diff --git a/mobile/lib/infrastructure/entities/merged_asset.drift b/mobile/lib/infrastructure/entities/merged_asset.drift
index 217a18b75c..2e08b6424a 100644
--- a/mobile/lib/infrastructure/entities/merged_asset.drift
+++ b/mobile/lib/infrastructure/entities/merged_asset.drift
@@ -90,8 +90,14 @@ FROM
 (
 	SELECT
 		CASE
-			WHEN :group_by = 0 THEN STRFTIME('%Y-%m-%d', rae.local_date_time)
-			WHEN :group_by = 1 THEN STRFTIME('%Y-%m', rae.local_date_time)
+			WHEN :group_by = 0 THEN COALESCE(
+				STRFTIME('%Y-%m-%d', rae.local_date_time),
+				STRFTIME('%Y-%m-%d', rae.created_at, 'localtime')
+			)
+			WHEN :group_by = 1 THEN COALESCE(
+				STRFTIME('%Y-%m', rae.local_date_time),
+				STRFTIME('%Y-%m', rae.created_at, 'localtime')
+			)
 		END as bucket_date
 	FROM
 		remote_asset_entity rae
diff --git a/mobile/lib/infrastructure/entities/merged_asset.drift.dart b/mobile/lib/infrastructure/entities/merged_asset.drift.dart
index cd2fe5cfcc..e88d11d442 100644
--- a/mobile/lib/infrastructure/entities/merged_asset.drift.dart
+++ b/mobile/lib/infrastructure/entities/merged_asset.drift.dart
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ class MergedAssetDrift extends i1.ModularAccessor {
     final expandeduserIds = $expandVar($arrayStartIndex, userIds.length);
     $arrayStartIndex += userIds.length;
     return customSelect(
-      'SELECT COUNT(*) AS asset_count, bucket_date FROM (SELECT CASE WHEN ?1 = 0 THEN STRFTIME(\'%Y-%m-%d\', rae.local_date_time) WHEN ?1 = 1 THEN STRFTIME(\'%Y-%m\', rae.local_date_time) END AS bucket_date FROM remote_asset_entity AS rae LEFT JOIN stack_entity AS se ON rae.stack_id = se.id WHERE rae.deleted_at IS NULL AND rae.visibility = 0 AND rae.owner_id IN ($expandeduserIds) AND(rae.stack_id IS NULL OR rae.id = se.primary_asset_id)UNION ALL SELECT CASE WHEN ?1 = 0 THEN STRFTIME(\'%Y-%m-%d\', lae.created_at, \'localtime\') WHEN ?1 = 1 THEN STRFTIME(\'%Y-%m\', lae.created_at, \'localtime\') END AS bucket_date FROM local_asset_entity AS lae WHERE NOT EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM remote_asset_entity AS rae WHERE rae.checksum = lae.checksum AND rae.owner_id IN ($expandeduserIds)) AND EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM local_album_asset_entity AS laa INNER JOIN local_album_entity AS la ON laa.album_id = la.id WHERE laa.asset_id = lae.id AND la.backup_selection = 0) AND NOT EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM local_album_asset_entity AS laa INNER JOIN local_album_entity AS la ON laa.album_id = la.id WHERE laa.asset_id = lae.id AND la.backup_selection = 2)) GROUP BY bucket_date ORDER BY bucket_date DESC',
+      'SELECT COUNT(*) AS asset_count, bucket_date FROM (SELECT CASE WHEN ?1 = 0 THEN COALESCE(STRFTIME(\'%Y-%m-%d\', rae.local_date_time), STRFTIME(\'%Y-%m-%d\', rae.created_at, \'localtime\')) WHEN ?1 = 1 THEN COALESCE(STRFTIME(\'%Y-%m\', rae.local_date_time), STRFTIME(\'%Y-%m\', rae.created_at, \'localtime\')) END AS bucket_date FROM remote_asset_entity AS rae LEFT JOIN stack_entity AS se ON rae.stack_id = se.id WHERE rae.deleted_at IS NULL AND rae.visibility = 0 AND rae.owner_id IN ($expandeduserIds) AND(rae.stack_id IS NULL OR rae.id = se.primary_asset_id)UNION ALL SELECT CASE WHEN ?1 = 0 THEN STRFTIME(\'%Y-%m-%d\', lae.created_at, \'localtime\') WHEN ?1 = 1 THEN STRFTIME(\'%Y-%m\', lae.created_at, \'localtime\') END AS bucket_date FROM local_asset_entity AS lae WHERE NOT EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM remote_asset_entity AS rae WHERE rae.checksum = lae.checksum AND rae.owner_id IN ($expandeduserIds)) AND EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM local_album_asset_entity AS laa INNER JOIN local_album_entity AS la ON laa.album_id = la.id WHERE laa.asset_id = lae.id AND la.backup_selection = 0) AND NOT EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM local_album_asset_entity AS laa INNER JOIN local_album_entity AS la ON laa.album_id = la.id WHERE laa.asset_id = lae.id AND la.backup_selection = 2)) GROUP BY bucket_date ORDER BY bucket_date DESC',
       variables: [
         i0.Variable<int>(groupBy),
         for (var $ in userIds) i0.Variable<String>($),
diff --git a/mobile/test/infrastructure/repositories/merged_asset_drift_test.dart b/mobile/test/infrastructure/repositories/merged_asset_drift_test.dart
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a25a9d92a7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/mobile/test/infrastructure/repositories/merged_asset_drift_test.dart
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+import 'package:drift/drift.dart';
+import 'package:drift/native.dart';
+import 'package:flutter_test/flutter_test.dart';
+import 'package:immich_mobile/domain/models/asset/base_asset.model.dart';
+import 'package:immich_mobile/domain/models/timeline.model.dart';
+import 'package:immich_mobile/infrastructure/entities/remote_asset.entity.drift.dart';
+import 'package:immich_mobile/infrastructure/entities/user.entity.drift.dart';
+import 'package:immich_mobile/infrastructure/repositories/db.repository.dart';
+
+void main() {
+  late Drift db;
+
+  setUp(() {
+    db = Drift(DatabaseConnection(NativeDatabase.memory(), closeStreamsSynchronously: true));
+  });
+
+  tearDown(() async {
+    await db.close();
+  });
+
+  test('mergedBucket falls back to createdAt when localDateTime is null', () async {
+    const userId = 'user-1';
+    final createdAt = DateTime(2024, 1, 1, 12);
+
+    await db
+        .into(db.userEntity)
+        .insert(UserEntityCompanion.insert(id: userId, email: 'user-1@test.dev', name: 'User 1'));
+
+    await db
+        .into(db.remoteAssetEntity)
+        .insert(
+          RemoteAssetEntityCompanion.insert(
+            id: 'asset-1',
+            name: 'asset-1.jpg',
+            type: AssetType.image,
+            checksum: 'checksum-1',
+            ownerId: userId,
+            visibility: AssetVisibility.timeline,
+            createdAt: Value(createdAt),
+            updatedAt: Value(createdAt),
+            localDateTime: const Value(null),
+          ),
+        );
+
+    final buckets = await db.mergedAssetDrift.mergedBucket(groupBy: GroupAssetsBy.day.index, userIds: [userId]).get();
+
+    expect(buckets, hasLength(1));
+    expect(buckets.single.assetCount, 1);
+    expect(buckets.single.bucketDate, isNotEmpty);
+  });
+}