerModule handlerManagerForModuleId:_moduleId];
+  if (handlerManager == nil) {
+    // A nil manager for a known moduleId means the module was invalidated mid-teardown
+    // and there is nothing left to clean up. An unknown moduleId is a real bug.
+    react_native_assert(
+        [RNGestureHandlerModule hasModuleWithId:_moduleId] && "Tried to access a non-existent handler manager");
+    return;
+  }
+
+  [handlerManager.registry cancelAllObservationsForOwner:self];
+
+  for (NSNumber *handlerTag in _attachedHandlers) {
+    [handlerManager.registry detachHandlerWithTag:handlerTag fromHostDetector:self];
+  }
+
+  [_attachedHandlers removeAllObjects];
+  _subscribedVirtualHandlers.clear();
+  [_subscribedHandlers removeAllObjects];
+  [_nativeHandlers removeAllObjects];
+}
+
 - (void)setDefaultProps
 {
   static const auto defaultProps = std::make_shared<const RNGestureHandlerDetectorProps>();
@@ -144,6 +160,7 @@ - (void)prepareForRecycle
 {
   [super prepareForRecycle];
 
+  [self detachAllHandlers];
   [self setDefaultProps];
 }
 
diff --git a/packages/react-native-gesture-handler/apple/RNGestureHandlerModule.h b/packages/react-native-gesture-handler/apple/RNGestureHandlerModule.h
index 1268a63055..d4a515cb5d 100644
--- a/packages/react-native-gesture-handler/apple/RNGestureHandlerModule.h
+++ b/packages/react-native-gesture-handler/apple/RNGestureHandlerModule.h
@@ -10,5 +10,6 @@
     : RCTEventEmitter <NativeRNGestureHandlerModuleSpec, RCTJSDispatcherModule, RCTInitializing>
 
 + (RNGestureHandlerManager *)handlerManagerForModuleId:(int)moduleId;
++ (BOOL)hasModuleWithId:(int)moduleId;
 
 @end
diff --git a/packages/react-native-gesture-handler/apple/RNGestureHandlerModule.mm b/packages/react-native-gesture-handler/apple/RNGestureHandlerModule.mm
index 18659f0d27..231c897d04 100644
--- a/packages/react-native-gesture-handler/apple/RNGestureHandlerModule.mm
+++ b/packages/react-native-gesture-handler/apple/RNGestureHandlerModule.mm
@@ -50,7 +50,14 @@ @implementation RNGestureHandlerModule {
 
 + (RNGestureHandlerManager *)handlerManagerForModuleId:(int)moduleId
 {
-  return _managers[moduleId];
+  // Not operator[] - that would insert a null entry on a miss.
+  const auto it = _managers.find(moduleId);
+  return it == _managers.end() ? nil : it->second;
+}
+
++ (BOOL)hasModuleWithId:(int)moduleId
+{
+  return _managers.find(moduleId) != _managers.end();
 }
 
 RCT_EXPORT_MODULE()
@@ -63,6 +70,11 @@ + (BOOL)requiresMainQueueSetup
 - (void)invalidate
 {
   RNGestureHandlerManager *handlerManager = [RNGestureHandlerModule handlerManagerForModuleId:_moduleId];
+
+  // Clear observations before the entry is nulled - the async drop below keeps the registry
+  // alive for one main-queue hop, and dropAllHandlers does not touch them.
+  [handlerManager.registry removeAllObservations];
+
   dispatch_async(dispatch_get_main_queue(), ^{
     [handlerManager dropAllGestureHandlers];
   });
diff --git a/packages/react-native-gesture-handler/apple/RNGestureHandlerRegistry.h b/packages/react-native-gesture-handler/apple/RNGestureHandlerRegistry.h
index 82649ed83c..8a1030536a 100644
--- a/packages/react-native-gesture-handler/apple/RNGestureHandlerRegistry.h
+++ b/packages/react-native-gesture-handler/apple/RNGestureHandlerRegistry.h
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ typedef void (^RNGestureHandlerReadyBlock)(RNGestureHandler *_Nonnull handler);
 
 - (void)cancelObservationForTag:(nonnull NSNumber *)handlerTag owner:(nonnull id)owner;
 - (void)cancelAllObservationsForOwner:(nonnull id)owner;
+- (void)removeAllObservations;
 
 @property (nonatomic, readonly, nonnull) NSDictionary<NSNumber *, RNGestureHandler *> *handlers;
 
diff --git a/packages/react-native-gesture-handler/apple/RNGestureHandlerRegistry.m b/packages/react-native-gesture-handler/apple/RNGestureHandlerRegistry.m
index 558f0629b8..e56c3f009f 100644
--- a/packages/react-native-gesture-handler/apple/RNGestureHandlerRegistry.m
+++ b/packages/react-native-gesture-handler/apple/RNGestureHandlerRegistry.m
@@ -97,6 +97,13 @@ - (void)cancelAllObservationsForOwner:(id)owner
   }
 }
 
+- (void)removeAllObservations
+{
+  @synchronized(_handlers) {
+    [_observers removeAllObjects];
+  }
+}
+
 - (void)attachHandlerWithTag:(NSNumber *)handlerTag
                       toView:(RNGHUIView *)view
               withActionType:(RNGestureHandlerActionType)actionType