diff --git a/flutter_client/lib/player/audio_handler.dart b/flutter_client/lib/player/audio_handler.dart
index 5a432e4b..38614724 100644
--- a/flutter_client/lib/player/audio_handler.dart
+++ b/flutter_client/lib/player/audio_handler.dart
@@ -559,13 +559,24 @@ class MinstrelAudioHandler extends BaseAudioHandler with QueueHandler, SeekHandl
     mediaItem.add(current.copyWith(artUri: Uri.file(path)));
   }
 
-  /// Drives the session to a terminal state and tears down the
-  /// foreground service so external surfaces (Wear tile, lock screen,
-  /// in-app mini bar) drop it instead of showing a stale paused track.
-  /// Called on the idle timeout and from onTaskRemoved when not playing;
-  /// no other path stops the session (the notification is ongoing).
-  @override
-  Future<void> stop() async {
+  /// Display-state-only teardown. Stops playback, clears the queue and
+  /// current track, and broadcasts idle so external surfaces (Wear tile,
+  /// notification, in-app mini bar) drop their visible state — but does
+  /// NOT call super.stop(), so the FGS and MediaSessionCompat remain
+  /// alive and addressable.
+  ///
+  /// Why this matters (Fable #472): the paired Wear OS companion app
+  /// caches a MediaController bound to our MediaSession's token. If
+  /// the system destroys our service (super.stop() → stopSelf() makes
+  /// it eligible under memory pressure), the next play() spins up a
+  /// new MediaSession with a fresh token; the companion's cached
+  /// controller still points at the dead one and transport taps from
+  /// notification + watch silently no-op. Keeping the service alive
+  /// across idle periods preserves the binding.
+  ///
+  /// Used by the #52 idle timeout. Full termination (super.stop) is
+  /// reserved for the explicit-close path (onTaskRemoved while idle).
+  Future<void> _softTeardown() async {
     _idleStopTimer?.cancel();
     _idleStopTimer = null;
     _positionBroadcastTimer?.cancel();
@@ -575,17 +586,22 @@ class MinstrelAudioHandler extends BaseAudioHandler with QueueHandler, SeekHandl
     try {
       await _player.stop();
     } catch (_) {}
-    // Explicit terminal broadcast before super.stop() tears down the
-    // isolate/notification, so subscribers see idle even if the
-    // player's own event lags the service teardown. queue/mediaItem
-    // cleared so the in-app mini bar collapses in lockstep with the
-    // watch tile rather than lingering on the last track.
     playbackState.add(playbackState.value.copyWith(
       playing: false,
       processingState: AudioProcessingState.idle,
     ));
     mediaItem.add(null);
     queue.add([]);
+  }
+
+  /// Full termination — soft teardown plus super.stop(), which calls
+  /// stopSelf() on the AudioService and lets the OS reclaim it. Reserved
+  /// for the explicit-close path (onTaskRemoved when not playing). On the
+  /// idle path we use _softTeardown instead to preserve the Wear OS
+  /// MediaController binding (Fable #472).
+  @override
+  Future<void> stop() async {
+    await _softTeardown();
     await super.stop();
   }
 
@@ -817,7 +833,9 @@ class MinstrelAudioHandler extends BaseAudioHandler with QueueHandler, SeekHandl
     if (_player.playing && ps != ProcessingState.completed) {
       return; // resumed between arm and fire
     }
-    unawaited(stop());
+    // _softTeardown — not full stop() — to preserve the MediaSession
+    // binding for the paired Wear OS companion (Fable #472).
+    unawaited(_softTeardown());
   }
 
   /// While actively playing, keeps a 1s periodic PlaybackState re-