isFetching becomes true when subscribed=false even though no fetch is running

[justynasowinska]

Describe the bug

When using subscribed to disable queries on unfocused screens (as recommended in the React Native docs), useQuery can report:
isFetching === true

even though:

• no network request is executed
• fetchStatus remains "idle"
• the query cache state does not change

This creates an inconsistent state where the hook reports fetching activity that is not actually happening.

The issue appears when:
enabled: true subscribed: false

This is especially problematic for React Native apps using the officially documented pattern for disabling updates on out-of-focus screens.

Your minimal, reproducible example

https://codesandbox.io/p/sandbox/gz3rj5

Steps to reproduce

1. Run the example
2. Wait until the initial query finishes
3. Toggle subscribed from true to false
4. Observe the returned query state

Expected behavior

When:
subscribed === false

and no request is running:
isFetching === false fetchStatus === "idle"

The hook state should remain consistent with the query cache state.

How often does this bug happen?

Every time

Screenshots or Videos

Nagranie.z.ekranu.2026-05-17.o.10.44.20.mov

Platform

React Native / React
Chrome 130.0.0.0 (macOS)

Tanstack Query adapter

react-query

TanStack Query version

v5.100.10

TypeScript version

No response

Additional context

No response