diff --git a/app/(auth)/player/_layout.tsx b/app/(auth)/player/_layout.tsx
index 97a3f7eb..5604160e 100644
--- a/app/(auth)/player/_layout.tsx
+++ b/app/(auth)/player/_layout.tsx
@@ -1,7 +1,33 @@
 import { Stack } from "expo-router";
+import { useEffect } from "react";
+import { AppState } from "react-native";
 import { SystemBars } from "react-native-edge-to-edge";
 
+import { useOrientation } from "@/hooks/useOrientation";
+import { useSettings } from "@/utils/atoms/settings";
+
 export default function Layout() {
+  const { settings } = useSettings();
+  const { lockOrientation, unlockOrientation } = useOrientation();
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (settings?.defaultVideoOrientation) {
+      lockOrientation(settings.defaultVideoOrientation);
+    }
+
+    // Re-apply orientation lock when app returns to foreground (iOS resets it)
+    const subscription = AppState.addEventListener("change", (nextAppState) => {
+      if (nextAppState === "active" && settings?.defaultVideoOrientation) {
+        lockOrientation(settings.defaultVideoOrientation);
+      }
+    });
+
+    return () => {
+      subscription.remove();
+      unlockOrientation();
+    };
+  }, [settings?.defaultVideoOrientation, lockOrientation, unlockOrientation]);
+
   return (
     <>
       <SystemBars hidden />
diff --git a/app/(auth)/player/direct-player.tsx b/app/(auth)/player/direct-player.tsx
index daf1ed20..bf1575f0 100644
--- a/app/(auth)/player/direct-player.tsx
+++ b/app/(auth)/player/direct-player.tsx
@@ -25,7 +25,6 @@ import { Controls } from "@/components/video-player/controls/Controls";
 import { PlayerProvider } from "@/components/video-player/controls/contexts/PlayerContext";
 import { VideoProvider } from "@/components/video-player/controls/contexts/VideoContext";
 import { useHaptic } from "@/hooks/useHaptic";
-import { useOrientation } from "@/hooks/useOrientation";
 import { usePlaybackManager } from "@/hooks/usePlaybackManager";
 import { useInvalidatePlaybackProgressCache } from "@/hooks/useRevalidatePlaybackProgressCache";
 import { useWebSocket } from "@/hooks/useWebsockets";
@@ -112,7 +111,6 @@ export default function page() {
     playbackPosition?: string;
   }>();
   const { settings } = useSettings();
-  const { lockOrientation, unlockOrientation } = useOrientation();
 
   const offline = offlineStr === "true";
   const playbackManager = usePlaybackManager();
@@ -175,16 +173,6 @@ export default function page() {
     }
   }, [itemId, offline, api, user?.Id]);
 
-  useEffect(() => {
-    if (settings?.defaultVideoOrientation) {
-      lockOrientation(settings.defaultVideoOrientation);
-    }
-
-    return () => {
-      unlockOrientation();
-    };
-  }, [settings?.defaultVideoOrientation]);
-
   interface Stream {
     mediaSource: MediaSourceInfo;
     sessionId: string;
@@ -338,7 +326,7 @@ export default function page() {
 
   const currentPlayStateInfo = useCallback(() => {
     if (!stream || !item?.Id) return;
-    console.log("subtitle");
+
     return {
       itemId: item.Id,
       audioStreamIndex: audioIndex ? audioIndex : undefined,
diff --git a/hooks/useOrientation.ts b/hooks/useOrientation.ts
index 3483aefb..9d77111d 100644
--- a/hooks/useOrientation.ts
+++ b/hooks/useOrientation.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import type { OrientationChangeEvent } from "expo-screen-orientation";
-import { useEffect, useState } from "react";
+import { useCallback, useEffect, useState } from "react";
 import { Platform } from "react-native";
 import {
   addOrientationChangeListener,
@@ -53,27 +53,28 @@ export const useOrientation = () => {
     };
   }, []);
 
-  const lockOrientation = async (
-    lock: (typeof OrientationLock)[keyof typeof OrientationLock],
-  ) => {
-    if (Platform.isTV) return;
+  const lockOrientation = useCallback(
+    async (lock: (typeof OrientationLock)[keyof typeof OrientationLock]) => {
+      if (Platform.isTV) return;
 
-    if (lock === OrientationLock.DEFAULT) {
-      await unlockAsync();
-    } else {
-      await lockAsync(lock);
-    }
-  };
+      if (lock === OrientationLock.DEFAULT) {
+        await unlockAsync();
+      } else {
+        await lockAsync(lock);
+      }
+    },
+    [],
+  );
 
-  const unlockOrientationFn = async () => {
+  const unlockOrientation = useCallback(async () => {
     if (Platform.isTV) return;
     await unlockAsync();
-  };
+  }, []);
 
   return {
     orientation,
     setOrientation,
     lockOrientation,
-    unlockOrientation: unlockOrientationFn,
+    unlockOrientation,
   };
 };
diff --git a/modules/mpv-player/ios/MPVSoftwareRenderer.swift b/modules/mpv-player/ios/MPVSoftwareRenderer.swift
index 398b48ee..9f488513 100644
--- a/modules/mpv-player/ios/MPVSoftwareRenderer.swift
+++ b/modules/mpv-player/ios/MPVSoftwareRenderer.swift
@@ -558,6 +558,8 @@ final class MPVSoftwareRenderer {
     }
     
     private func createPixelBufferPool(width: Int, height: Int) {
+        guard width > 0, height > 0 else { return }
+        
         let pixelFormat = kCVPixelFormatType_32BGRA
         
         let attrs: [CFString: Any] = [
diff --git a/modules/mpv-player/ios/MpvPlayerView.swift b/modules/mpv-player/ios/MpvPlayerView.swift
index 440e1d2d..a7dc9a0c 100644
--- a/modules/mpv-player/ios/MpvPlayerView.swift
+++ b/modules/mpv-player/ios/MpvPlayerView.swift
@@ -107,6 +107,10 @@ class MpvPlayerView: ExpoView {
 	}
 
 	func loadVideo(config: VideoLoadConfig) {
+		// Skip reload if same URL is already playing
+		if currentURL == config.url {
+			return
+		}
 		currentURL = config.url
 
 		let preset = PlayerPreset(