diff --git a/app/src/main/kotlin/io/flamenet/messenger/app/MessengerViewModel.kt b/app/src/main/kotlin/io/flamenet/messenger/app/MessengerViewModel.kt
index b7c640e..51471a9 100644
--- a/app/src/main/kotlin/io/flamenet/messenger/app/MessengerViewModel.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/kotlin/io/flamenet/messenger/app/MessengerViewModel.kt
@@ -945,19 +945,32 @@ class MessengerViewModel(app: Application) : AndroidViewModel(app) {
      */
     fun startRecording() {
         if (recording != null) return
-        val started = runCatching { VoiceNote.start(getApplication<Application>().cacheDir) }
-        started.onFailure { failure ->
-            update { it.copy(error = "Could not start recording: ${failure.message}") }
-            return
-        }
-        recording = started.getOrNull()
-        // A visible timer, because a recorder with no feedback is one people
-        // talk into after it has already stopped.
-        recordingTicker = viewModelScope.launch {
-            while (recording != null) {
-                val seconds = recording?.elapsedSeconds
-                update { it.copy(openChat = it.openChat?.copy(recordingSeconds = seconds)) }
-                kotlinx.coroutines.delay(200)
+        viewModelScope.launch {
+            // 🔴 **Off the main thread.** `MediaRecorder.prepare()` and
+            // `start()` acquire the microphone, and acquiring hardware blocks —
+            // on a device whose audio route is busy that is the UI thread
+            // stalled for as long as it takes. `stopAndSendRecording` below
+            // already went through Dispatchers.IO for exactly this reason;
+            // starting did not, and starting is the half that has to wait for
+            // the route to come up. The iOS recorder had the same bug and
+            // froze its main thread for SIXTY SECONDS on a simulator.
+            val started = withContext(Dispatchers.IO) {
+                runCatching { VoiceNote.start(getApplication<Application>().cacheDir) }
+            }
+            val begun = started.getOrElse { failure ->
+                update { it.copy(error = "Could not start recording: ${failure.message}") }
+                return@launch
+            }
+            recording = begun
+
+            // A visible timer, because a recorder with no feedback is one
+            // people talk into after it has already stopped.
+            recordingTicker = viewModelScope.launch {
+                while (recording != null) {
+                    val seconds = recording?.elapsedSeconds
+                    update { it.copy(openChat = it.openChat?.copy(recordingSeconds = seconds)) }
+                    kotlinx.coroutines.delay(200)
+                }
             }
         }
     }
@@ -966,9 +979,16 @@ class MessengerViewModel(app: Application) : AndroidViewModel(app) {
     fun cancelRecording() {
         recordingTicker?.cancel()
         recordingTicker = null
-        recording?.cancel()
+        // ⚠️ Releasing the recorder blocks too, so it goes the same way as
+        // starting and stopping. The UI state is cleared immediately — the
+        // user pressed Cancel and should not watch a bar linger while the
+        // hardware is handed back.
+        val discarded = recording
         recording = null
         update { it.copy(openChat = it.openChat?.copy(recordingSeconds = null)) }
+        if (discarded != null) {
+            viewModelScope.launch { withContext(Dispatchers.IO) { discarded.cancel() } }
+        }
     }
 
     /**