diff --git a/clients/android/app/src/main/kotlin/io/unom/punktfunk/GamepadSettingsScreen.kt b/clients/android/app/src/main/kotlin/io/unom/punktfunk/GamepadSettingsScreen.kt
index 85a548fa..755a7992 100644
--- a/clients/android/app/src/main/kotlin/io/unom/punktfunk/GamepadSettingsScreen.kt
+++ b/clients/android/app/src/main/kotlin/io/unom/punktfunk/GamepadSettingsScreen.kt
@@ -327,7 +327,7 @@ private fun buildSettingsRows(s: Settings, update: (Settings) -> Unit): List<GpR
         ) { update(s.copy(hdrEnabled = it)) },
         toggle(
             "lowLatency", null, "Low-latency mode",
-            "Experimental — aggressive decoder and system tuning. Turn off if the stream stutters or glitches.",
+            "The fast pipeline (async decode + system tuning). On by default — turn off to fall back if the stream stutters or glitches.",
             s.lowLatencyMode,
         ) { update(s.copy(lowLatencyMode = it)) },
 
diff --git a/clients/android/app/src/main/kotlin/io/unom/punktfunk/Settings.kt b/clients/android/app/src/main/kotlin/io/unom/punktfunk/Settings.kt
index 0ba60a2d..8eb2645b 100644
--- a/clients/android/app/src/main/kotlin/io/unom/punktfunk/Settings.kt
+++ b/clients/android/app/src/main/kotlin/io/unom/punktfunk/Settings.kt
@@ -55,14 +55,18 @@ data class Settings(
      */
     val libraryEnabled: Boolean = true,
     /**
-     * "Low-latency mode (experimental)" — the master switch over the latency overhaul: decoder
-     * ranking + per-SoC vendor keys + the async decode loop (native), pipeline thread boosts + ADPF
-     * max-performance, game-tagged AAudio, DSCP marking on the media sockets, HDMI ALLM, and the
-     * forced TV mode switch. (The Wi-Fi locks are NOT part of this — both are always held while
-     * streaming; see StreamScreen.) Off (default): the original decode pipeline, kept as the
-     * known-good baseline until the aggressive stack is proven per-device.
+     * "Low-latency mode" — the master switch over the latency pipeline: the async decode loop
+     * (native; burst-feed + present-newest-per-vsync, the Apple client's discipline), decoder ranking
+     * + per-SoC vendor keys, pipeline thread boosts + ADPF max-performance, game-tagged AAudio, DSCP
+     * marking on the media sockets, HDMI ALLM, and the forced TV mode switch. (The Wi-Fi locks are NOT
+     * part of this — both are always held while streaming; see StreamScreen.) On (default): the fast
+     * pipeline. Off restores the original synchronous decode loop byte-for-byte, kept as a per-device
+     * escape hatch. Promoted to default once the receive-side latency ratchet the overhaul interacted
+     * badly with was fixed in the shared core — the pump now jumps to live on a standing backlog
+     * instead of accumulating it (see `punktfunk-core` `FrameChannel`), so the async loop no longer
+     * feeds a queue that only grows.
      */
-    val lowLatencyMode: Boolean = false,
+    val lowLatencyMode: Boolean = true,
     /**
      * Wake-on-LAN a saved host before connecting when it isn't currently seen on mDNS. On (default):
      * a connect to a host with a learned MAC that isn't advertising sends a magic packet and waits
@@ -100,7 +104,7 @@ class SettingsStore(context: Context) {
             ?: if (prefs.getBoolean(K_TRACKPAD, true)) TouchMode.TRACKPAD else TouchMode.POINTER,
         gamepadUiEnabled = prefs.getBoolean(K_GAMEPAD_UI, true),
         libraryEnabled = prefs.getBoolean(K_LIBRARY, true),
-        lowLatencyMode = prefs.getBoolean(K_LOW_LATENCY, false),
+        lowLatencyMode = prefs.getBoolean(K_LOW_LATENCY, true),
         autoWakeEnabled = prefs.getBoolean(K_AUTO_WAKE, true),
     )
 
@@ -142,12 +146,16 @@ class SettingsStore(context: Context) {
         const val K_LIBRARY = "library_enabled"
 
         /**
-         * Deliberately NOT the original `"low_latency_mode"` key: that one shipped default-ON, so
-         * any install that ever saved settings persisted `true` — under the old key, flipping the
-         * default to off would leave exactly the regressed devices stuck on the overhaul. The fresh
-         * key restarts everyone at the safe default; the stale one is abandoned unread.
+         * Bumped AGAIN to restart every install at the new default (ON). History: the original
+         * `"low_latency_mode"` shipped default-ON; `"low_latency_mode_experimental"` restarted
+         * everyone at OFF after the overhaul regressed on some phones. That regression was the
+         * receive-side latency ratchet the async loop fed (a standing queue that only grew) — now
+         * fixed in the shared core (`punktfunk-core` `FrameChannel`: the pump jumps to live on a
+         * standing backlog instead of accumulating it), so the fast pipeline is the default again. A
+         * fresh key re-defaults every install — including ones persisted OFF under the old key — to
+         * on; both stale keys are abandoned unread. The toggle stays as a per-device escape hatch.
          */
-        const val K_LOW_LATENCY = "low_latency_mode_experimental"
+        const val K_LOW_LATENCY = "low_latency_mode_v2"
         const val K_AUTO_WAKE = "auto_wake_enabled"
 
         /** Legacy Boolean the enum replaced — read once as the migration default, never written. */
diff --git a/clients/android/app/src/main/kotlin/io/unom/punktfunk/SettingsScreen.kt b/clients/android/app/src/main/kotlin/io/unom/punktfunk/SettingsScreen.kt
index d3dc731d..5ec81a7a 100644
--- a/clients/android/app/src/main/kotlin/io/unom/punktfunk/SettingsScreen.kt
+++ b/clients/android/app/src/main/kotlin/io/unom/punktfunk/SettingsScreen.kt
@@ -326,10 +326,10 @@ private fun DisplaySettings(s: Settings, update: (Settings) -> Unit, context: an
         ) { c -> update(s.copy(compositor = c)) }
 
         ToggleRow(
-            title = "Low-latency mode (experimental)",
-            subtitle = "Aggressive decoder and system tuning (per-device decoder selection, async " +
-                "decode, HDMI game mode). Can lower latency, but may stutter or glitch on " +
-                "some devices — turn off if the stream misbehaves.",
+            title = "Low-latency mode",
+            subtitle = "The fast pipeline (async decode, per-device decoder selection, HDMI game " +
+                "mode). On by default — turn off to fall back to the plain decode path if the stream " +
+                "stutters or glitches on this device.",
             checked = s.lowLatencyMode,
             onCheckedChange = { on -> update(s.copy(lowLatencyMode = on)) },
         )
diff --git a/clients/android/app/src/main/kotlin/io/unom/punktfunk/StreamScreen.kt b/clients/android/app/src/main/kotlin/io/unom/punktfunk/StreamScreen.kt
index fd91c1c8..381f9700 100644
--- a/clients/android/app/src/main/kotlin/io/unom/punktfunk/StreamScreen.kt
+++ b/clients/android/app/src/main/kotlin/io/unom/punktfunk/StreamScreen.kt
@@ -65,10 +65,10 @@ fun StreamScreen(handle: Long, micEnabled: Boolean, onDisconnect: () -> Unit) {
     var showStats by remember { mutableStateOf(initialSettings.statsHudEnabled) }
     // Touch model is fixed per session (re-keys the gesture handler below if it ever changes).
     val touchMode = initialSettings.touchMode
-    // "Low-latency mode (experimental)" master toggle, resolved once for the session. Off (the
-    // default) runs the original decode pipeline; on enables the aggressive stack — decoder
-    // ranking + vendor keys + async loop (native side), HDMI ALLM below, game-tagged audio, and
-    // DSCP marking (applied earlier, at connect).
+    // "Low-latency mode" master toggle, resolved once for the session. On (the default) enables the
+    // fast pipeline — decoder ranking + vendor keys + async loop (native side), HDMI ALLM below,
+    // game-tagged audio, and DSCP marking (applied earlier, at connect); off falls back to the
+    // original synchronous decode pipeline as a per-device escape hatch.
     val lowLatencyMode = initialSettings.lowLatencyMode
     // TV form factor (leanback): the decoder actively switches the HDMI output mode to the stream
     // refresh; a phone/tablet gets the softer seamless frame-rate hint instead.
diff --git a/clients/android/native/src/decode.rs b/clients/android/native/src/decode.rs
index fa053b85..2dbf3c24 100644
--- a/clients/android/native/src/decode.rs
+++ b/clients/android/native/src/decode.rs
@@ -39,8 +39,8 @@ const PENDING_SPLIT_CAP: usize = 256;
 /// Whether low-latency mode uses the event-driven async decode loop (default) or the synchronous
 /// poll loop. Flip to `false` to A/B the two on the HUD (`design/…`); the async loop presents a
 /// decoded frame the instant it's ready instead of waiting out a poll interval. Only consulted when
-/// the user's "Low-latency mode (experimental)" toggle is ON — off, the sync loop always runs (the
-/// original pipeline).
+/// the user's "Low-latency mode" toggle is ON (now the default) — off, the sync loop always runs (the
+/// original pipeline, kept as the per-device escape hatch).
 const USE_ASYNC_DECODE: bool = true;
 
 /// Per-session decode configuration, resolved by the JNI layer (`nativeStartVideo`) and passed to
@@ -52,10 +52,10 @@ pub(crate) struct DecodeOptions {
     /// Whether Kotlin found the chosen decoder advertises `FEATURE_LowLatency` (queryable only via
     /// the Java `CodecCapabilities` API) — surfaced on the HUD next to the decoder name.
     pub ll_feature: bool,
-    /// The user's "Low-latency mode (experimental)" master toggle. On ⇒ the full overhaul: async
+    /// The user's "Low-latency mode" master toggle. On (default) ⇒ the full fast pipeline: async
     /// decode loop, per-SoC vendor keys, pipeline thread boosts, ADPF max-performance, forced TV
-    /// mode switch. Off (default) ⇒ the original pre-overhaul pipeline, kept as the known-good
-    /// baseline while the overhaul is experimental.
+    /// mode switch. Off ⇒ the original synchronous pre-overhaul pipeline, kept as the per-device
+    /// escape hatch.
     pub low_latency_mode: bool,
     /// TV form factor (Kotlin's `UiModeManager`): actively drive the HDMI output into the stream's
     /// refresh mode, vs. the softer seamless hint on a phone/tablet.
@@ -409,10 +409,10 @@ fn create_codec(mime: &str, preferred: Option<&str>) -> Option<MediaCodec> {
 
 /// Apply the low-latency MediaFormat keys for `codec_name`.
 ///
-/// `aggressive` = the "Low-latency mode (experimental)" master toggle. **Off** (default) ⇒ the
-/// pre-overhaul key set, byte-for-byte — the standard `low-latency` key, the blind Qualcomm vendor
-/// twin, `priority = 0` AND `operating-rate = MAX` set together — kept as the known-good baseline
-/// (the profile every device streamed with before the overhaul). **On** ⇒ the Moonlight-parity
+/// `aggressive` = the "Low-latency mode" master toggle. **Off** ⇒ the pre-overhaul key set,
+/// byte-for-byte — the standard `low-latency` key, the blind Qualcomm vendor twin, `priority = 0` AND
+/// `operating-rate = MAX` set together — kept as the per-device escape hatch (the profile every device
+/// streamed with before the overhaul). **On** (default) ⇒ the Moonlight-parity
 /// profile: MediaTek's `vdec-lowlatency` (unconditionally — ignored off MediaTek), the per-SoC
 /// vendor extension keys (gated on the decoder-name prefix the way Moonlight-Android does, since a
 /// key one vendor honours is meaningless on another), and one *mutually exclusive* clock hint.