diff --git a/web/templates/entry_view.html b/web/templates/entry_view.html
index 05a4cf6..3386e7e 100644
--- a/web/templates/entry_view.html
+++ b/web/templates/entry_view.html
@@ -285,47 +285,38 @@
   const ttsBtn = document.getElementById('ttsBtn');
   if (!ttsBtn) return;
 
-  const TTS_URL = "{{ tts_url|default:'' }}";  // staff-only when present
-  let ttsAudio = null;                         // holds current playback (Audio or shim)
+  const TTS_URL = "{{ tts_url|default:'' }}"; // empty for non-staff → browser TTS
 
-  function stopPlayback(){
-    try {
-      if (window.speechSynthesis) speechSynthesis.cancel();
-    } catch(e){}
-    try {
-      if (ttsAudio && typeof ttsAudio.pause === 'function') {
-        ttsAudio.pause();
-        ttsAudio.currentTime = 0;
-      }
-      if (ttsAudio && typeof ttsAudio.stop === 'function') {
-        ttsAudio.stop();
-      }
-    } catch(e){}
-    ttsAudio = null;
+  // -------- persistent audio + helpers --------
+  let audioEl = null;
+  let currentURL = null;      // objectURL for OpenAI response
+  let playing = false;
+  let fetchCtrl = null;
+
+  function ensureAudio(){
+    if (!audioEl) {
+      audioEl = new Audio();
+      audioEl.setAttribute('playsinline',''); // iOS
+      audioEl.preload = 'auto';
+      audioEl.addEventListener('ended', () => { playing = false; cleanupURL(); });
+      audioEl.addEventListener('pause', () => { /* keep playing=false only if really paused */ });
+    }
+    return audioEl;
   }
 
-  async function playOpenAITTS() {
-    const r = await fetch(TTS_URL, { credentials: 'same-origin', cache: 'no-store' });
-    if (!r.ok) {
-      const msg = await r.text().catch(()=> String(r.status));
-      throw new Error(`HTTP ${r.status}: ${msg.slice(0,200)}`);
-    }
-    const ct = (r.headers.get('content-type') || '').toLowerCase();
-    if (!ct.startsWith('audio/')) {
-      const preview = await r.text().catch(()=> '(non-audio response)');
-      throw new Error(`Unexpected content-type "${ct}". Preview: ${preview.slice(0,200)}`);
-    }
-    const blob = await r.blob();
-    const url = URL.createObjectURL(blob);
-
-    const audio = new Audio(url);
-    audio.preload = 'auto';
-    audio.setAttribute('playsinline','');
-    audio.onended = () => { URL.revokeObjectURL(url); ttsAudio = null; };
-    await audio.play();
-    ttsAudio = audio;
+  function cleanupURL(){
+    if (currentURL) { URL.revokeObjectURL(currentURL); currentURL = null; }
   }
 
+  function stopAll(){
+    try { if (fetchCtrl) fetchCtrl.abort(); } catch(_){}
+    fetchCtrl = null;
+    if (audioEl) { audioEl.pause(); audioEl.currentTime = 0; }
+    cleanupURL();
+    playing = false;
+  }
+
+  // -------- text builders --------
   function buildCombinedText(){
     const ill = (document.getElementById('illustration-text')?.innerText || '').trim();
     const app = (document.getElementById('application-text')?.innerText || '').trim();
@@ -338,43 +329,83 @@
     if (!('speechSynthesis' in window) || !('SpeechSynthesisUtterance' in window)) {
       throw new Error('Browser TTS not supported.');
     }
-    speechSynthesis.cancel();
+    window.speechSynthesis.cancel();
     const u = new SpeechSynthesisUtterance(text);
     u.rate = 1.0; u.pitch = 1.0; u.volume = 1.0;
-    u.onend = () => { ttsAudio = null; };
     speechSynthesis.speak(u);
-
-    // Create a tiny shim so our toggle can "stop" it
-    ttsAudio = {
-      pause: () => speechSynthesis.cancel(),
-      currentTime: 0
-    };
+    playing = true;
   }
 
-  ttsBtn.addEventListener('click', async () => {
-    try {
-      // Toggle: if already playing, stop instead
-      if (ttsAudio) {
-        stopPlayback();
-        showToast("Playback stopped");
-        return;
-      }
+  async function playOpenAITTS(){
+    stopAll();
+    fetchCtrl = new AbortController();
 
+    const r = await fetch(TTS_URL, { credentials:'same-origin', cache:'no-store', signal: fetchCtrl.signal });
+    if (!r.ok) {
+      const preview = await r.text().catch(()=> String(r.status));
+      throw new Error(`HTTP ${r.status}: ${preview.slice(0,200)}`);
+    }
+    const ct = (r.headers.get('content-type') || '').toLowerCase();
+    if (!ct.startsWith('audio/')) {
+      const preview = await r.text().catch(()=> '(non-audio response)');
+      throw new Error(`Unexpected content-type "${ct}". Preview: ${preview.slice(0,200)}`);
+    }
+
+    const blob = await r.blob();
+    currentURL = URL.createObjectURL(blob);
+
+    const a = ensureAudio();
+    a.src = currentURL;
+    a.currentTime = 0;
+    a.muted = false;
+
+    try {
+      await a.play();       // <- may throw NotAllowedError on some iOS/Safari cases
+      playing = true;
+    } catch (err) {
+      // Autoplay/permission style block (Safari/iOS or Chrome heuristics)
+      if (err && (err.name === 'NotAllowedError' ||
+                  /not allowed|denied permission/i.test(err.message))) {
+        showToast("Audio was blocked. Make sure the phone isn't on Silent and tap the speaker again.");
+      } else {
+        throw err;
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  // -------- button: toggle behavior --------
+  ttsBtn.addEventListener('click', async () => {
+    // Toggle OFF if something is already playing (either engine)
+    if (playing) {
+      try {
+        stopAll();
+        if ('speechSynthesis' in window) window.speechSynthesis.cancel();
+      } finally {
+        playing = false;
+        showToast("Stopped.");
+      }
+      return;
+    }
+
+    try {
       ttsBtn.disabled = true;
 
       if (TTS_URL) {
         await playOpenAITTS();
-        showToast("Using OpenAI TTS");
+        if (playing) showToast("Playing with OpenAI TTS");
       } else {
         speakBrowserTTS();
-        showToast("Using Browser TTS");
+        showToast("Playing with Browser TTS");
       }
     } catch (err) {
-      alert('TTS error: ' + (err && err.message ? err.message : String(err)));
+      showToast("TTS error: " + (err?.message || String(err)));
     } finally {
       ttsBtn.disabled = false;
     }
   });
+
+  // Safety: stop audio when navigating away
+  window.addEventListener('pagehide', stopAll);
 })();
 </script>