fix(backend): allow backend switch

android/src/main/java/dev/zoriya/omni/OmniPlayer.kt

@@ -168,18 +168,25 @@ class OmniPlayer(
         }
     }
 
-    override fun dispose() {
-        showNotification = false
-        super.dispose()
+    @Volatile
+    private var released = false
 
-        eventMap.dispose()
+    override fun release() {
+        if (released) return
+        released = true
+        showNotification = false
         runOnMainThread {
+            eventMap.dispose()
             castContext?.removeCastStateListener(castStateListener)
-            // release both cast and local players.
             player.release()
         }
     }
 
+    override fun dispose() {
+        release()
+        super.dispose()
+    }
+
     private fun buildMediaItem(
         src: com.margelo.nitro.omni.VideoSrc,
         metadata: com.margelo.nitro.omni.Metadata?,

android/src/main/java/dev/zoriya/omni/VlcPlayer.kt

@@ -99,6 +99,8 @@ class VlcPlayer(ctx: Context) :
     private var currentTrackSelectionParameters = TrackSelectionParameters.Builder().build()
     @Volatile
     private var playerError: PlaybackException? = null
+    @Volatile
+    private var released = false
     private var playlistMetadata: MediaMetadata = MediaMetadata.EMPTY
     private var userInitiatedTransition: Boolean = false
     @Volatile
@@ -353,6 +355,7 @@ class VlcPlayer(ctx: Context) :
                 media.addOption(":start-time=${targetMs / 1000.0}")
 
                 player.setMedia(media)
+                media.release()
             }
         }
 
@@ -430,7 +433,7 @@ class VlcPlayer(ctx: Context) :
         when {
             playerError != null -> STATE_IDLE
             currentMediaItemIndex == INDEX_UNSET -> STATE_IDLE
-            player.media == null -> STATE_IDLE
+            player.media?.also { it.release() } == null -> STATE_IDLE
             player.playerState == IMedia.State.Opening -> STATE_BUFFERING
             player.isPlaying -> STATE_READY
             player.isSeekable && player.time >= player.length && player.length > 0 -> STATE_ENDED
@@ -519,13 +522,17 @@ class VlcPlayer(ctx: Context) :
     }
 
     override fun release() {
+        if (released) return
+        released = true
         player.setEventListener(null)
         listeners.release()
         abandonAudioFocus()
         player.stop()
         clearVideoSurface()
-        player.release()
-        libVLC.release()
+        applicationHandler.post {
+            player.release()
+            libVLC.release()
+        }
     }
 
     override fun getCurrentTracks(): Tracks {

example/App.tsx

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import type React from "react";
-import { useCallback, useEffect, useMemo, useRef, useState } from "react";
+import { useCallback, useMemo, useRef, useState } from "react";
 import { Pressable, ScrollView, StyleSheet, Text, View } from "react-native";
 import {
 	type AndroidBackend,
@@ -134,10 +134,6 @@ function PlayerExample({
 	);
 	const switchBackend = (target: AndroidBackend) => {
 		if (target === backend) return;
-		// Pause before tearing down: the native media-session guard refuses a
-		// second player while the current one is still *playing*, so this keeps
-		// the transition clean (we don't preserve state across a switch anyway).
-		player.pause();
 		onSwitchBackend(target);
 	};
 
@@ -461,27 +457,13 @@ function App(): React.JSX.Element {
 	// notification stays hidden) before any source is set.
 	const [hasSource, setHasSource] = useState(false);
 	const [backend, setBackend] = useState<AndroidBackend>("vlc");
-	const [pendingBackend, setPendingBackend] = useState<AndroidBackend | null>(
-		null,
-	);
 
-	// Switching backend recreates the native player, so we fully unmount the
-	// provider first (rendering nothing) and remount it on the next tick with
-	// the new backend. This lets the old OmniView/player tear down before the
-	// new one is created, avoiding the "only one view"/"two players" guards.
+	// Switching the backend just updates the prop: OmniProvider recreates (and
+	// disposes) the native player internally, so the change applies live.
 	const handleSwitchBackend = useCallback((next: AndroidBackend) => {
-		setPendingBackend(next);
+		setBackend(next);
 	}, []);
 
-	useEffect(() => {
-		if (pendingBackend === null) return;
-		const id = setTimeout(() => {
-			setBackend(pendingBackend);
-			setPendingBackend(null);
-		}, 300);
-		return () => clearTimeout(id);
-	}, [pendingBackend]);
-
 	const handlePrev = useCallback(() => {
 		setCurrentIndex((index) => (index === 0 ? PLAYLIST.length - 1 : index - 1));
 	}, []);
@@ -525,18 +507,8 @@ function App(): React.JSX.Element {
 		[currentIndex],
 	);
 
-	// While switching, render nothing so the current player is torn down first.
-	if (pendingBackend !== null) {
-		return (
-			<View style={styles.switching}>
-				<Text style={styles.subheading}>Switching to {pendingBackend}…</Text>
-			</View>
-		);
-	}
-
 	return (
 		<OmniProvider
-			key={backend}
 			source={hasSource ? source : undefined}
 			backend={{ android: backend }}
 			cast={{ receiverApplicationId: "D8FB0FC1" }}
@@ -564,12 +536,6 @@ const styles = StyleSheet.create({
 		paddingVertical: 12,
 		gap: 12,
 	},
-	switching: {
-		flex: 1,
-		backgroundColor: "#0b1020",
-		alignItems: "center",
-		justifyContent: "center",
-	},
 	heading: {
 		fontSize: 24,
 		fontWeight: "700",
@@ -581,7 +547,10 @@ const styles = StyleSheet.create({
 	},
 	video: {
 		width: "100%",
-		aspectRatio: 16 / 9,
+		// Intentionally wider than the 16:9 sample videos so the view's aspect
+		// ratio differs from the video's. This surfaces the PIP aspect-ratio bug
+		// where PIP would otherwise inherit the view's shape, not the video's.
+		aspectRatio: 21 / 9,
 		borderRadius: 14,
 		overflow: "hidden",
 	},

nitrogen/generated/android/c++/JHybridOmniPlayerSpec.cpp

@@ -241,6 +241,10 @@ namespace margelo::nitro::omni {
   }
 
   // Methods
+  void JHybridOmniPlayerSpec::release() {
+    static const auto method = _javaPart->javaClassStatic()->getMethod<void()>("release");
+    method(_javaPart);
+  }
   void JHybridOmniPlayerSpec::play() {
     static const auto method = _javaPart->javaClassStatic()->getMethod<void()>("play");
     method(_javaPart);

nitrogen/generated/android/c++/JHybridOmniPlayerSpec.hpp

@@ -78,6 +78,7 @@ namespace margelo::nitro::omni {
 
   public:
     // Methods
+    void release() override;
     void play() override;
     void pause() override;
     void seekBy(double offset) override;

nitrogen/generated/android/kotlin/com/margelo/nitro/omni/HybridOmniPlayerSpec.kt

@@ -114,6 +114,10 @@ abstract class HybridOmniPlayerSpec: HybridObject() {
   abstract val renditions: Array<Rendition>
 
   // Methods
+  @DoNotStrip
+  @Keep
+  abstract fun release(): Unit
+  
   @DoNotStrip
   @Keep
   abstract fun play(): Unit

nitrogen/generated/shared/c++/HybridOmniPlayerSpec.cpp

@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ namespace margelo::nitro::omni {
       prototype.registerHybridGetter("audios", &HybridOmniPlayerSpec::getAudios);
       prototype.registerHybridGetter("subtitles", &HybridOmniPlayerSpec::getSubtitles);
       prototype.registerHybridGetter("renditions", &HybridOmniPlayerSpec::getRenditions);
+      prototype.registerHybridMethod("release", &HybridOmniPlayerSpec::release);
       prototype.registerHybridMethod("play", &HybridOmniPlayerSpec::play);
       prototype.registerHybridMethod("pause", &HybridOmniPlayerSpec::pause);
       prototype.registerHybridMethod("seekBy", &HybridOmniPlayerSpec::seekBy);

nitrogen/generated/shared/c++/HybridOmniPlayerSpec.hpp

@@ -91,6 +91,7 @@ namespace margelo::nitro::omni {
 
     public:
       // Methods
+      virtual void release() = 0;
       virtual void play() = 0;
       virtual void pause() = 0;
       virtual void seekBy(double offset) = 0;

src/provider.tsx

@@ -1,9 +1,18 @@
-import { createContext, type ReactNode, useContext, useEffect } from "react";
+import {
+	createContext,
+	type ReactNode,
+	useContext,
+	useEffect,
+	useEffectEvent,
+	useState,
+} from "react";
 import { NitroModules } from "react-native-nitro-modules";
-import type { OmniPlayerFactory } from "./specs/omni-player.nitro";
-import type { OmniPlayer, PlayerBackend } from "./types/player";
+import type {
+	OmniPlayer as NativeOmniPlayer,
+	OmniPlayerFactory,
+} from "./specs/omni-player.nitro";
+import type { AndroidBackend, OmniPlayer, PlayerBackend } from "./types/player";
 import type { CastOptions, Source } from "./types/source";
-import { useLazyRef } from "./utils/lazy-ref";
 
 const ProviderFactory =
 	NitroModules.createHybridObject<OmniPlayerFactory>("OmniPlayerFactory");
@@ -23,18 +32,30 @@ export const OmniProvider = ({
 	children: ReactNode;
 	showNotification?: boolean;
 }) => {
-	const player = useLazyRef(() =>
-		ProviderFactory.createPlayer(source, backend, cast),
+	const [player, setPlayer] = useState<NativeOmniPlayer | null>(null);
+
+	const createPlayer = useEffectEvent((aBackend: AndroidBackend) =>
+		ProviderFactory.createPlayer(source, { android: aBackend }, cast),
 	);
 
 	useEffect(() => {
-		player.source = source;
-	}, [source]);
+		setPlayer(createPlayer(backend.android ?? "vlc"));
+	}, [backend.android]);
 
 	useEffect(() => {
-		player.showNotification = showNotification;
-	}, [showNotification]);
+		if (!player) return;
+		return () => player.release();
+	}, [player]);
 
+	useEffect(() => {
+		if (player) player.source = source;
+	}, [player, source]);
+
+	useEffect(() => {
+		if (player) player.showNotification = showNotification;
+	}, [player, showNotification]);
+
+	if (!player) return null;
 	return <PlayerCtx.Provider value={player}>{children}</PlayerCtx.Provider>;
 };
 

src/specs/omni-player.nitro.ts

@@ -80,6 +80,8 @@ export interface OmniPlayer
 	extends HybridObject<{ android: "kotlin" }>,
 		OmniPlayerT {
 	readonly eventMap: OmniEventMap;
+
+	release(): void;
 }
 
 export interface OmniPlayerFactory extends HybridObject<{ android: "kotlin" }> {