diff --git a/src/player.js b/src/player.js
index 92ac03d..192043e 100644
--- a/src/player.js
+++ b/src/player.js
@@ -82,77 +82,77 @@ export function playQueue(songs, startIdx) {
 export function playCurrent() {
   if(S.qIdx < 0 || S.qIdx >= S.queue.length) return;
   const s = S.queue[S.qIdx];
-  const gen = ++_playGen; // capture generation — any callback that sees gen !== _playGen is stale
+  const gen = ++_playGen;
   S._trackChanging = true;
-  // Keep Samsung notification alive — set playing BEFORE any metadata swap
+  // Hold notification open with 'playing' state BEFORE touching metadata or src
   if(navigator.mediaSession) navigator.mediaSession.playbackState = 'playing';
-  // Update player bar DOM but NOT MediaSession metadata yet — setting metadata while the
-  // audio element is about to enter HAVE_NOTHING (src change) causes Chrome to briefly
-  // signal "stopped" internally, which makes Samsung close and re-open the lock screen
-  // notification. We defer updateMediaSession() until after play() actually resolves.
+  // DOM update only — MediaSession metadata deferred until audio actually starts.
+  // Changing metadata during the HAVE_NOTHING window (after src swap) causes Chrome to
+  // signal "stopped" to Android, making Samsung close and re-open the lock screen card.
   updatePlayerUI(s, true);
   onNpSongChange(s.id);
   renderQueue();
+
   const src = (_preId === s.id && _preUrl) ? _preUrl : streamUrl(s.id);
   _clearPreload();
   S.audio.src = src;
 
   const _resetFlag = () => { if (_playGen === gen) S._trackChanging = false; };
 
-  // Called once audio is confirmed playing — safe moment to swap MediaSession metadata
-  // and kick off next-track preload (artwork already warm via the 2s timer below).
+  // Called once per transition when audio is confirmed playing
   const _applySession = () => {
     if (_playGen !== gen) return;
     updateMediaSession(s);
+    setTimeout(_preloadNext, 2000);
   };
 
-  // Wait for canplay (audio engine event — not throttled by Android background timers).
-  // _trackChanging stays TRUE throughout so spurious pause events during buffering can't
-  // reach Samsung and dismiss the lock screen notification.
-  function _waitCanPlay() {
-    const guard = setTimeout(() => {
-      // canplay didn't fire within 10s (Doze likely stalled the network).
-      // Last-ditch: try play() anyway — the element may have buffered enough already.
-      // If it fails, _onForeground() will retry when the user opens the app.
+  // ── canplay-first recovery (armed BEFORE play() call) ──────────────────────
+  // canplay fires from the audio engine — not throttled by Android Doze or JS
+  // timer limits — so this is the only reliable wakeup on a locked screen.
+  // We arm it now so it's ready whether play() hangs, fails, or never resolves.
+  let _guardTimer = null;
+  let _canplayFn  = null;
+
+  function _armCanplay() {
+    if (_canplayFn) S.audio.removeEventListener('canplay', _canplayFn);
+    clearTimeout(_guardTimer);
+
+    _guardTimer = setTimeout(() => {
+      // canplay didn't fire in 10 s — Doze likely stalled the network.
+      // Try play() anyway; _onForeground() will retry if the user opens the app.
       if (_playGen !== gen) return;
       S._trackChanging = false;
       S.audio.play().then(_applySession).catch(() => {});
     }, 10000);
-    S.audio.addEventListener('canplay', () => {
-      clearTimeout(guard);
-      if (_playGen !== gen) return; // newer playCurrent() took over — do nothing
-      if (!S.audio.paused) { _applySession(); return; } // already playing
+
+    _canplayFn = () => {
+      clearTimeout(_guardTimer);
+      _canplayFn = null;
+      if (_playGen !== gen) return;
+      if (!S.audio.paused) { _applySession(); return; }
       _setAudioSession();
       S.audio.play().then(_applySession).catch(_resetFlag);
-    }, { once: true });
+    };
+    S.audio.addEventListener('canplay', _canplayFn, { once: true });
   }
 
-  const _initGuard = setTimeout(() => {
-    // play() neither resolved nor rejected in 10s — hardware stall, try once more
-    if (_playGen !== gen) return;
-    S._trackChanging = false;
-    S.audio.play().then(_applySession).catch(() => {});
-  }, 10000);
-
+  _armCanplay(); // arm before play() so we never miss the canplay event
   _setAudioSession();
   S.audio.play()
     .then(() => {
-      clearTimeout(_initGuard);
+      // Immediate success — cancel canplay guard, apply session now
+      clearTimeout(_guardTimer);
+      if (_canplayFn) S.audio.removeEventListener('canplay', _canplayFn);
       _applySession();
-      // Pre-warm next track artwork 2s into playback — early enough for lock screen
-      // notification to find it in cache on the next skip
-      setTimeout(_preloadNext, 2000);
     })
     .catch(err => {
-      clearTimeout(_initGuard);
-      if (_playGen !== gen) return; // superseded — let the newer call handle everything
-      if (err?.name === 'AbortError') {
-        // Audio element in bad state — reload so it settles; _trackChanging stays true
-        // so load()'s pause event is still suppressed
-        S.audio.src = src;
-        S.audio.load();
-      }
-      _waitCanPlay();
+      if (_playGen !== gen) return;
+      // Any failure (AbortError, NotAllowedError, etc.): reset the element so
+      // the audio engine starts fresh and canplay fires reliably.
+      // _trackChanging stays true so load()'s pause event stays suppressed.
+      S.audio.src = src;
+      S.audio.load();
+      _armCanplay(); // re-arm: canplay may have already fired once before the error
     });
 }
 
@@ -613,6 +613,8 @@ export function _restoreLastPlayed() {
     // set src so the play button works immediately without needing to re-select the song
     S.audio.src = streamUrl(s.id);
     S.audio.load();
-    updateMediaSession(s);
+    // Do NOT call updateMediaSession() here — setting stale metadata before the user
+    // starts playing means playCurrent()'s _applySession() later looks like a "new session"
+    // to Samsung (old song → new song metadata while playing → notification resets).
   } catch {}
 }