diff --git a/android/app/src/main/java/com/remotedisplay/player/player/PlaylistController.kt b/android/app/src/main/java/com/remotedisplay/player/player/PlaylistController.kt
index 60b5dfc..353439c 100644
--- a/android/app/src/main/java/com/remotedisplay/player/player/PlaylistController.kt
+++ b/android/app/src/main/java/com/remotedisplay/player/player/PlaylistController.kt
@@ -84,8 +84,36 @@ class PlaylistController(
 
     val isPlaying: Boolean get() = isRunning && currentIndex >= 0
 
-    /** Video wall: true on followers (suppress auto-advance; leader drives the index). */
-    fun setWallFollower(b: Boolean) { wallFollower = b }
+    /**
+     * Enter/leave follower mode (video wall follower, or group sync). While it is ON no advance
+     * timer is ever armed — playCurrentItem() skips scheduleAdvance() and the wall/group tick owns
+     * the index instead.
+     *
+     * That makes BOTH edges stateful, and both were being ignored:
+     *  - leaving, the flag was cleared but nothing re-armed the timer for the item already on
+     *    screen, so the playlist sat on one frame forever (until the app restarted). Unchecking
+     *    "sync" on a group froze every member showing an image.
+     *  - entering, a timer armed by the previous playCurrentItem() stayed live and would fire a
+     *    next() that fights the tick for the index.
+     *
+     * Video is exempt on the way out: it advances from its completion callback, which onVideoComplete
+     * already gates on this same flag.
+     */
+    fun setWallFollower(b: Boolean) {
+        val was = wallFollower
+        wallFollower = b
+        if (was == b) return
+        if (b) { cancelAdvance(); return }
+        val item = currentItem ?: return
+        val delay = FollowerExit.resumeDelayMs(
+            isRunning = isRunning,
+            isImageOrWidget = item.mimeType.startsWith("image/") || item.isWidget,
+            slotMs = slotMs(item),
+            elapsedMs = System.currentTimeMillis() - itemStartedAt
+        ) ?: return
+        Log.i("PlaylistController", "follower mode off — resuming self-advance in ${delay}ms")
+        scheduleAdvance(delay)
+    }
 
     /** Current playlist index (-1 if nothing is playing). */
     fun getIndex(): Int = currentIndex
@@ -496,3 +524,26 @@ class PlaylistController(
         return out
     }
 }
+
+/**
+ * Pure decision for re-arming self-advance when follower mode (video wall / group sync) is turned
+ * off, extracted so it's unit-testable without a Handler or Android runtime — same seam pattern as
+ * TierLogic / ManagedLogic.
+ *
+ * Returns the delay to schedule, or null when nothing should be armed. The remaining slot is
+ * measured from when the item actually started, so leaving sync 8s into a 10s image advances in
+ * ~2s rather than restarting the full duration. A slot that already elapsed yields 0 and the
+ * caller's MIN_ADVANCE_MS backstop keeps it off a busy loop.
+ */
+object FollowerExit {
+    fun resumeDelayMs(
+        isRunning: Boolean,
+        isImageOrWidget: Boolean,
+        slotMs: Long,
+        elapsedMs: Long
+    ): Long? {
+        if (!isRunning) return null          // nothing is playing; playCurrentItem() will arm it
+        if (!isImageOrWidget) return null    // video advances from its completion callback
+        return (slotMs - elapsedMs).coerceAtLeast(0L)
+    }
+}
diff --git a/android/app/src/test/java/com/remotedisplay/player/player/FollowerExitTest.kt b/android/app/src/test/java/com/remotedisplay/player/player/FollowerExitTest.kt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e6b6726
--- /dev/null
+++ b/android/app/src/test/java/com/remotedisplay/player/player/FollowerExitTest.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+package com.remotedisplay.player.player
+
+import org.junit.Assert.assertEquals
+import org.junit.Assert.assertNull
+import org.junit.Test
+
+/**
+ * Leaving follower mode (video wall follower, or group sync) has to re-arm self-advance.
+ *
+ * While follower mode is on, playCurrentItem() never calls scheduleAdvance() — the wall/group tick
+ * owns the index. So clearing the flag is not enough: the item on screen has NOTHING scheduled to
+ * move it. Unchecking "sync" on a group left every member showing an image frozen on one frame
+ * until the app was restarted, which is exactly what a 30-frame sample of a real panel showed —
+ * one unique frame, indefinitely.
+ */
+class FollowerExitTest {
+
+    private val TEN_SEC = 10_000L
+
+    @Test fun THE_BUG_an_image_mid_slot_gets_the_remaining_time() {
+        // 8s into a 10s image: advance in ~2s, don't restart the whole slot.
+        assertEquals(2_000L, FollowerExit.resumeDelayMs(
+            isRunning = true, isImageOrWidget = true, slotMs = TEN_SEC, elapsedMs = 8_000L))
+    }
+
+    @Test fun THE_BUG_an_image_whose_slot_already_elapsed_advances_immediately() {
+        // The freeze case: sync held this item well past its duration. 0 is honest; the caller's
+        // MIN_ADVANCE_MS backstop keeps it off a busy loop.
+        assertEquals(0L, FollowerExit.resumeDelayMs(
+            isRunning = true, isImageOrWidget = true, slotMs = TEN_SEC, elapsedMs = 45_000L))
+    }
+
+    @Test fun a_freshly_started_image_gets_its_full_slot() {
+        assertEquals(TEN_SEC, FollowerExit.resumeDelayMs(
+            isRunning = true, isImageOrWidget = true, slotMs = TEN_SEC, elapsedMs = 0L))
+    }
+
+    @Test fun a_widget_is_time_driven_like_an_image() {
+        assertEquals(3_000L, FollowerExit.resumeDelayMs(
+            isRunning = true, isImageOrWidget = true, slotMs = TEN_SEC, elapsedMs = 7_000L))
+    }
+
+    @Test fun video_is_left_alone_because_it_advances_on_completion() {
+        // onVideoComplete() -> next() already handles this, and arming a timer would cut the clip.
+        assertNull(FollowerExit.resumeDelayMs(
+            isRunning = true, isImageOrWidget = false, slotMs = TEN_SEC, elapsedMs = 8_000L))
+    }
+
+    @Test fun nothing_is_armed_when_the_playlist_is_not_running() {
+        // playCurrentItem() will arm it when playback actually starts.
+        assertNull(FollowerExit.resumeDelayMs(
+            isRunning = false, isImageOrWidget = true, slotMs = TEN_SEC, elapsedMs = 1_000L))
+    }
+
+    @Test fun the_delay_is_never_negative() {
+        for (elapsed in listOf(10_001L, 60_000L, Long.MAX_VALUE / 2)) {
+            val d = FollowerExit.resumeDelayMs(true, true, TEN_SEC, elapsed)!!
+            assert(d >= 0L) { "delay must never be negative, got $d for elapsed=$elapsed" }
+        }
+    }
+}