diff --git a/app/src/main/java/de/jeanlucmakiola/clockula/domain/ring/MediaRingPolicy.kt b/app/src/main/java/de/jeanlucmakiola/clockula/domain/ring/MediaRingPolicy.kt
index 15955c6..6872131 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/de/jeanlucmakiola/clockula/domain/ring/MediaRingPolicy.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/de/jeanlucmakiola/clockula/domain/ring/MediaRingPolicy.kt
@@ -60,6 +60,17 @@ object MediaRingPolicy {
 
     fun shouldFallBack(stall: Stall): Boolean = stall.stopped >= STALL_GRACE || stall.notPlaying >= BUFFER_GRACE
 
+    /**
+     * Whether the app turned down the ring's play request, so the start can
+     * fall back now instead of waiting out [START_TIMEOUT]. YouTube without
+     * Premium does this at once. Only an error reported at or after
+     * [requestedAtMillis] counts: one left over from the user's own listening
+     * says nothing about this request. Both times are `elapsedRealtime`, which
+     * is what `PlaybackState` stamps its updates with.
+     */
+    fun refusedStart(isError: Boolean, updatedAtMillis: Long, requestedAtMillis: Long): Boolean =
+        isError && updatedAtMillis >= requestedAtMillis
+
     /**
      * The media-stream index a fully ramped ring plays at.
      *
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/de/jeanlucmakiola/clockula/ring/MediaAppRing.kt b/app/src/main/java/de/jeanlucmakiola/clockula/ring/MediaAppRing.kt
index 8dd18c9..6dd0afe 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/de/jeanlucmakiola/clockula/ring/MediaAppRing.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/de/jeanlucmakiola/clockula/ring/MediaAppRing.kt
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import android.media.AudioManager
 import android.media.browse.MediaBrowser
 import android.media.session.MediaController
 import android.media.session.PlaybackState
+import android.os.SystemClock
 import de.jeanlucmakiola.clockula.data.ringtones.connectMediaBrowser
 import de.jeanlucmakiola.clockula.domain.MediaSourceRef
 import de.jeanlucmakiola.clockula.domain.ring.MediaPlayback
@@ -86,6 +87,7 @@ internal class MediaAppRing(private val context: Context, private val ref: Media
             }
         }
         if (stopped) return false
+        val requestedAt = SystemClock.elapsedRealtime()
         runCatching {
             if (ref.mediaId != null) controls.playFromMediaId(ref.mediaId, null) else controls.play()
         }.onFailure { return false }
@@ -93,11 +95,23 @@ internal class MediaAppRing(private val context: Context, private val ref: Media
         return withTimeoutOrNull(MediaRingPolicy.START_TIMEOUT) {
             // Strictly PLAYING here: an app stuck buffering a stream it cannot
             // reach must not count as a ring that started.
-            while (!stopped && playbackState() != PlaybackState.STATE_PLAYING) delay(POLL_MILLIS)
+            while (!stopped && playbackState() != PlaybackState.STATE_PLAYING) {
+                if (connectionLost || refused(requestedAt)) return@withTimeoutOrNull false
+                delay(POLL_MILLIS)
+            }
             !stopped
         } ?: false
     }
 
+    private fun refused(requestedAt: Long): Boolean {
+        val state = runCatching { controller?.playbackState }.getOrNull() ?: return false
+        return MediaRingPolicy.refusedStart(
+            isError = state.state == PlaybackState.STATE_ERROR,
+            updatedAtMillis = state.lastPositionUpdateTime,
+            requestedAtMillis = requestedAt,
+        )
+    }
+
     fun playback(): MediaPlayback {
         if (connectionLost) return MediaPlayback.STOPPED
         return when (playbackState()) {
diff --git a/app/src/test/java/de/jeanlucmakiola/clockula/domain/ring/MediaRingPolicyTest.kt b/app/src/test/java/de/jeanlucmakiola/clockula/domain/ring/MediaRingPolicyTest.kt
index 379f4a9..39fce88 100644
--- a/app/src/test/java/de/jeanlucmakiola/clockula/domain/ring/MediaRingPolicyTest.kt
+++ b/app/src/test/java/de/jeanlucmakiola/clockula/domain/ring/MediaRingPolicyTest.kt
@@ -29,6 +29,16 @@ class MediaRingPolicyTest {
         assertThat(MediaRingPolicy.shouldFallBack(long)).isTrue()
     }
 
+    @Test
+    fun `an error after the play request ends the start, an older one does not`() {
+        val requestedAt = 10_000L
+
+        assertThat(MediaRingPolicy.refusedStart(isError = true, updatedAtMillis = 10_050L, requestedAtMillis = requestedAt)).isTrue()
+        assertThat(MediaRingPolicy.refusedStart(isError = true, updatedAtMillis = requestedAt, requestedAtMillis = requestedAt)).isTrue()
+        assertThat(MediaRingPolicy.refusedStart(isError = true, updatedAtMillis = 9_000L, requestedAtMillis = requestedAt)).isFalse()
+        assertThat(MediaRingPolicy.refusedStart(isError = false, updatedAtMillis = 10_050L, requestedAtMillis = requestedAt)).isFalse()
+    }
+
     @Test
     fun `buffering forever is a failure too`() {
         val brief = run(*repeat(MediaPlayback.TRANSITIONING, MediaRingPolicy.BUFFER_GRACE - tick))