diff --git a/src/frontend/src/features/notifications/MainNotificationToast.tsx b/src/frontend/src/features/notifications/MainNotificationToast.tsx
index bc17d81e..9758e0d4 100644
--- a/src/frontend/src/features/notifications/MainNotificationToast.tsx
+++ b/src/frontend/src/features/notifications/MainNotificationToast.tsx
@@ -16,6 +16,10 @@ import { useScreenReaderAnnounce } from '@/hooks/useScreenReaderAnnounce'
 import { Emoji } from '@/features/reactions/types'
 import { useReactions } from '@/features/reactions/hooks/useReactions'
 
+// Sliding window of recent chat ids kept for deduplication. Sized to comfortably
+// cover bursts and re-emits while staying negligible in memory.
+const MAX_TRACKED_CHAT_IDS = 16
+
 export const MainNotificationToast = () => {
   const room = useRoomContext()
   const { triggerNotificationSound } = useNotificationSound()
@@ -24,9 +28,9 @@ export const MainNotificationToast = () => {
 
   const { appendReaction } = useReactions()
 
-  // Chat uses keepAlive in multiple SidePanels (main + PiP), so the same
-  // message event can fire more than once. Track the last id to deduplicate.
-  const lastChatMsgIdRef = useRef<string>('')
+  // Multiple Chat instances may re-emit the same RoomEvent.ChatMessage.
+  // Dedupe against a small ring of recent ids.
+  const seenChatMsgIdsRef = useRef<string[]>([])
 
   useEffect(() => {
     const handleChatMessage = (
@@ -34,8 +38,13 @@ export const MainNotificationToast = () => {
       participant?: Participant | undefined
     ) => {
       if (!participant || participant.isLocal) return
-      if (chatMessage.id && chatMessage.id === lastChatMsgIdRef.current) return
-      lastChatMsgIdRef.current = chatMessage.id ?? ''
+      const id = chatMessage.id
+      if (id) {
+        const seen = seenChatMsgIdsRef.current
+        if (seen.includes(id)) return
+        seen.push(id)
+        if (seen.length > MAX_TRACKED_CHAT_IDS) seen.shift()
+      }
       triggerNotificationSound(NotificationType.MessageReceived)
       toastQueue.add(
         {
diff --git a/src/frontend/src/features/pip/components/PipView.tsx b/src/frontend/src/features/pip/components/PipView.tsx
index 92e39d6d..555d7bbc 100644
--- a/src/frontend/src/features/pip/components/PipView.tsx
+++ b/src/frontend/src/features/pip/components/PipView.tsx
@@ -49,14 +49,33 @@ export const PipView = () => {
       <PipReactionsToolbar />
       <PipControlBar showScreenShare={browserSupportsScreenSharing} />
       <SidePanel store={pipLayoutStore} />
-      <PipConnectionStateToast />
-      <PipNotificationOverlay />
+      <OverlayStack>
+        <PipConnectionStateToast />
+        <PipNotificationOverlay />
+      </OverlayStack>
     </PipContainer>
   )
 }
 
+const OverlayStack = styled('div', {
+  base: {
+    position: 'absolute',
+    top: '0.5rem',
+    left: '0.5rem',
+    right: '0.5rem',
+    display: 'flex',
+    flexDirection: 'column',
+    alignItems: 'center',
+    gap: '0.375rem',
+    pointerEvents: 'none',
+    zIndex: 1000,
+    '& > *': { pointerEvents: 'auto' },
+  },
+})
+
 const PipContainer = styled('div', {
   base: {
+    position: 'relative',
     width: '100%',
     height: '100%',
     display: 'grid',
diff --git a/src/frontend/src/features/pip/components/notifications/PipConnectionStateToast.tsx b/src/frontend/src/features/pip/components/notifications/PipConnectionStateToast.tsx
index b8bf7b0e..9067c906 100644
--- a/src/frontend/src/features/pip/components/notifications/PipConnectionStateToast.tsx
+++ b/src/frontend/src/features/pip/components/notifications/PipConnectionStateToast.tsx
@@ -25,19 +25,11 @@ export const PipConnectionStateToast = () => {
 
   if (!label) return null
 
-  return (
-    <Banner role="status" aria-live="polite">
-      {label}
-    </Banner>
-  )
+  return <Banner role="status">{label}</Banner>
 }
 
 const Banner = styled('div', {
   base: {
-    position: 'absolute',
-    top: '0.5rem',
-    left: '50%',
-    transform: 'translateX(-50%)',
     backgroundColor: 'greyscale.800',
     color: 'white',
     fontSize: '0.8125rem',
@@ -46,7 +38,9 @@ const Banner = styled('div', {
     borderRadius: '6px',
     boxShadow:
       'rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4) 0px 2px 6px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.25) 0px 4px 12px 2px',
-    zIndex: 1001,
     animation: 'fade 200ms',
+    '@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce)': {
+      animation: 'none',
+    },
   },
 })
diff --git a/src/frontend/src/features/pip/components/notifications/PipNotificationOverlay.tsx b/src/frontend/src/features/pip/components/notifications/PipNotificationOverlay.tsx
index f0ae5f01..90671b89 100644
--- a/src/frontend/src/features/pip/components/notifications/PipNotificationOverlay.tsx
+++ b/src/frontend/src/features/pip/components/notifications/PipNotificationOverlay.tsx
@@ -13,6 +13,8 @@ import { PipToastBody } from './PipToastBody'
  * Shows shared toasts in the PiP window.
  * We use a local aria-live region so screen readers can read them in PiP.
  */
+const MAX_VISIBLE = 3
+
 export const PipNotificationOverlay = () => {
   const state = useToastQueue<ToastData>(toastQueue)
   const { t } = useTranslation('rooms', {
@@ -21,14 +23,15 @@ export const PipNotificationOverlay = () => {
 
   if (state.visibleToasts.length === 0) return null
 
+  const toasts = state.visibleToasts.slice(0, MAX_VISIBLE)
+
   return (
     <Region
       role="region"
       aria-label={t('notificationsLabel')}
       aria-live="polite"
-      aria-relevant="additions"
     >
-      {state.visibleToasts.map((toast) => (
+      {toasts.map((toast) => (
         <ToastCard key={toast.key} aria-atomic="true">
           <PipToastBody toast={toast} />
           <Button
@@ -48,17 +51,11 @@ export const PipNotificationOverlay = () => {
 
 const Region = styled('div', {
   base: {
-    position: 'absolute',
-    top: '0.5rem',
-    left: '0.5rem',
-    right: '0.5rem',
     display: 'flex',
     flexDirection: 'column',
     gap: '0.375rem',
     alignItems: 'center',
-    pointerEvents: 'none',
-    zIndex: 1000,
-    '& > *': { pointerEvents: 'auto' },
+    width: '100%',
   },
 })
 
@@ -75,5 +72,8 @@ const ToastCard = styled('div', {
       'rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4) 0px 2px 6px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.25) 0px 4px 12px 2px',
     paddingRight: '0.25rem',
     animation: 'fade 200ms',
+    '@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce)': {
+      animation: 'none',
+    },
   },
 })