diff --git a/server/player/index.html b/server/player/index.html
index 1ddc37b..398866d 100644
--- a/server/player/index.html
+++ b/server/player/index.html
@@ -190,13 +190,11 @@
         playCurrentItem();
       }
 
-      // If audio was previously unlocked (user tapped in a prior session), skip the overlay
-      if (userHasInteracted) {
-        console.log('Audio previously unlocked, skipping tap overlay');
-        unlockAudio();
-        connect(config.serverUrl);
-      } else {
-        // Show tap-to-start overlay to unlock audio on auto-reconnect
+      // Always show the tap overlay on cold load. Browser autoplay policy is
+      // per-document — a localStorage flag from a prior session does not grant
+      // audio autoplay to a fresh page. The overlay auto-dismisses after 5s and
+      // connects muted, so unattended kiosks still recover without a human tap.
+      {
         const tapOverlay = document.createElement('div');
         tapOverlay.style.cssText = 'position:fixed;inset:0;background:#111827;z-index:2000;display:flex;flex-direction:column;align-items:center;justify-content:center;cursor:pointer';
         tapOverlay.innerHTML = `