diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index ce44e5236..02b425068 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -234,7 +234,7 @@ To have Play Services [pre-download the model in the background after the app is
 | `ratioOverlayColor`             | Color                                  | Any color with alpha. Default: `'#ffffff77'`                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               |
 | `resetFocusTimeout`             | `number`                               | Dismiss tap to focus after this many milliseconds. Default `0` (disabled). Example: `5000` is 5 seconds.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
 | `resetFocusWhenMotionDetected`  | Boolean                                | Dismiss tap to focus when focus area content changes. Native iOS feature, see documentation: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/avfoundation/avcapturedevice/1624644-subjectareachangemonitoringenabl?language=objc). Default `true`.                                                                                                                                                                                                               |
-| `resizeMode`                    | `'cover' / 'contain'`                  | Determines the scaling and cropping behavior of content within the view. `cover` (resizeAspectFill on iOS) scales the content to fill the view completely, potentially cropping content if its aspect ratio differs from the view. `contain` (resizeAspect on iOS) scales the content to fit within the view's bounds without cropping, ensuring all content is visible but may introduce letterboxing. Default behavior depends on the specific use case. |
+| `resizeMode`                    | `'cover' / 'contain'`                  | Determines the scaling and cropping behavior of content within the view. `cover` (resizeAspectFill on iOS) scales the content to fill the view completely, potentially cropping content if its aspect ratio differs from the view. `contain` (resizeAspect on iOS) scales the content to fit within the view's bounds without cropping, ensuring all content is visible but may introduce letterboxing. Default: `contain`. |
 | `scanThrottleDelay`             | `number`                               | Duration between scan detection in milliseconds. Default 2000 (2s)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         |
 | `maxPhotoQualityPrioritization` | `'balanced'` / `'quality'` / `'speed'` | [iOS 13 and newer](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/avfoundation/avcapturephotooutput/3182995-maxphotoqualityprioritization). `'speed'` provides a 60-80% median capture time reduction vs 'quality' setting. Tested on iPhone 6S Max (66% faster) and iPhone 15 Pro Max (76% faster!). Default `balanced`                                                                                                                                        |
 | `iOsDeferredStart`              | `boolean`                              | iOS 26+ only. Enables `AVCaptureOutput.deferredStartEnabled` when supported to get the preview visible faster. Default `true`. When enabled, the first capture can be delayed by a few hundred milliseconds. Ignored on Android and on older iOS versions.                                                                                                                                                                                                 |
diff --git a/ios/ReactNativeCameraKit/RealCamera.swift b/ios/ReactNativeCameraKit/RealCamera.swift
index 5774b14ef..15e043f34 100644
--- a/ios/ReactNativeCameraKit/RealCamera.swift
+++ b/ios/ReactNativeCameraKit/RealCamera.swift
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ class RealCamera: NSObject, CameraProtocol, AVCaptureMetadataOutputObjectsDelega
         // "AVCaptureSession beginConfiguration" from the com.apple.cameracapture subsystem
         DispatchQueue.main.async {
             self.cameraPreview.session = self.session
-            self.cameraPreview.previewLayer.videoGravity = .resizeAspect
+            self.applyResizeMode()
 
             self.startMotionUpdates()
 
@@ -364,12 +364,19 @@ class RealCamera: NSObject, CameraProtocol, AVCaptureMetadataOutputObjectsDelega
 
     func update(resizeMode: ResizeMode) {
         DispatchQueue.main.async {
-            switch resizeMode {
-            case .cover:
-                self.cameraPreview.previewLayer.videoGravity = .resizeAspectFill
-            case .contain:
-                self.cameraPreview.previewLayer.videoGravity = .resizeAspect
-            }
+            self.resizeMode = resizeMode
+            self.applyResizeMode()
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Pushes `resizeMode` onto the preview layer. Called both when the prop changes and when the
+    /// session is set up, since setup can happen after the prop has already been delivered.
+    private func applyResizeMode() {
+        switch resizeMode {
+        case .cover:
+            cameraPreview.previewLayer.videoGravity = .resizeAspectFill
+        case .contain:
+            cameraPreview.previewLayer.videoGravity = .resizeAspect
         }
     }