diff --git a/main.go b/main.go
index c778653..a4fe1f9 100644
--- a/main.go
+++ b/main.go
@@ -582,7 +582,7 @@ func (s *appState) showPlayerView() {
 		return
 	}
 	s.stopPreview()
-	s.stopPlayer()
+	// Keep playSess alive; only stop compare sessions to avoid killing playback.
 	s.stopCompareSessions()
 	s.active = "player"
 	fmt.Printf("📺 s.source is nil: %v\n", s.source == nil)