diff --git a/webui-src/app/main.js b/webui-src/app/main.js
index 1adfefb..b7ecafc 100644
--- a/webui-src/app/main.js
+++ b/webui-src/app/main.js
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ const navbar = () => {
                       ? 'Connected to RetroShare Core'
                       : 'Connection Lost',
                   }),
-                  m('span.webui-version', { style: { fontSize: '0.7em' } }, 'v162'),
+                  m('span.webui-version', { style: { fontSize: '0.7em' } }, 'v163'),
                   m('i.fas.fa-sync-alt.refresh-icon', {
                     style: { cursor: 'pointer', fontSize: '0.8em' },
                     onclick: () => window.location.reload(true),
@@ -277,7 +277,7 @@ const MobileStatus = () => {
               s.slowest.length > 0 && m('div', 'slowest: ' + s.slowest.map((e) => `${short(e.path)} ${e.ms}ms`).join(', ')),
             ]);
           })(),
-          m('.mobile-status-sheet__version', 'WebUI v162'),
+          m('.mobile-status-sheet__version', 'WebUI v163'),
         ])),
       ];
     },
diff --git a/webui-src/app/people/people_state.js b/webui-src/app/people/people_state.js
index efc4c15..0171b99 100644
--- a/webui-src/app/people/people_state.js
+++ b/webui-src/app/people/people_state.js
@@ -458,7 +458,75 @@ function initializeDistantChat(force = false) {
     return;
   }
 
-  // Otherwise, start a new tunnel for this peer
+  //  A tunnel to this peer may already exist without this page knowing:
+  //  opened from the desktop window, or by the peer, possibly under another
+  //  of our identities. Its id is sha1(sorted(own || peer)), so every
+  //  candidate can be asked for by id before digging a new one -- which the
+  //  core would do for any own identity other than the tunnel's, and the
+  //  page then sat on "Connecting" beside a green tunnel in the desktop UI.
+  //  Explicit identity switches (force) skip this: the user chose.
+  if (!force) {
+    const askedFor = State.selectedId;
+    adoptExistingTunnel(askedFor, (ownId, pid, info) => {
+      //  The answers come back later; the user may have moved on.
+      if (State.selectedId !== askedFor) return;
+      if (!ownId) {
+        openDistantChat(session);
+        return;
+      }
+      State.selectedOwnGxsIdForChat = ownId;
+      session.pid = pid;
+      session.status = info;
+      session.disconnected = false;
+      State.chatPid = pid;
+      State.chatMessages = session.messages;
+      State.distantChatStatus = info;
+      State.chatDisconnected = false;
+      State.chatCloseFoundNothing = false;
+      State.statusPollFailures = 0;
+      State.chatInputMsg = session.inputMsg || '';
+      drainBufferedChatMessages(session);
+      loadChatMessages();
+      startStatusPolling();
+      m.redraw();
+    });
+    return;
+  }
+
+  openDistantChat(session);
+}
+
+//  Ask the core about every tunnel id we could share with this peer, one per
+//  own identity. Answers with the live one (status 2, "can talk") first, else
+//  any the core still holds, else nothing.
+function adoptExistingTunnel(peerGxsId, done) {
+  const candidates = (State.ownGxsIds || [])
+    .map((ownId) => ({ ownId, pid: peopleUtil.distantChatPid(ownId, peerGxsId) }))
+    .filter((c) => c.pid);
+  if (candidates.length === 0) {
+    done(null);
+    return;
+  }
+
+  const found = [];
+  let left = candidates.length;
+  candidates.forEach((c) => {
+    rs.rsJsonApiRequest('/rsChats/getDistantChatStatus', { pid: c.pid }, (detail, success) => {
+      if (success && detail && detail.retval && detail.info) {
+        found.push({ ...c, info: detail.info });
+      }
+      left -= 1;
+      if (left > 0) return;
+      const live = found.find((f) => f.info.status === 2)
+        || found.find((f) => f.ownId === State.selectedOwnGxsIdForChat)
+        || found[0];
+      if (live) done(live.ownId, live.pid, live.info);
+      else done(null);
+    });
+  });
+}
+
+function openDistantChat(session) {
   session.pid = null;
   session.status = null;
   resetSessionMessages(session, [