diff --git a/swiftchan/Views/Media/Gallery/GalleryView.swift b/swiftchan/Views/Media/Gallery/GalleryView.swift
index 18d98b7..53e49bb 100644
--- a/swiftchan/Views/Media/Gallery/GalleryView.swift
+++ b/swiftchan/Views/Media/Gallery/GalleryView.swift
@@ -68,8 +68,9 @@ struct GalleryView: View {
             .onChange(of: state.galleryIndex) { _, newValue in
                 guard selection != newValue,
                       viewModel.media.indices.contains(newValue) else { return }
+                // Only move the pager here. Activation (and video playback) is
+                // driven by onPageChanged, which fires when the transition ends.
                 selection = newValue
-                updateActiveMedia(to: newValue)
             }
             .onChange(of: viewModel.media) { _, newMedia in
                 guard newMedia.indices.contains(selection) else {
diff --git a/swiftchan/Views/Media/Gallery/VerticalPagerView.swift b/swiftchan/Views/Media/Gallery/VerticalPagerView.swift
index 5f5268f..202131f 100644
--- a/swiftchan/Views/Media/Gallery/VerticalPagerView.swift
+++ b/swiftchan/Views/Media/Gallery/VerticalPagerView.swift
@@ -50,10 +50,15 @@ struct VerticalPagerView<Content: View>: UIViewControllerRepresentable {
               let target = context.coordinator.controller(for: clampedSelection) else { return }
 
         let direction: UIPageViewController.NavigationDirection = clampedSelection >= context.coordinator.currentIndex ? .forward : .reverse
+        let animated = abs(clampedSelection - context.coordinator.currentIndex) == 1
         context.coordinator.isSettingViewController = true
-        uiViewController.setViewControllers([target], direction: direction, animated: abs(clampedSelection - context.coordinator.currentIndex) == 1) { _ in
+        uiViewController.setViewControllers([target], direction: direction, animated: animated) { _ in
             context.coordinator.isSettingViewController = false
             context.coordinator.currentIndex = clampedSelection
+            // Report the change only once the programmatic transition has fully
+            // ended, so media activation (and therefore video playback) never
+            // begins mid-animation.
+            context.coordinator.notifyPageChanged(clampedSelection)
         }
     }
 }
@@ -72,6 +77,10 @@ extension VerticalPagerView {
             super.init()
         }
 
+        func notifyPageChanged(_ index: Int) {
+            parent.onPageChanged?(index)
+        }
+
         func update(parent: VerticalPagerView, controller: UIPageViewController) {
             self.parent = parent
             self.pageViewController = controller
diff --git a/swiftchan/Views/Media/Video/VideoContainerView.swift b/swiftchan/Views/Media/Video/VideoContainerView.swift
index b375c2f..e836c1e 100644
--- a/swiftchan/Views/Media/Video/VideoContainerView.swift
+++ b/swiftchan/Views/Media/Video/VideoContainerView.swift
@@ -36,11 +36,18 @@ struct VideoContainerView: View {
 
     var body: some View {
         ZStack {
-            if let fileURL {
+            // Only build the player once this page is the settled, active one.
+            // KSPlayerLayer autoplays on construction (KSOptions.isAutoPlay), and
+            // UIPageViewController instantiates the adjacent page as soon as the
+            // drag begins — constructing eagerly leaks the next video's audio
+            // mid-swipe. Gating on isSelected (set in didFinishAnimating) means no
+            // player exists until the page transition has fully ended.
+            if let fileURL, isSelected {
                 KSVideoPlayer(coordinator: coordinator, url: fileURL, options: ksOptions())
                     .onStateChanged { playerLayer, state in
                         // Defer state updates to avoid "Publishing changes from within view updates"
                         DispatchQueue.main.async {
+                            debugPrint("🎬 state=\(state) selected=\(isSelected) \(url.lastPathComponent)")
                             switch state {
                             case .readyToPlay:
                                 // Guard against resurrecting an orphaned player: this block can
@@ -102,18 +109,12 @@ struct VideoContainerView: View {
             await loadVideo()
         }
         .onChange(of: isSelected) { _, selected in
+            debugPrint("🎬 isSelected=\(selected) \(url.lastPathComponent)")
             if !selected {
+                // Tearing down the KSVideoPlayer above dismantles the layer, but
+                // pause first so audio stops on the same runloop tick as the swipe.
                 coordinator.playerLayer?.pause()
                 isPlaying = false
-            } else if fileURL != nil {
-                // Debounce play to avoid triggering during drag
-                Task {
-                    try? await Task.sleep(nanoseconds: 100_000_000) // 100ms
-                    if isSelected, lifecycle.isActive {
-                        coordinator.playerLayer?.play()
-                        isPlaying = true
-                    }
-                }
             }
         }
         .onAppear {