diff --git a/apps/backend/src/app/api/latest/auth/oauth/callback/apple/native/route.tsx b/apps/backend/src/app/api/latest/auth/oauth/callback/apple/native/route.tsx
index d42007a4a..938e551a6 100644
--- a/apps/backend/src/app/api/latest/auth/oauth/callback/apple/native/route.tsx
+++ b/apps/backend/src/app/api/latest/auth/oauth/callback/apple/native/route.tsx
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { createOAuthUserAndAccount, findExistingOAuthAccount, getProjectUserIdFromOAuthAccount, handleOAuthEmailMergeStrategy, linkOAuthAccountToUser } from "@/lib/oauth";
+import { isAppleEmailVerified } from "@/oauth/utils";
 import { getBestEffortEndUserRequestContext } from "@/lib/end-users";
 import { buildSignUpRuleOptions } from "@/lib/sign-up-context";
 import { getDisabledBotChallengeAssessment, isBotChallengeDisabled } from "@/lib/turnstile";
@@ -34,7 +35,7 @@ async function verifyAppleIdToken(idToken: string, allowedBundleIds: string[]):
     return {
       sub: payload.sub ?? throwErr("No sub claim in Apple ID token"),
       email: typeof payload.email === "string" ? payload.email : null,
-      emailVerified: payload.email_verified === true || payload.email_verified === "true",
+      emailVerified: isAppleEmailVerified(payload.email_verified),
     };
   } catch (error) {
     captureError("apple-native-sign-in-token-verification-failed", error);
diff --git a/apps/backend/src/oauth/providers/apple.tsx b/apps/backend/src/oauth/providers/apple.tsx
index 29801f962..a2104c2ca 100644
--- a/apps/backend/src/oauth/providers/apple.tsx
+++ b/apps/backend/src/oauth/providers/apple.tsx
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { HexclaveAssertionError, throwErr } from "@hexclave/shared/dist/utils/errors";
 import { decodeJwt } from 'jose';
-import { OAuthUserInfo, validateUserInfo } from "../utils";
+import { OAuthUserInfo, isAppleEmailVerified, validateUserInfo } from "../utils";
 import { OAuthBaseProvider, TokenSet } from "./base";
 
 export class AppleProvider extends OAuthBaseProvider {
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ export class AppleProvider extends OAuthBaseProvider {
     return validateUserInfo({
       accountId: payload.sub,
       email: payload.email,
-      emailVerified: !!payload.email_verified,
+      emailVerified: isAppleEmailVerified(payload.email_verified),
     });
   }
 
diff --git a/apps/backend/src/oauth/utils.test.ts b/apps/backend/src/oauth/utils.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7cd1f7c5e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/backend/src/oauth/utils.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import { isAppleEmailVerified } from "./utils";
+
+describe("isAppleEmailVerified", () => {
+  it("treats the boolean true as verified", () => {
+    expect(isAppleEmailVerified(true)).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("treats the string \"true\" as verified", () => {
+    expect(isAppleEmailVerified("true")).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("treats the boolean false as unverified", () => {
+    expect(isAppleEmailVerified(false)).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  // Regression: a naive `!!value` coerces the string "false" to `true`, which
+  // would let an unverified Apple email pass the account-merge verification gate.
+  it("treats the string \"false\" as unverified", () => {
+    expect(isAppleEmailVerified("false")).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("treats missing/empty/other values as unverified", () => {
+    expect(isAppleEmailVerified(undefined)).toBe(false);
+    expect(isAppleEmailVerified(null)).toBe(false);
+    expect(isAppleEmailVerified("")).toBe(false);
+    expect(isAppleEmailVerified("True")).toBe(false);
+    expect(isAppleEmailVerified("1")).toBe(false);
+    expect(isAppleEmailVerified(1)).toBe(false);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/apps/backend/src/oauth/utils.tsx b/apps/backend/src/oauth/utils.tsx
index ac090ab62..6ecebe639 100644
--- a/apps/backend/src/oauth/utils.tsx
+++ b/apps/backend/src/oauth/utils.tsx
@@ -16,3 +16,18 @@ export function validateUserInfo(
 ): OAuthUserInfo {
   return OAuthUserInfoSchema.validateSync(userInfo);
 }
+
+/**
+ * Apple emits the `email_verified` claim as either a boolean or its string
+ * representation ("true"/"false"). A naive `!!value` coerces the string "false"
+ * into `true`, which would let an UNVERIFIED Apple email satisfy the account-merge
+ * verification gate in `handleOAuthEmailMergeStrategy` and silently link into an
+ * existing account (account takeover). Treat only a real `true` or the exact
+ * string "true" as verified; anything else (including "false") is unverified.
+ *
+ * Shared between the web provider (`providers/apple.tsx`) and the native sign-in
+ * route so the two can never drift apart again.
+ */
+export function isAppleEmailVerified(value: unknown): boolean {
+  return value === true || value === "true";
+}