diff --git a/libs/ui/playback/src/lib/web-player-view/web-player-view.component.player-fallback.spec.ts b/libs/ui/playback/src/lib/web-player-view/web-player-view.component.player-fallback.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3b221dbce
--- /dev/null
+++ b/libs/ui/playback/src/lib/web-player-view/web-player-view.component.player-fallback.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,125 @@
+import { Component, input, output, signal } from '@angular/core';
+import {
+    ComponentFixture,
+    DeferBlockBehavior,
+    TestBed,
+} from '@angular/core/testing';
+import { StorageMap } from '@ngx-pwa/local-storage';
+import { TranslateModule } from '@ngx-translate/core';
+import { RuntimeCapabilitiesService, SettingsStore } from '@iptvnator/services';
+import { VideoPlayer } from '@iptvnator/shared/interfaces';
+import { EMPTY } from 'rxjs';
+import type { WebPlayerViewComponent as WebPlayerViewComponentInstance } from './web-player-view.component';
+
+jest.unstable_mockModule('video.js', () => ({ default: jest.fn() }));
+jest.unstable_mockModule('@yangkghjh/videojs-aspect-ratio-panel', () => ({}));
+jest.unstable_mockModule('videojs-contrib-quality-levels', () => ({}));
+jest.unstable_mockModule('videojs-quality-selector-hls', () => ({}));
+
+@Component({
+    selector: 'app-vjs-player',
+    template: '<div data-test-id="stub-vjs"></div>',
+})
+class StubVjsPlayerComponent {
+    readonly options = input.required<unknown>();
+    readonly volume = input(1);
+    readonly timeUpdate = output<unknown>();
+}
+
+@Component({
+    selector: 'app-html-video-player',
+    template: '<div data-test-id="stub-html5"></div>',
+})
+class StubHtmlVideoPlayerComponent {
+    readonly channel = input.required<unknown>();
+    readonly volume = input(1);
+    readonly timeUpdate = output<unknown>();
+}
+
+/**
+ * The engine is part of the application token, so choosing the wrong one
+ * before the settings arrive mounts a second application and swaps the player
+ * under the user mid-playback. The persisted settings read is asynchronous;
+ * `SettingsStore` holds the same value synchronously.
+ */
+describe('WebPlayerViewComponent player fallback', () => {
+    let WebPlayerViewComponent: typeof WebPlayerViewComponentInstance;
+    let fixture: ComponentFixture<WebPlayerViewComponentInstance>;
+    const storedPlayer = signal<VideoPlayer>(VideoPlayer.Html5Player);
+
+    beforeAll(async () => {
+        ({ WebPlayerViewComponent } =
+            await import('./web-player-view.component'));
+    });
+
+    const create = async (playerOverride: VideoPlayer | null = null) => {
+        await TestBed.configureTestingModule({
+            deferBlockBehavior: DeferBlockBehavior.Playthrough,
+            imports: [WebPlayerViewComponent, TranslateModule.forRoot()],
+            providers: [
+                // Never emits: stands in for the IndexedDB read still pending.
+                { provide: StorageMap, useValue: { get: () => EMPTY } },
+                {
+                    provide: SettingsStore,
+                    useValue: {
+                        player: storedPlayer,
+                        showCaptions: signal(false),
+                    },
+                },
+                {
+                    provide: RuntimeCapabilitiesService,
+                    useValue: { supportsManagedExternalPlayers: false },
+                },
+            ],
+        })
+            .overrideComponent(WebPlayerViewComponent, {
+                set: {
+                    imports: [
+                        StubVjsPlayerComponent,
+                        StubHtmlVideoPlayerComponent,
+                    ],
+                },
+            })
+            .compileComponents();
+
+        fixture = TestBed.createComponent(WebPlayerViewComponent);
+        fixture.componentRef.setInput('playbackSessionKey', 'live:p1:c1');
+        fixture.componentRef.setInput('streamUrl', 'http://host/movie.mkv');
+        if (playerOverride !== null) {
+            fixture.componentRef.setInput('playerOverride', playerOverride);
+        }
+        fixture.detectChanges();
+    };
+
+    afterEach(() => {
+        fixture?.destroy();
+        TestBed.resetTestingModule();
+    });
+
+    it('uses the store while the persisted settings read is pending', async () => {
+        storedPlayer.set(VideoPlayer.Html5Player);
+        await create();
+
+        expect(fixture.componentInstance.selectedPlayer()).toBe(
+            VideoPlayer.Html5Player
+        );
+    });
+
+    it('still lets a host override win', async () => {
+        storedPlayer.set(VideoPlayer.Html5Player);
+        await create(VideoPlayer.ArtPlayer);
+
+        expect(fixture.componentInstance.selectedPlayer()).toBe(
+            VideoPlayer.ArtPlayer
+        );
+    });
+
+    it('falls back to Video.js when the store has no player either', async () => {
+        storedPlayer.set(undefined as unknown as VideoPlayer);
+        await create();
+
+        expect(fixture.componentInstance.selectedPlayer()).toBe(
+            VideoPlayer.VideoJs
+        );
+    });
+});
diff --git a/libs/ui/playback/src/lib/web-player-view/web-player-view.component.ts b/libs/ui/playback/src/lib/web-player-view/web-player-view.component.ts
index 693ca8f83..dcbd9c4cd 100644
--- a/libs/ui/playback/src/lib/web-player-view/web-player-view.component.ts
+++ b/libs/ui/playback/src/lib/web-player-view/web-player-view.component.ts
@@ -150,12 +150,23 @@ export class WebPlayerViewComponent implements OnDestroy {
     channel: Channel | undefined;
     vjsOptions: VideoPlayerOptions | undefined;
 
+    /**
+     * `settings` is an async IndexedDB read with no initial value, so before
+     * it resolves the fallback decides which engine mounts — and the engine
+     * is part of the application token, so a late correction mounts a second
+     * application and swaps the player under the user. `SettingsStore` holds
+     * the same value synchronously (the workspace route awaits its initial
+     * load), which closes that window; hosts passing an explicit override
+     * still win, and an unhydrated store returns the same VideoJs default
+     * this used to hard-code.
+     */
     readonly selectedPlayer = computed<VideoPlayer>(() => {
         const temporary = this.recoverySession.temporaryPlayerOverride();
         return temporary
             ? toVideoPlayer(temporary)
             : (this.playerOverride() ??
                   this.settings()?.player ??
+                  this.settingsStore.player?.() ??
                   VideoPlayer.VideoJs);
     });
     private readonly applicationState = createWebPlayerApplicationState({