diff --git a/ui/index.html b/ui/index.html
index f1f5282..9d150d6 100644
--- a/ui/index.html
+++ b/ui/index.html
@@ -162,7 +162,7 @@
           ['numeric separator  1_000', 'return 1_000', 75],
           ['dynamic import()', 'return import("")', 63],
         ];
-        var synPre = section('JS SYNTAX  (esbuild target is es2022 — the bundle uses these)');
+        var synPre = section('JS SYNTAX  (engine feature ceiling — first NO dates the engine)');
         function mark(ok) {
           return ok ? 'OK  ' : 'NO  ';
         }
diff --git a/ui/vite.config.ts b/ui/vite.config.ts
index f4d0d8a..817abff 100644
--- a/ui/vite.config.ts
+++ b/ui/vite.config.ts
@@ -54,7 +54,13 @@ export default defineConfig(({ mode }) => ({
           },
   },
   build: {
-    target: 'es2022',
+    // Down-level to es2019 so an old Android System WebView (seen: Telegram/VK in-app WebView on
+    // Chromium 66, Android 9) can parse the bundle — esbuild lowers es2020+ syntax (?., ??, private
+    // fields, static blocks, …) that Chrome 66 rejects with "Unexpected token ?", which left the SPA
+    // on a white screen. esbuild lowers syntax only, not runtime APIs; the app's own source uses
+    // none beyond this floor (the mock-only helpers are tree-shaken from production). Reach for
+    // @vitejs/plugin-legacy if runtime-API polyfills for even older engines turn out to be needed.
+    target: 'es2019',
     // Emit sourcemaps everywhere except the production build. A shipped `.map`
     // carries full `sourcesContent` — the entire TypeScript/Svelte source — and the
     // gateway/landing images serve `dist/` verbatim, so production maps would expose