diff --git a/static/app.js b/static/app.js
index ebe21c4..4edcaca 100644
--- a/static/app.js
+++ b/static/app.js
@@ -822,23 +822,23 @@ async function play(ep_id, ep_no) {
       if (currentEp && !playerBroken && !v.ended) playerOverlay("Buffering\u2026");
     });
     v.addEventListener("ended", onEnded);
-    // NotAllowedError = the browser blocked autoplay: 'playing' will never
-    // fire, so the Loading… overlay (which only clears on 'playing') would
-    // sit forever over the unreachable native controls. Other rejection
-    // reasons (AbortError when the stream has no data yet, …) belong to the
-    // hls.js fatal-error path — leave its overlay alone.
-    v.play().catch(err => {
-      if (!err || err.name !== "NotAllowedError") return;
-      // Not fatal: a tap (a real gesture) usually starts playback. If the
-      // browser rejects even that (autoplay disallowed for the site, …),
-      // stay on the tappable overlay and say what to change — retrying
-      // play() would just hit the same wall
-      const tap = () => v.play().catch(() => blocked());
-      const blocked = () => playerOverlay(
-        "Browser blocked playback. Tap Play, or allow autoplay for this " +
-        "site in the browser's site settings", tap, "Play");
-      blocked();
+    // ponytail: play() before first data can reject with NotAllowedError in
+    // Chrome — the same error a real autoplay block produces — so it used to
+    // show a scary "browser blocked" overlay on every initial play. Wait for
+    // first data (canplay; hls.js's recommended pattern), THEN play(). A
+    // NotAllowedError at that point is a genuine policy block (common on
+    // phones) — offer a simple tap-to-play; escalate to the settings hint
+    // only if the tap itself is rejected. 'playing' still clears the
+    // Loading… overlay either way.
+    const tap = () => v.play().catch(() => blocked(true));
+    const blocked = (again) => playerOverlay(
+      again ? "Playback still blocked — allow autoplay for this site in " +
+              "the browser's site settings" : "Tap to play", tap, "\u25b6 Play");
+    const doPlay = () => v.play().catch(err => {
+      if (err && err.name === "NotAllowedError") blocked(false);
     });
+    if (v.readyState >= 2) doPlay();
+    else v.addEventListener("canplay", doPlay, {once: true});
     watchPos(v);
     setupIntro(v, ep_no);
     postHistory({...meta(v), title: detail.name, slug_id: detail.slug_id, season_id: seasonId,