diff --git a/frontend/app.js b/frontend/app.js
index 728c297..d80c689 100755
--- a/frontend/app.js
+++ b/frontend/app.js
@@ -407,6 +407,15 @@ const Player = {
   master: els.video,
   secondary: null,     // synced audio element in dual mode
   driftTimer: null,
+  _wantsPlaying: false, // tracks user/app *intent* to be playing, independent
+                         // of what the underlying <audio>/<video> elements
+                         // report — iOS Safari (esp. PWA/standalone on iPhone)
+                         // can silently pause a background audio element on
+                         // screen-lock or app-switch without ever pausing the
+                         // still-visible muted video, and without always
+                         // firing a 'pause' event we react to. Comparing
+                         // intent against actual element state is how we
+                         // detect and recover from that.
 
   get soundEl() {
     return this.mode === 'dual' ? els.audio : this.master;
@@ -603,6 +612,10 @@ const Player = {
       this.master.load();
       const onReadyLocal = () => { this.play(); this.master.removeEventListener('canplay', onReadyLocal); };
       this.master.addEventListener('canplay', onReadyLocal);
+      // Cached/offline playback is just as susceptible to a silently-paused
+      // background audio element as streamed playback (audio-only mode still
+      // routes through <audio>), so it needs the same watchdog.
+      this.startDrift();
       return;
     }
 
@@ -653,6 +666,7 @@ const Player = {
   },
 
   play() {
+    this._wantsPlaying = true;
     this.master.play().catch(() => {});
     if (this.secondary) {
       this.secondary.currentTime = this.master.currentTime;
@@ -660,6 +674,7 @@ const Player = {
     }
   },
   pause() {
+    this._wantsPlaying = false;
     this.master.pause();
     if (this.secondary) this.secondary.pause();
   },
@@ -683,20 +698,64 @@ const Player = {
     if (this.secondary) this.secondary.playbackRate = r;
   },
 
+  // Runs for every mode (not just 'dual') as a watchdog: iOS Safari — most
+  // visibly in PWA/standalone mode on iPhone — can silently pause the element
+  // actually producing sound (the <audio> tag in 'dual'/'audio' mode) while
+  // the screen is locked or the app is backgrounded, without necessarily
+  // firing a 'pause' event we react to. The muted <video> element in 'dual'
+  // mode is unaffected and keeps rolling, which is why video looks fine while
+  // audio silently drops. Comparing `_wantsPlaying` (our intent) against the
+  // element's actual `.paused` state lets us detect and resume from that.
   startDrift() {
     this.stopDrift();
     this.driftTimer = setInterval(() => {
-      if (this.mode !== 'dual' || this.master.paused) return;
-      const drift = Math.abs(this.secondary.currentTime - this.master.currentTime);
-      if (drift > 0.3) this.secondary.currentTime = this.master.currentTime;
+      if (!this._wantsPlaying) return;
+      // Dual-mode: keep the secondary audio track in sync with the master.
+      if (this.mode === 'dual' && !this.master.paused) {
+        const drift = Math.abs(this.secondary.currentTime - this.master.currentTime);
+        if (drift > 0.3) this.secondary.currentTime = this.master.currentTime;
+      }
+      // The element that's actually producing sound in the current mode.
+      const sounder = this.soundEl;
+      if (sounder && sounder.paused) {
+        sounder.currentTime = this.master.currentTime;
+        sounder.play().catch(() => {});
+      }
     }, 1000);
   },
   stopDrift() {
     if (this.driftTimer) clearInterval(this.driftTimer);
     this.driftTimer = null;
   },
+  // Called when the page/tab regains foreground focus (screen unlock, app
+  // switch back). This is the single most common trigger for iOS silently
+  // pausing background audio, so we react immediately here instead of
+  // waiting up to 1s for the next startDrift() tick.
+  resumeIfNeeded() {
+    if (!this._wantsPlaying) return;
+    const sounder = this.soundEl;
+    if (sounder && sounder.paused) {
+      sounder.currentTime = this.master.currentTime;
+      sounder.play().catch(() => {});
+    }
+    if (this.mode === 'dual' && this.secondary && this.secondary.paused && !this.master.paused) {
+      this.secondary.currentTime = this.master.currentTime;
+      this.secondary.play().catch(() => {});
+    }
+  },
 };
 
+// Recover from iOS silently pausing background audio the moment the app
+// returns to the foreground (screen unlock, switching back from another app,
+// or the PWA being restored from a frozen/backgrounded state). This fires far
+// faster than the 1s watchdog interval, which matters for a jarring "audio
+// paused, video kept playing" UX.
+document.addEventListener('visibilitychange', () => {
+  if (document.visibilityState === 'visible') Player.resumeIfNeeded();
+});
+window.addEventListener('pageshow', () => Player.resumeIfNeeded());
+window.addEventListener('focus', () => Player.resumeIfNeeded());
+
 function showSpinner(on) {
   els.spinner.classList.toggle('hidden', !on);
 }
diff --git a/tests/audio-watchdog.smoke.spec.js b/tests/audio-watchdog.smoke.spec.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..467f172
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/audio-watchdog.smoke.spec.js
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+/**
+ * Smoke test for the background-audio-resume watchdog (Task #50).
+ *
+ * iOS Safari — most visibly in PWA/standalone mode on iPhone — can silently
+ * pause a background <audio> element (screen lock, app switch) without the
+ * app reacting, while a muted foreground <video> element keeps rolling. This
+ * doesn't try to simulate real OS audio suspension (Playwright/Chromium
+ * can't), but it does verify:
+ *   1. The new visibilitychange/pageshow/focus listeners don't throw and are
+ *      wired up without breaking page load.
+ *   2. Player.resumeIfNeeded() actually resumes a sounding element that is
+ *      paused while intent (_wantsPlaying) is true, and leaves it alone when
+ *      intent is false (a real user pause).
+ */
+const { test, expect } = require('@playwright/test');
+
+test.describe('Background audio resume watchdog', () => {
+  test.beforeEach(async ({ page }) => {
+    await page.goto('/');
+    await page.waitForSelector('.app', { state: 'attached' });
+  });
+
+  test('page loads with no JS errors and the new listeners are wired', async ({ page }) => {
+    const errors = [];
+    page.on('pageerror', (e) => errors.push(e.message));
+
+    await page.evaluate(() => {
+      document.dispatchEvent(new Event('visibilitychange'));
+      window.dispatchEvent(new Event('pageshow'));
+      window.dispatchEvent(new Event('focus'));
+    });
+
+    expect(errors).toEqual([]);
+  });
+
+  test('resumeIfNeeded() resumes a silently-paused sounding element while intent is true', async ({ page }) => {
+    const result = await page.evaluate(async () => {
+      const audio = document.getElementById('audio');
+      // Simulate a loaded audio-only track without going through the native
+      // bridge (not available in this headless smoke context).
+      audio.src = 'data:audio/mpeg;base64,//uQxAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASW5mbwAAAA8AAAACAAAJmwAeHh4eHh4eHh4eLi4uLi4uLi4uLi5AQEBAQEBAQEBAQFJSUlJSUlJSUlJSZGRkZGRkZGRkZGR2dnZ2dnZ2dnZ2dg==';
+      Player.mode = 'audio';
+      Player.master = audio;
+      Player.secondary = null;
+      Player._wantsPlaying = true;
+      audio.pause(); // simulate iOS silently pausing the sounding element
+      const pausedBefore = audio.paused;
+      Player.resumeIfNeeded();
+      // play() is async; give the browser a tick to apply it.
+      await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 150));
+      return { pausedBefore, pausedAfter: audio.paused };
+    });
+    expect(result.pausedBefore).toBe(true);
+    expect(result.pausedAfter).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  test('resumeIfNeeded() leaves a real user pause alone', async ({ page }) => {
+    const result = await page.evaluate(async () => {
+      const audio = document.getElementById('audio');
+      audio.src = 'data:audio/mpeg;base64,//uQxAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASW5mbwAAAA8AAAACAAAJmwAeHh4eHh4eHh4eLi4uLi4uLi4uLi5AQEBAQEBAQEBAQFJSUlJSUlJSUlJSZGRkZGRkZGRkZGR2dnZ2dnZ2dnZ2dg==';
+      Player.mode = 'audio';
+      Player.master = audio;
+      Player.secondary = null;
+      Player._wantsPlaying = false; // user explicitly paused
+      audio.pause();
+      Player.resumeIfNeeded();
+      await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 150));
+      return { paused: audio.paused };
+    });
+    expect(result.paused).toBe(true);
+  });
+});