diff --git a/android/app/src/main/kotlin/com/meshcore/meshcore_open/MainActivity.kt b/android/app/src/main/kotlin/com/meshcore/meshcore_open/MainActivity.kt
index 9022c8b..27136ea 100644
--- a/android/app/src/main/kotlin/com/meshcore/meshcore_open/MainActivity.kt
+++ b/android/app/src/main/kotlin/com/meshcore/meshcore_open/MainActivity.kt
@@ -2,13 +2,32 @@ package com.meshcore.meshcore_open
 
 import io.flutter.embedding.android.FlutterActivity
 import io.flutter.embedding.engine.FlutterEngine
+import io.flutter.plugin.common.MethodChannel
 
 class MainActivity : FlutterActivity() {
     private val usbFunctions by lazy { MeshcoreUsbFunctions(this) }
 
+    private val appLifecycleChannelName = "meshcore_open/app_lifecycle"
+
     override fun configureFlutterEngine(flutterEngine: FlutterEngine) {
         super.configureFlutterEngine(flutterEngine)
         usbFunctions.configureFlutterEngine(flutterEngine)
+
+        MethodChannel(
+            flutterEngine.dartExecutor.binaryMessenger,
+            appLifecycleChannelName
+        ).setMethodCallHandler { call, result ->
+            when (call.method) {
+                // Send the task to the background WITHOUT finishing the
+                // activity. SystemNavigator.pop() calls finish(), which tears
+                // down the Flutter engine and drops the radio connection, so
+                // reopening the app lands on a disconnected radio.
+                "moveTaskToBack" -> {
+                    result.success(moveTaskToBack(true))
+                }
+                else -> result.notImplemented()
+            }
+        }
     }
 
     override fun onDestroy() {
diff --git a/lib/utils/app_backgrounder.dart b/lib/utils/app_backgrounder.dart
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2a01908
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/utils/app_backgrounder.dart
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+import 'package:flutter/services.dart';
+
+import 'platform_info.dart';
+
+/// Sends the app to the background without tearing it down.
+///
+/// `SystemNavigator.pop()` is NOT this: on Android it calls `finish()` on the
+/// activity, which destroys the Flutter engine and drops the radio connection,
+/// so reopening the app finds itself disconnected. `moveTaskToBack` leaves the
+/// activity alive and simply hands focus back to whatever was in front before.
+class AppBackgrounder {
+  static const MethodChannel _channel = MethodChannel(
+    'meshcore_open/app_lifecycle',
+  );
+
+  /// Returns true when the app was actually backgrounded.
+  ///
+  /// Android only. Desktop windows are closed by their own chrome and iOS
+  /// forbids programmatic backgrounding, so elsewhere this is a no-op and the
+  /// caller should leave the press unhandled rather than act on it.
+  static Future<bool> moveToBackground() async {
+    if (!PlatformInfo.isAndroid) return false;
+    try {
+      return await _channel.invokeMethod<bool>('moveTaskToBack') ?? false;
+    } on PlatformException catch (_) {
+      // Surface nothing to the user: the fallback is simply that back does
+      // nothing at the root, which is the pre-existing behaviour.
+      return false;
+    } on MissingPluginException catch (_) {
+      return false;
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/lib/widgets/app_shell.dart b/lib/widgets/app_shell.dart
index b95ba8d..d07c3ec 100644
--- a/lib/widgets/app_shell.dart
+++ b/lib/widgets/app_shell.dart
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
 import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
-import 'package:flutter/services.dart';
 import 'package:provider/provider.dart';
 
 import '../l10n/l10n.dart';
 import '../services/ui_view_state_service.dart';
+import '../utils/app_backgrounder.dart';
 import 'quick_switch_bar.dart';
 
 /// Shared shell for the primary views (Contacts / Channels / Map).
@@ -69,8 +69,8 @@ class _AppShellState extends State<AppShell> {
   /// System back, in priority order:
   ///   1. an open drawer closes,
   ///   2. on a detail screen, pop back to the list it came from,
-  ///   3. on a primary view, hand back to the OS so Android returns to the
-  ///      home screen or the previous app.
+  ///   3. on a primary view, send the app to the background so Android
+  ///      returns to the home screen or the previous app.
   ///
   /// Step 3 must NOT pop, even though the route below can be popped. The
   /// primary views sit on top of the scanner, so popping would dump a
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ class _AppShellState extends State<AppShell> {
   ///
   /// A primary view is one carrying the bottom bar; a detail screen (a channel
   /// chat) has no [selectedIndex] and is genuinely pushed.
-  void _handleBack() {
+  Future<void> _handleBack() async {
     final scaffold = _scaffoldKey.currentState;
     if (scaffold?.isDrawerOpen ?? false) {
       scaffold!.closeDrawer();
@@ -92,7 +92,11 @@ class _AppShellState extends State<AppShell> {
       navigator.pop();
       return;
     }
-    SystemNavigator.pop();
+
+    // Background, do NOT finish. SystemNavigator.pop() would call finish() on
+    // the activity, tearing down the Flutter engine and dropping the radio
+    // connection, so reopening the app would show a disconnected radio.
+    await AppBackgrounder.moveToBackground();
   }
 
   @override