diff --git a/android/src/main/java/dev/zoriya/omni/OmniPlayer.kt b/android/src/main/java/dev/zoriya/omni/OmniPlayer.kt
index 01dccd6..bdd3b38 100644
--- a/android/src/main/java/dev/zoriya/omni/OmniPlayer.kt
+++ b/android/src/main/java/dev/zoriya/omni/OmniPlayer.kt
@@ -8,7 +8,6 @@ import android.app.PendingIntent
 import android.content.Intent
 import android.os.Build
 import android.os.Bundle
-import android.view.SurfaceHolder
 import androidx.core.app.NotificationCompat
 import androidx.media3.common.AudioAttributes
 import androidx.media3.common.C
@@ -208,16 +207,29 @@ class OmniPlayer(
             .build()
     }
 
-    fun setSurface(holder: SurfaceHolder?) {
+    fun setVideoView(surfaceView: android.view.SurfaceView?) {
         runOnMainThread {
-            if (holder == null) {
+            if (surfaceView == null) {
                 localPlayer.clearVideoSurface()
             } else {
-                localPlayer.setVideoSurfaceHolder(holder)
+                localPlayer.setVideoSurfaceView(surfaceView)
             }
         }
     }
 
+    // rebuild video pipeline after pip, noop for exoplayer that recover on it's own.
+    fun rebuildVideoOutput() {
+        runOnMainThread {
+            (localPlayer as? VlcPlayer)?.rebuildVideoOutput()
+        }
+    }
+
+    fun updateVideoLayout(width: Int, height: Int) {
+        runOnMainThread {
+            (localPlayer as? VlcPlayer)?.updateVideoLayout(width, height)
+        }
+    }
+
     override val hasPrev: Boolean get() = player.hasPreviousMediaItem()
     override val hasNext: Boolean get() = player.hasNextMediaItem()
     override val status by mainThreadProperty {
diff --git a/android/src/main/java/dev/zoriya/omni/OmniView.kt b/android/src/main/java/dev/zoriya/omni/OmniView.kt
index 99906a0..efcb448 100755
--- a/android/src/main/java/dev/zoriya/omni/OmniView.kt
+++ b/android/src/main/java/dev/zoriya/omni/OmniView.kt
@@ -140,12 +140,12 @@ class OmniView(val context: ThemedReactContext) :
         }
 
         boundPlayer?.localPlayer?.removeListener(this)
-        boundPlayer?.setSurface(null)
+        boundPlayer?.setVideoView(null)
         boundPlayer = omniPlayer
         omniPlayer.localPlayer.addListener(this)
 
         if (surfaceReady) {
-            omniPlayer.setSurface(surfaceView.holder)
+            omniPlayer.setVideoView(surfaceView)
         }
 
         if (autoplay == true && !omniPlayer.isPlaying) {
@@ -166,7 +166,7 @@ class OmniView(val context: ThemedReactContext) :
 
         val omniPlayer = player as? OmniPlayer ?: return
         boundPlayer?.localPlayer?.removeListener(this)
-        omniPlayer.setSurface(null)
+        omniPlayer.setVideoView(null)
         boundPlayer = null
     }
 
@@ -322,9 +322,22 @@ class OmniView(val context: ThemedReactContext) :
         movedSurfaceToRootForPip = false
     }
 
+    // A surface that is destroyed and recreated while playback runs (the PIP
+    // reparent) makes VLC drop its video pipeline; it won't rebuild it for the
+    // new surface on its own, so we must ask it to. The rebuild only succeeds
+    // once the (PIP) window has settled at its final size — firing it mid-resize
+    // leaves the vout stopped — so it is debounced off surfaceChanged.
+    private var pendingVideoRebuild = false
+    private val rebuildRunnable = Runnable {
+        if (!pendingVideoRebuild) return@Runnable
+        pendingVideoRebuild = false
+        boundPlayer?.rebuildVideoOutput()
+    }
+
     override fun surfaceCreated(holder: SurfaceHolder) {
         surfaceReady = true
-        boundPlayer?.setSurface(holder)
+        boundPlayer?.setVideoView(surfaceView)
+        if (boundPlayer?.isPlaying == true) pendingVideoRebuild = true
         updatePictureInPictureParams()
     }
 
@@ -333,10 +346,17 @@ class OmniView(val context: ThemedReactContext) :
         format: Int,
         width: Int,
         height: Int
-    ) { }
+    ) {
+        boundPlayer?.updateVideoLayout(width, height)
+        if (pendingVideoRebuild) {
+            surfaceView.removeCallbacks(rebuildRunnable)
+            surfaceView.postDelayed(rebuildRunnable, 200)
+        }
+    }
 
     override fun surfaceDestroyed(holder: SurfaceHolder) {
         surfaceReady = false
-        boundPlayer?.setSurface(null)
+        surfaceView.removeCallbacks(rebuildRunnable)
+        boundPlayer?.setVideoView(null)
     }
 }
diff --git a/android/src/main/java/dev/zoriya/omni/VlcPlayer.kt b/android/src/main/java/dev/zoriya/omni/VlcPlayer.kt
index 19aad4a..66a3dd6 100644
--- a/android/src/main/java/dev/zoriya/omni/VlcPlayer.kt
+++ b/android/src/main/java/dev/zoriya/omni/VlcPlayer.kt
@@ -101,6 +101,7 @@ class VlcPlayer(ctx: Context) :
     private var playlistMetadata: MediaMetadata = MediaMetadata.EMPTY
     private var userInitiatedTransition: Boolean = false
     private var cachedBufferedPosition: Long = 0L
+    private var boundSurfaceView: SurfaceView? = null
 
     private val availableCommands: Player.Commands = Player.Commands.Builder()
         .add(COMMAND_PLAY_PAUSE)
@@ -795,6 +796,7 @@ class VlcPlayer(ctx: Context) :
     }
 
     override fun clearVideoSurface() {
+        boundSurfaceView = null
         vlcVout.detachViews()
     }
 
@@ -825,10 +827,39 @@ class VlcPlayer(ctx: Context) :
     }
 
     override fun setVideoSurfaceView(surfaceView: SurfaceView?) {
-        vlcVout.setVideoView(surfaceView ?: return clearVideoSurface())
+        if (surfaceView == null) return clearVideoSurface()
+        if (vlcVout.areViewsAttached() && boundSurfaceView === surfaceView) return
+        boundSurfaceView = surfaceView
+        // Hand VLC the SurfaceView (not a raw Surface) so it reads the real view
+        // size and keeps the video layout correct as the surface resizes (e.g. the
+        // PIP window shrinking/growing); see updateVideoLayout for size updates.
+        vlcVout.setVideoView(surfaceView)
         vlcVout.attachViews()
     }
 
+    /**
+     * VLC tears down its video decoder + output whenever the output Surface is
+     * destroyed (e.g. the SurfaceView being reparented for PIP) and does not
+     * rebuild them when a new Surface arrives — the picture stays black. Toggling
+     * the video track forces VLC to spin up a fresh decoder/vout against the
+     * currently-attached Surface. Safe no-op when nothing is attached/playing.
+     */
+    fun rebuildVideoOutput() {
+        if (!vlcVout.areViewsAttached() || !player.isPlaying) return
+        player.setVideoTrackEnabled(false)
+        player.setVideoTrackEnabled(true)
+        player.updateVideoSurfaces()
+    }
+
+    /** Recompute the video layout for the current surface size. Must run whenever
+     * the surface resizes (VLC latches a stale geometry otherwise -> the picture
+     * renders at the wrong size, anchored in a corner). */
+    fun updateVideoLayout(width: Int, height: Int) {
+        if (!vlcVout.areViewsAttached()) return
+        if (width > 0 && height > 0) vlcVout.setWindowSize(width, height)
+        player.updateVideoSurfaces()
+    }
+
     override fun clearVideoSurfaceView(surfaceView: SurfaceView?) {
         clearVideoSurface()
     }