Auto-recover native player after Source errors.

Screen-off and network switches often leave ExoPlayer dead without a 4xx status; refresh automatically (and on app resume) instead of waiting for Reload.

Co-authored-by: Cursor <cursoragent@cursor.com>

lib/screens/channel/video/native_video_store.dart

@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import 'package:frosty/models/playback_access_token.dart';
 import 'package:frosty/models/stream.dart';
 import 'package:frosty/screens/channel/video/chat_latency_sync.dart';
 import 'package:frosty/screens/channel/video/native_video_player_interface.dart';
+import 'package:frosty/screens/channel/video/playback_error_recovery.dart';
 import 'package:frosty/screens/channel/video/stream_info_poller.dart';
 import 'package:frosty/screens/channel/video/video_timing_constants.dart';
 import 'package:frosty/screens/settings/stores/auth_store.dart';
@@ -683,26 +684,44 @@ abstract class NativeVideoStoreBase
       return;
     }
 
-    // 4xx on the HLS fetch means the current playback session is gone — a
-    // fresh GQL token + new query params can land on a different CDN edge
-    // with a working manifest. Skip the user-facing error and retry
-    // immediately (handleRefresh updates _lastRefreshTime itself).
-    if (statusCode != null &&
-        statusCode >= 400 &&
-        statusCode < 500 &&
-        !_refreshCapReached()) {
+    // Mid-stream failures (expired HLS session, ExoPlayer "Source error"
+    // after screen-off / network switch, CDN blips). A fresh token + reload
+    // usually fixes these — only pin the Reload overlay once retries are
+    // spent. 4xx refreshes immediately; network/source waits briefly so the
+    // interface can come back.
+    if (shouldAutoRecoverFromPlayerError(
+      refreshCapReached: _refreshCapReached(),
+      errorCode: errorCode,
+    )) {
       if (_userPaused) {
         // Don't yank a user-paused stream back to life — the refresh would
         // reload with autoplay. Defer until they resume.
         _pendingRefreshOnResume = true;
         return;
       }
+      final attempt = _totalRefreshAttempts + 1;
+      final delay = playerErrorRetryDelay(statusCode: statusCode);
       debugPrint(
-        'NativeVideoStore: $statusCode on HLS fetch, refreshing with fresh '
-        'token (attempt ${_totalRefreshAttempts + 1}/${VideoTimingConstants.maxRefreshAttempts})',
+        'NativeVideoStore: player error'
+        '${statusCode != null ? ' (HTTP $statusCode)' : ''}'
+        '${errorMessage.isNotEmpty ? ' — $errorMessage' : ''}, '
+        'auto-refresh in ${delay.inMilliseconds}ms '
+        '(attempt $attempt/${VideoTimingConstants.maxRefreshAttempts})',
       );
-      _totalRefreshAttempts++;
-      _handleRefresh(userInitiated: false);
+      _totalRefreshAttempts = attempt;
+      _loading = true;
+      _error = null;
+      _initRetryTimer?.cancel();
+      final generation = _initGeneration;
+      if (delay == Duration.zero) {
+        _handleRefresh(userInitiated: false);
+      } else {
+        _initRetryTimer = Timer(delay, () {
+          if (_disposed || generation != _initGeneration) return;
+          // _handleRefresh parks behind _pendingRefreshOnResume when paused.
+          _handleRefresh(userInitiated: false);
+        });
+      }
       return;
     }
 
@@ -1310,9 +1329,22 @@ abstract class NativeVideoStoreBase
     if (_isInPipMode) return;
     _highLatencyCount = 0;
     updateStreamInfo(forceUpdate: true);
-    if (!_userPaused && !_initializing && _controller != null) {
-      _controller!.play();
+
+    if (_userPaused || _initializing) return;
+
+    // After screen-off / a network drop the native player is often in an
+    // error state (ExoPlayer "Source error"). play() alone cannot revive a
+    // dead session — refresh like the Reload button would.
+    if (_error != null ||
+        _pendingRefreshOnResume ||
+        _controller == null ||
+        !_controllerInitialized) {
+      _pendingRefreshOnResume = false;
+      unawaited(_handleRefresh(userInitiated: false));
+      return;
     }
+
+    _controller!.play();
   }
 
   @override

lib/screens/channel/video/playback_error_recovery.dart

@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+import 'package:frosty/screens/channel/video/video_timing_constants.dart';
+
+/// Whether [NativeVideoStore] should auto-refresh after a mid-stream player
+/// error instead of pinning the Reload overlay.
+///
+/// ExoPlayer's "Source error" (screen-off / network switch) arrives without a
+/// status code, so callers must not rely on 4xx alone. [mediaServicesWereReset]
+/// has its own dispose+rebuild path and is excluded here.
+bool shouldAutoRecoverFromPlayerError({
+  required bool refreshCapReached,
+  String? errorCode,
+}) {
+  if (refreshCapReached) return false;
+  if (errorCode == 'mediaServicesWereReset') return false;
+  return true;
+}
+
+/// Delay before an automatic refresh for [statusCode].
+///
+/// Token/CDN 4xx can refresh immediately; network/source failures get a short
+/// pause so the interface can come back after a switch or screen wake.
+Duration playerErrorRetryDelay({int? statusCode}) {
+  if (statusCode != null && statusCode >= 400 && statusCode < 500) {
+    return Duration.zero;
+  }
+  return VideoTimingConstants.initRetryDelay;
+}

test/screens/channel/video/playback_error_recovery_test.dart

@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+import 'package:flutter_test/flutter_test.dart';
+import 'package:frosty/screens/channel/video/playback_error_recovery.dart';
+import 'package:frosty/screens/channel/video/video_timing_constants.dart';
+
+void main() {
+  group('shouldAutoRecoverFromPlayerError', () {
+    test('recovers Source error / generic failures under the refresh cap', () {
+      expect(
+        shouldAutoRecoverFromPlayerError(refreshCapReached: false),
+        isTrue,
+      );
+      expect(
+        shouldAutoRecoverFromPlayerError(
+          refreshCapReached: false,
+          errorCode: null,
+        ),
+        isTrue,
+      );
+    });
+
+    test('stops once the refresh cap is reached', () {
+      expect(
+        shouldAutoRecoverFromPlayerError(refreshCapReached: true),
+        isFalse,
+      );
+    });
+
+    test('defers mediaServicesWereReset to its dedicated rebuild path', () {
+      expect(
+        shouldAutoRecoverFromPlayerError(
+          refreshCapReached: false,
+          errorCode: 'mediaServicesWereReset',
+        ),
+        isFalse,
+      );
+    });
+  });
+
+  group('playerErrorRetryDelay', () {
+    test('refreshes 4xx token failures immediately', () {
+      expect(playerErrorRetryDelay(statusCode: 403), Duration.zero);
+      expect(playerErrorRetryDelay(statusCode: 404), Duration.zero);
+    });
+
+    test('waits briefly for network / Source errors without status', () {
+      expect(
+        playerErrorRetryDelay(),
+        VideoTimingConstants.initRetryDelay,
+      );
+      expect(
+        playerErrorRetryDelay(statusCode: 500),
+        VideoTimingConstants.initRetryDelay,
+      );
+    });
+  });
+}