diff --git a/android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml b/android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml
index 39c2080f..7eaeb5d2 100644
--- a/android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml
+++ b/android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml
@@ -31,6 +31,13 @@
             </intent-filter>
         </activity>
 
-        <!-- Media3 MediaSessionService is registered in Phase 6 (Task 6.2). -->
+        <service
+            android:name=".player.MinstrelPlayerService"
+            android:exported="true"
+            android:foregroundServiceType="mediaPlayback">
+            <intent-filter>
+                <action android:name="androidx.media3.session.MediaSessionService" />
+            </intent-filter>
+        </service>
     </application>
 </manifest>
diff --git a/android/app/src/main/java/com/fabledsword/minstrel/player/MinstrelPlayerService.kt b/android/app/src/main/java/com/fabledsword/minstrel/player/MinstrelPlayerService.kt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..fba943f6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/android/app/src/main/java/com/fabledsword/minstrel/player/MinstrelPlayerService.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+package com.fabledsword.minstrel.player
+
+import android.content.Intent
+import androidx.media3.common.Player
+import androidx.media3.session.MediaSession
+import androidx.media3.session.MediaSessionService
+import dagger.hilt.android.AndroidEntryPoint
+import javax.inject.Inject
+
+/**
+ * The app's foreground media-playback service. Replaces what the Flutter
+ * audio_service plugin wrapped — Media3 owns the foreground lifecycle,
+ * the MediaSession, the notification card, lock-screen surface, BT/AVRCP
+ * routing, Pixel Watch tile, and Android Auto adapter natively.
+ *
+ * Manifest declares this with `foregroundServiceType="mediaPlayback"`
+ * plus the standard `MediaSessionService` intent-filter — Media3's
+ * MediaButtonReceiver is registered automatically by the library, no
+ * manual receiver class needed.
+ *
+ * Lifecycle:
+ *   - onCreate: build the ExoPlayer + MediaSession once.
+ *   - onGetSession: return the live session to any binding controller
+ *     (system UI media card, Wear OS companion, MediaController3 clients).
+ *   - onTaskRemoved: if the user swipes the app away, keep playing when
+ *     audio is active (standard media-app behavior — music shouldn't
+ *     die because the app left recents); otherwise stop the service so
+ *     the lingering notification clears.
+ *   - onDestroy: release the session + player.
+ */
+@AndroidEntryPoint
+class MinstrelPlayerService : MediaSessionService() {
+
+    @Inject lateinit var playerFactory: PlayerFactory
+
+    private var mediaSession: MediaSession? = null
+
+    override fun onCreate() {
+        super.onCreate()
+        val player = playerFactory.build()
+        mediaSession = MediaSession.Builder(this, player).build()
+    }
+
+    override fun onGetSession(controllerInfo: MediaSession.ControllerInfo): MediaSession? =
+        mediaSession
+
+    override fun onTaskRemoved(rootIntent: Intent?) {
+        val player = mediaSession?.player ?: return super.onTaskRemoved(rootIntent)
+        val activelyPlaying = player.playWhenReady && player.playbackState != Player.STATE_ENDED
+        if (!activelyPlaying) {
+            stopSelf()
+        }
+        super.onTaskRemoved(rootIntent)
+    }
+
+    override fun onDestroy() {
+        mediaSession?.run {
+            player.release()
+            release()
+        }
+        mediaSession = null
+        super.onDestroy()
+    }
+}