diff --git a/JanitorialQC/Sync/SyncManager.swift b/JanitorialQC/Sync/SyncManager.swift
index 1fe537e..aaba008 100644
--- a/JanitorialQC/Sync/SyncManager.swift
+++ b/JanitorialQC/Sync/SyncManager.swift
@@ -140,16 +140,16 @@ class SyncManager: ObservableObject {
             recentNotifications = notifications + recentNotifications.prefix(50 - notifications.count)
             unreadNotificationCount += notifications.count
 
-            // Update the cursor to the newest notification's timestamp
+            // Update the cursor to the newest notification's timestamp so the
+            // next poll only fetches newer items — do NOT mark notifications as
+            // read on the server. Read state is a deliberate user action managed
+            // via the web app; marking read here would cause the web badge count
+            // to always show zero when the iPad has polled before the user checks.
             let dates = notifications.compactMap { Self.isoFormatter.date(from: $0.createdAt) }
             if let newest = dates.max() {
                 lastNotificationFetch = newest
             }
 
-            // Mark all fetched notifications as read on the server
-            let ids = notifications.map(\.id)
-            try await APIClient.shared.markNotificationsRead(ids: ids)
-
         } catch APIError.notAuthenticated {
             // Token expired and refresh failed — let AuthManager handle it
         } catch {