diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/app/shell/hooks/use-statusbar-items.tsx b/apps/desktop/src/app/shell/hooks/use-statusbar-items.tsx
index 0e5c8e2c8b5..c471d0f517a 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/app/shell/hooks/use-statusbar-items.tsx
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/app/shell/hooks/use-statusbar-items.tsx
@@ -442,8 +442,8 @@ export function useStatusbarItems({
               variant: 'action' as const
             })
       },
-      ...(backendVersionItem ? [backendVersionItem] : []),
-      clientVersionItem
+      clientVersionItem,
+      ...(backendVersionItem ? [backendVersionItem] : [])
     ],
     [
       busy,
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/store/updates.ts b/apps/desktop/src/store/updates.ts
index 0a676d13819..80746bf4bf6 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/store/updates.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/store/updates.ts
@@ -398,11 +398,15 @@ export function startUpdatePoller(): void {
 
   pollerStarted = true
   void checkUpdates()
+  void checkBackendUpdates()
   void refreshDesktopVersion()
   bridge.onProgress(ingestProgress)
 
   window.addEventListener('focus', onFocus)
-  backgroundTimer = setInterval(() => void checkUpdates(), 30 * 60 * 1000)
+  backgroundTimer = setInterval(() => {
+    void checkUpdates()
+    void checkBackendUpdates()
+  }, 30 * 60 * 1000)
 }
 
 export function stopUpdatePoller(): void {
@@ -424,8 +428,6 @@ function onFocus() {
 
   lastFocusAt = now
   void checkUpdates()
-  // Cheap and safe to re-read on every (throttled) focus: the user may have
-  // updated Hermes from another window/CLI between focuses, and About should
-  // catch up without forcing a restart.
+  void checkBackendUpdates()
   void refreshDesktopVersion()
 }