diff --git a/android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml b/android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml
index 40bb1b3..14ccd36 100644
--- a/android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml
+++ b/android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml
@@ -35,6 +35,14 @@
                 <category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
             </intent-filter>
         </activity>
+        <activity
+            android:name=".widget.StartRecordingActivity"
+            android:exported="false"
+            android:excludeFromRecents="true"
+            android:noHistory="true"
+            android:taskAffinity=""
+            android:launchMode="singleInstance"
+            android:theme="@android:style/Theme.Translucent.NoTitleBar" />
         <service
             android:name=".recording.RecordingService"
             android:exported="false"
diff --git a/android/app/src/main/java/com/shonar/widget/StartRecordingActivity.kt b/android/app/src/main/java/com/shonar/widget/StartRecordingActivity.kt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a019ca5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/android/app/src/main/java/com/shonar/widget/StartRecordingActivity.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+package com.shonar.widget
+
+import android.app.Activity
+import android.content.Intent
+import android.os.Bundle
+import com.shonar.MainActivity
+import com.shonar.recording.RecordingPermissionHelper
+import com.shonar.recording.RecordingService
+
+/**
+ * Invisible trampoline for the widget tap. A widget broadcast into a cold
+ * process is subject to battery-optimization throttling (the tap could sit
+ * ~10s before the service woke up). An activity start is exempt: the
+ * process gets full priority and startForegroundService from an activity
+ * context always satisfies Android 12+ FGS-start rules.
+ *
+ * Forwards to RecordingService.START (or MainActivity when the mic
+ * permission is missing) and finishes before the first frame draws, so
+ * there is no visible flash.
+ */
+class StartRecordingActivity : Activity() {
+
+    override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
+        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
+        if (!RecordingPermissionHelper.hasRecordAudio(this)) {
+            startActivity(
+                Intent(this, MainActivity::class.java)
+                    .addFlags(Intent.FLAG_ACTIVITY_NEW_TASK)
+                    .setAction(RecordingService.ACTION_START),
+            )
+        } else {
+            RecordingService.command(this, RecordingService.ACTION_START)
+        }
+        ShonarWidgetUpdater.refresh(this)
+        finish()
+    }
+}