diff --git a/apps/fxblox-web/src/components/setup/WalletSigner.tsx b/apps/fxblox-web/src/components/setup/WalletSigner.tsx
index 9e5e101..b3a0001 100644
--- a/apps/fxblox-web/src/components/setup/WalletSigner.tsx
+++ b/apps/fxblox-web/src/components/setup/WalletSigner.tsx
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ import { useCallback, useEffect, useRef, useState } from 'react';
 import { useTranslation } from 'react-i18next';
 import { FxBox, FxButton, FxSpinner, FxText } from '@functionland/fx-ui';
 import { useColorMode } from '@/stores/useSettingsStore';
-import { setAppKitTheme } from '@/wallet/appkit';
+import { getAppKit, setAppKitTheme } from '@/wallet/appkit';
 import { signChainCode } from '@/wallet/signChainCode';
 import { connectedWalletLink } from '@/wallet/walletLink';
 import {
@@ -145,7 +145,23 @@ export default function WalletSigner({
   // Coming back from the wallet lands on a socket Android killed while we were backgrounded. Reconnect it now
   // rather than waiting out the library's backoff, which is the several seconds of "connecting" a user sees
   // after they have already approved.
-  useRelayWake(wallet.provider);
+  //
+  // `wallet.provider` is only set once a session EXISTS (`ProviderController.setProvider` runs on connect), so
+  // for the connect round-trip itself — the first, and the one every user makes — it is undefined and the wake
+  // had nothing to act on. The socket that the approval has to arrive over lives on AppKit's UniversalProvider,
+  // which exists from the moment the chooser opens; ask AppKit for it directly.
+  const [universalProvider, setUniversalProvider] = useState<unknown>(undefined);
+  useEffect(() => {
+    let alive = true;
+    void getAppKit()
+      ?.getUniversalProvider()
+      .then((p) => alive && setUniversalProvider(p))
+      .catch(() => undefined);
+    return () => {
+      alive = false;
+    };
+  }, []);
+  useRelayWake(wallet.provider ?? universalProvider);
 
   // The parent swaps the password field for a spinner while we are busy. `readyToSign` is NOT busy — the user
   // has to see the button to press it — so it deliberately does not count.
diff --git a/apps/fxblox-web/src/i18n/locales/en/setup.json b/apps/fxblox-web/src/i18n/locales/en/setup.json
index 49fa9a3..95e1eb7 100644
--- a/apps/fxblox-web/src/i18n/locales/en/setup.json
+++ b/apps/fxblox-web/src/i18n/locales/en/setup.json
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@
       "signaturePortalHint": "Sign at fxblox.fx.land, then paste the signature below together with the wallet address you signed with.",
       "walletConnectedTapSign": "Wallet connected. Tap below to approve the signature — this opens your wallet again.",
       "approveInWallet": "Approve the request in your wallet…",
-      "walletStuckHint": "Wallet opened but stuck on its splash screen? Close it completely from your recent apps, then tap Open wallet to approve again. That is the only thing that clears it — tapping again without closing the wallet first will not. Your request stays valid, so nothing is lost.",
+      "walletStuckHint": "Wallet opened but stuck on its splash screen? Close it completely from your recent apps, then tap Open wallet to approve again — tapping without closing it first will not help. Your request stays valid. If this happens every time, Android is restricting the wallet in the background: set MetaMask and your browser to Unrestricted under Settings → Apps → (app) → Battery, and it stops.",
       "openWalletToApprove": "Open wallet to approve"
     },
     "connectToBlox": {
diff --git a/apps/fxblox-web/src/i18n/locales/zh/setup.json b/apps/fxblox-web/src/i18n/locales/zh/setup.json
index 087efd0..8cc7368 100644
--- a/apps/fxblox-web/src/i18n/locales/zh/setup.json
+++ b/apps/fxblox-web/src/i18n/locales/zh/setup.json
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@
       "signaturePortalHint": "请在 fxblox.fx.land 完成签名，然后将签名与用于签名的钱包地址一起粘贴到下方。",
       "walletConnectedTapSign": "钱包已连接。点击下方按钮进行签名 — 这会再次打开您的钱包。",
       "approveInWallet": "请在您的钱包中确认此请求…",
-      "walletStuckHint": "钱包已打开但停在启动画面？请从最近任务中彻底关闭钱包，然后再次点击“打开钱包进行签名”。只有这样才能解决 — 不先关闭钱包而直接再次点击是没有用的。您的签名请求仍然有效，不会丢失。",
+      "walletStuckHint": "钱包已打开但停在启动画面？请从最近任务中彻底关闭钱包，然后再次点击“打开钱包进行签名” — 不先关闭钱包而直接再次点击是没有用的。您的签名请求仍然有效。如果每次都这样，说明 Android 正在后台限制钱包：请在 设置 → 应用 → （应用）→ 电池 中，将 MetaMask 和您的浏览器设为“不受限制”，问题即可消除。",
       "openWalletToApprove": "打开钱包进行签名"
     },
     "connectToBlox": {
diff --git a/apps/fxblox-web/src/screens/InitialSetup/__tests__/LinkPassword.test.tsx b/apps/fxblox-web/src/screens/InitialSetup/__tests__/LinkPassword.test.tsx
index a0bfaab..019386f 100644
--- a/apps/fxblox-web/src/screens/InitialSetup/__tests__/LinkPassword.test.tsx
+++ b/apps/fxblox-web/src/screens/InitialSetup/__tests__/LinkPassword.test.tsx
@@ -20,6 +20,8 @@ const wallet = vi.hoisted(() => ({
     initAppKit: vi.fn(),
     setAppKitTheme: vi.fn(),
     disconnectWallet: vi.fn(async () => undefined),
+    // No AppKit instance in these tests: the relay wake falls back to `wallet.provider`, as it did before.
+    getAppKit: vi.fn(() => null),
   },
 }));
 
diff --git a/apps/fxblox-web/src/wallet/__tests__/relayWake.test.ts b/apps/fxblox-web/src/wallet/__tests__/relayWake.test.ts
index 5f01147..531194a 100644
--- a/apps/fxblox-web/src/wallet/__tests__/relayWake.test.ts
+++ b/apps/fxblox-web/src/wallet/__tests__/relayWake.test.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { renderHook } from '@testing-library/react';
 import { afterEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest';
-import { useRelayWake, wakeRelay, WAKE_TIMEOUT_MS } from '../relayWake';
+import { BACKGROUND_STINT_MS, useRelayWake, wakeRelay, WAKE_TIMEOUT_MS } from '../relayWake';
 
 interface RelayerState {
   connected?: boolean;
@@ -54,9 +54,40 @@ describe('wakeRelay', () => {
   });
 
   it('leaves a live socket alone', async () => {
-    const { provider, transportOpen } = providerWithRelayer({ connected: true });
+    const { provider, transportOpen, restartTransport } = providerWithRelayer({ connected: true });
     await wakeRelay(provider);
     expect(transportOpen).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(restartTransport).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it('does not believe "connected" after a background stint, and restarts the socket outright', async () => {
+    // `relayer.connected` is `socket.readyState === OPEN`, and Android suspends the TCP connection underneath
+    // a socket without telling it. Nothing in the library probes a browser socket, so a tab that comes back
+    // and trusts OPEN sits there while the wallet's approval waits on the relay — the "Connecting Wallet…"
+    // the user watches after they already approved. Restart, and let the resubscribe fetch what was queued.
+    const { provider, transportOpen, restartTransport } = providerWithRelayer({ connected: true });
+    await wakeRelay(provider, { afterBackground: true });
+    expect(restartTransport).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(transportOpen).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it('after a background stint, a socket that is honestly down takes the normal path', async () => {
+    const { provider, transportOpen, restartTransport } = providerWithRelayer({ opensSuccessfully: true });
+    await wakeRelay(provider, { afterBackground: true });
+    expect(transportOpen).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(restartTransport).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it('after a background stint, a relayer without restartTransport is left alone rather than broken', async () => {
+    const { provider, transportOpen } = providerWithRelayer({ connected: true, withRestart: false });
+    await expect(wakeRelay(provider, { afterBackground: true })).resolves.toBeUndefined();
+    expect(transportOpen).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it('a restart that fails after a background stint is swallowed too', async () => {
+    const { provider, restartTransport } = providerWithRelayer({ connected: true });
+    restartTransport.mockRejectedValueOnce(new Error('relay unreachable'));
+    await expect(wakeRelay(provider, { afterBackground: true })).resolves.toBeUndefined();
   });
 
   it('still wakes when the relayer claims to be connecting', async () => {
@@ -124,6 +155,43 @@ describe('useRelayWake', () => {
     expect(transportOpen).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
   });
 
+  it('restarts a socket that claims to be open when the tab was away long enough to have been in a wallet', () => {
+    vi.useFakeTimers();
+    const { provider, restartTransport, transportOpen } = providerWithRelayer({ connected: true });
+    renderHook(() => useRelayWake(provider));
+
+    setVisibility('hidden');
+    document.dispatchEvent(new Event('visibilitychange'));
+    vi.advanceTimersByTime(BACKGROUND_STINT_MS + 500);
+    setVisibility('visible');
+    document.dispatchEvent(new Event('visibilitychange'));
+
+    expect(restartTransport).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(transportOpen).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it('leaves an open socket alone after a mere flick between tabs', () => {
+    // A desktop socket was never suspended; restarting it on every tab switch would be a reconnect for nothing.
+    vi.useFakeTimers();
+    const { provider, restartTransport } = providerWithRelayer({ connected: true });
+    renderHook(() => useRelayWake(provider));
+
+    setVisibility('hidden');
+    document.dispatchEvent(new Event('visibilitychange'));
+    vi.advanceTimersByTime(BACKGROUND_STINT_MS - 200);
+    setVisibility('visible');
+    document.dispatchEvent(new Event('visibilitychange'));
+
+    expect(restartTransport).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it('a visible event with no preceding hidden is not treated as a return from the background', () => {
+    const { provider, restartTransport } = providerWithRelayer({ connected: true });
+    renderHook(() => useRelayWake(provider));
+    document.dispatchEvent(new Event('visibilitychange'));
+    expect(restartTransport).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
   it('uses the current provider, not the one it mounted with', () => {
     // The provider arrives after the wallet connects, which is later than this hook mounts.
     const first = providerWithRelayer();
diff --git a/apps/fxblox-web/src/wallet/relayWake.ts b/apps/fxblox-web/src/wallet/relayWake.ts
index 49887d2..077a32c 100644
--- a/apps/fxblox-web/src/wallet/relayWake.ts
+++ b/apps/fxblox-web/src/wallet/relayWake.ts
@@ -44,6 +44,27 @@
  * session that will never reconnect on its own. `restartTransport()` already sequences the same teardown
  * correctly (`confirmOnlineStateOrThrow` → `resetTransport` → `transportOpen`), and `connect()` clears the
  * flag on the way in. Use the library's version.
+ *
+ * ## Why "connected" is not believed after a background stint
+ *
+ * All of the above only ever ran when `relayer.connected` was false. It usually is not. From the same bundle:
+ *
+ *     get connected(){ return this.provider?.connection?.socket?.readyState === 1 || false }
+ *
+ * That is the WebSocket's own `readyState`, and Android suspends the TCP connection UNDERNEATH a socket
+ * without telling it. The socket keeps reporting OPEN — while the wallet's approval sits on the relay, waiting
+ * for a client that believes it needs nothing. Nothing in the library catches this from a browser: the
+ * ping-based liveness check (`startPingTimeout`) is gated on `isNode()`, because browser WebSockets expose no
+ * ping frames, and the heartbeat's own reconnect fires only on `!this.connected`. So the first thing to notice
+ * is Chrome's TCP stack, eventually, which is the several seconds of "Connecting Wallet…" a user watches
+ * after they have already approved.
+ *
+ * So when the tab comes back from a real stint in the background, `readyState` is not asked. The transport
+ * is restarted outright. `restartTransport()` tears the socket down, dials again, re-subscribes every topic,
+ * and its subscriber then calls `batchFetchMessages` — which is precisely the fetch of whatever the wallet
+ * published while we were dead. A socket that was in fact healthy pays one reconnect, well under a second on
+ * a working network; a socket that was not pays nothing more than it already owed. A tab hidden for less than
+ * `BACKGROUND_STINT_MS` is a flick between tabs, not a trip to a wallet, and is left alone.
  */
 import { useEffect, useRef } from 'react';
 
@@ -56,6 +77,22 @@ import { useEffect, useRef } from 'react';
  */
 export const WAKE_TIMEOUT_MS = 2500;
 
+/**
+ * How long the tab has to have been hidden before its socket is presumed dead on return.
+ *
+ * A trip to a wallet app and back is never shorter than this. A tab switch on a desktop routinely is, and a
+ * desktop socket was never suspended, so restarting it there would be a reconnect for nothing.
+ */
+export const BACKGROUND_STINT_MS = 1000;
+
+export interface WakeRelayOptions {
+  /**
+   * The tab is back from a real stint in the background. `relayer.connected` is then not trusted — see the
+   * file header — and a socket that claims to be open is restarted anyway.
+   */
+  afterBackground?: boolean;
+}
+
 interface RelayerLike {
   /** True only when the underlying socket's readyState is OPEN. */
   connected: boolean;
@@ -96,22 +133,44 @@ const settleAfter = (ms: number): Promise<void> =>
  * has no relay). Never rejects: a relay that cannot be reached is not something the caller can act on, and the
  * next real request reports it properly, with the context of what the user was trying to do.
  */
-export async function wakeRelay(provider: unknown): Promise<void> {
+export async function wakeRelay(provider: unknown, opts: WakeRelayOptions = {}): Promise<void> {
   const relayer = relayerFrom(provider);
-  if (!relayer || relayer.connected) return;
+  if (!relayer) return;
+  if (relayer.connected) {
+    // `readyState === OPEN` is the socket's opinion, and after a background stint it is not worth having —
+    // Android suspends the connection underneath it without a word. Restart rather than wait for Chrome's
+    // TCP stack to find out (file header). Off the background path a live socket is left alone as before.
+    if (!opts.afterBackground || typeof relayer.restartTransport !== 'function') return;
+    console.log('[relay] back from the background — restarting a socket that claims to be open');
+    await relayer.restartTransport().catch(() => undefined);
+    return;
+  }
   // Bounded, because this call awaits any in-flight attempt — including one Android froze (see header).
   await Promise.race([relayer.transportOpen().catch(() => undefined), settleAfter(WAKE_TIMEOUT_MS)]);
   if (relayer.connected || typeof relayer.restartTransport !== 'function') return;
   await relayer.restartTransport().catch(() => undefined);
 }
 
-/** Wake the socket every time this tab becomes visible again, for as long as the component is mounted. */
+/**
+ * Wake the socket every time this tab becomes visible again, for as long as the component is mounted.
+ *
+ * Remembers when the tab went hidden, so the return can tell a trip to the wallet (socket presumed dead,
+ * restart it) from a flick between tabs (leave a working socket alone).
+ */
 export function useRelayWake(provider: unknown): void {
   const latest = useRef(provider);
   latest.current = provider;
   useEffect(() => {
+    let hiddenAt: number | null = null;
     const onVisibilityChange = () => {
-      if (document.visibilityState === 'visible') void wakeRelay(latest.current);
+      if (document.visibilityState === 'hidden') {
+        hiddenAt = Date.now();
+        return;
+      }
+      if (document.visibilityState !== 'visible') return;
+      const afterBackground = hiddenAt !== null && Date.now() - hiddenAt >= BACKGROUND_STINT_MS;
+      hiddenAt = null;
+      void wakeRelay(latest.current, { afterBackground });
     };
     document.addEventListener('visibilitychange', onVisibilityChange);
     return () => document.removeEventListener('visibilitychange', onVisibilityChange);