diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 618b86cdf0..3668ec549e 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 
 ### Fixes
 
+- Fix iOS UI profiling options being silently ignored ([#6012](https://github.com/getsentry/sentry-react-native/pull/6012))
 - Check `captureReplay` return value in iOS bridge to avoid linking error events to uncaptured replays ([#6008](https://github.com/getsentry/sentry-react-native/pull/6008))
 
 ### Dependencies
diff --git a/packages/core/RNSentryCocoaTester/RNSentryCocoaTesterTests/RNSentryTests.m b/packages/core/RNSentryCocoaTester/RNSentryCocoaTesterTests/RNSentryTests.m
index f626df8355..1aeb6015cc 100644
--- a/packages/core/RNSentryCocoaTester/RNSentryCocoaTesterTests/RNSentryTests.m
+++ b/packages/core/RNSentryCocoaTester/RNSentryCocoaTesterTests/RNSentryTests.m
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 #import <OCMock/OCMock.h>
 #import <RNSentry/RNSentry.h>
 #import <Sentry/PrivateSentrySDKOnly.h>
+#import <Sentry/SentryProfilingConditionals.h>
 #import <UIKit/UIKit.h>
 #import <XCTest/XCTest.h>
 @import Sentry;
@@ -1373,6 +1374,103 @@ - (void)testStartBeforeBreadcrumbsCallbackDoesNotFiltersOutNonDevServerOrDsnRequ
     XCTAssertEqual(breadcrumb, result);
 }
 
+#if SENTRY_TARGET_PROFILING_SUPPORTED
+// Regression test for the v8.0.0 bug where the init path (RNSentryStart) did not
+// handle `_experiments.profilingOptions`, silently dropping iOS UI profiling config.
+// This pins the full entry point used by `initNativeSdk` in RNSentry.mm.
+- (void)testStartWithDictionaryInstallsConfigureProfilingFromExperimentsProfilingOptions
+{
+    NSError *error = nil;
+
+    NSDictionary *_Nonnull mockedReactNativeDictionary = @{
+        @"dsn" : @"https://abcd@efgh.ingest.sentry.io/123456",
+        @"_experiments" : @ {
+            @"profilingOptions" : @ {
+                @"profileSessionSampleRate" : @1.0,
+                @"lifecycle" : @"trace",
+                @"startOnAppStart" : @YES,
+            },
+        },
+    };
+    [RNSentryStart startWithOptions:mockedReactNativeDictionary error:&error];
+    SentryOptions *actualOptions = PrivateSentrySDKOnly.options;
+
+    XCTAssertNotNil(actualOptions, @"Did not create sentry options");
+    XCTAssertNil(error, @"Should not pass no error");
+    XCTAssertNotNil(actualOptions.configureProfiling,
+        @"configureProfiling must be installed after startWithOptions when profilingOptions is "
+        @"present");
+
+    SentryProfileOptions *probe = [[SentryProfileOptions alloc] init];
+    actualOptions.configureProfiling(probe);
+    XCTAssertEqual(probe.sessionSampleRate, 1.0f);
+    XCTAssertEqual(probe.lifecycle, SentryProfileLifecycleTrace);
+    XCTAssertTrue(probe.profileAppStarts);
+}
+
+- (void)testStartCreateOptionsWithDictionaryProfilingOptionsInstallsConfigureProfiling
+{
+    NSError *error = nil;
+
+    NSDictionary *_Nonnull mockedReactNativeDictionary = @{
+        @"dsn" : @"https://abcd@efgh.ingest.sentry.io/123456",
+        @"_experiments" : @ {
+            @"profilingOptions" : @ {
+                @"profileSessionSampleRate" : @1.0,
+                @"lifecycle" : @"trace",
+                @"startOnAppStart" : @YES,
+            },
+        },
+    };
+    SentryOptions *actualOptions =
+        [RNSentryStart createOptionsWithDictionary:mockedReactNativeDictionary error:&error];
+
+    XCTAssertNotNil(actualOptions, @"Did not create sentry options");
+    XCTAssertNil(error, @"Should not pass no error");
+    XCTAssertNotNil(actualOptions.configureProfiling,
+        @"configureProfiling callback should be installed when profilingOptions is present");
+
+    SentryProfileOptions *probe = [[SentryProfileOptions alloc] init];
+    actualOptions.configureProfiling(probe);
+    XCTAssertEqual(probe.sessionSampleRate, 1.0f);
+    XCTAssertEqual(probe.lifecycle, SentryProfileLifecycleTrace);
+    XCTAssertTrue(probe.profileAppStarts);
+}
+
+- (void)testStartCreateOptionsWithDictionaryProfilingOptionsMissingDoesNotInstallConfigureProfiling
+{
+    NSError *error = nil;
+
+    NSDictionary *_Nonnull mockedReactNativeDictionary = @{
+        @"dsn" : @"https://abcd@efgh.ingest.sentry.io/123456",
+    };
+    SentryOptions *actualOptions =
+        [RNSentryStart createOptionsWithDictionary:mockedReactNativeDictionary error:&error];
+
+    XCTAssertNotNil(actualOptions, @"Did not create sentry options");
+    XCTAssertNil(error, @"Should not pass no error");
+    XCTAssertNil(actualOptions.configureProfiling,
+        @"configureProfiling callback should not be installed without profilingOptions");
+}
+
+- (void)testStartCreateOptionsWithDictionaryEmptyExperimentsDoesNotInstallConfigureProfiling
+{
+    NSError *error = nil;
+
+    NSDictionary *_Nonnull mockedReactNativeDictionary = @{
+        @"dsn" : @"https://abcd@efgh.ingest.sentry.io/123456",
+        @"_experiments" : @ { },
+    };
+    SentryOptions *actualOptions =
+        [RNSentryStart createOptionsWithDictionary:mockedReactNativeDictionary error:&error];
+
+    XCTAssertNotNil(actualOptions, @"Did not create sentry options");
+    XCTAssertNil(error, @"Should not pass no error");
+    XCTAssertNil(actualOptions.configureProfiling,
+        @"configureProfiling callback should not be installed when profilingOptions is absent");
+}
+#endif
+
 - (void)testStartEventFromSentryCocoaReactNativeHasOriginAndEnvironmentTags
 {
     SentryEvent *testEvent = [[SentryEvent alloc] init];
diff --git a/packages/core/ios/RNSentryStart.m b/packages/core/ios/RNSentryStart.m
index fcc60857e9..4d07f8816b 100644
--- a/packages/core/ios/RNSentryStart.m
+++ b/packages/core/ios/RNSentryStart.m
@@ -140,6 +140,16 @@ + (SentryOptions *_Nullable)createOptionsWithDictionary:(NSDictionary *_Nonnull)
         }
     }
 
+    // Configure iOS UI Profiling from _experiments.profilingOptions
+    NSDictionary *experiments = mutableOptions[@"_experiments"];
+    if (experiments != nil && [experiments isKindOfClass:[NSDictionary class]]) {
+        NSDictionary *profilingOptions = experiments[@"profilingOptions"];
+        if (profilingOptions != nil && [profilingOptions isKindOfClass:[NSDictionary class]]) {
+            [RNSentryExperimentalOptions configureProfilingWithOptions:profilingOptions
+                                                         sentryOptions:sentryOptions];
+        }
+    }
+
     // Set strict trace continuation options
     if ([mutableOptions valueForKey:@"strictTraceContinuation"] != nil) {
         sentryOptions.strictTraceContinuation =