diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index 62e0137..a1387a2 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -52,10 +52,10 @@ passing sent the user back to the start.
 **The dismiss does not end the morning.** Since 2026-09-16 it hands over, in
 the same activity, to the silent **morning session**: weigh in → bathroom tag
 → shower → bathroom tag again → wardrobe tag → desk tag. A missed window
-(AlarmManager, request code 1003) or a phone still for 4 min re-rings, and
-silencing that is the full sequence above again; three re-rings fail the
-session. State is persisted after every change and driven by wall-clock
-instants, never Dart timers: **`DOCS-morning-session.md`**.
+(AlarmManager, request code 1003) re-rings; silencing it is the full sequence
+again; three re-rings fail the session. Leaving the app is fine: every launch
+while the morning is live lands back on the leg (`SessionNotice.kt`). State is
+persisted after every change, on wall-clock instants: **`DOCS-morning-session.md`**.
 
 **`HomeScreen.initState` must stay strictly sequential** (`_applyPolicy` →
 `_loadSyncState` → `_syncToPc`): run concurrently, the startup publish
diff --git a/DOCS-morning-session.md b/DOCS-morning-session.md
index c9ecc66..45da1a7 100644
--- a/DOCS-morning-session.md
+++ b/DOCS-morning-session.md
@@ -42,12 +42,16 @@ value passes the first leg by itself — there is nothing to walk to.
   or rebooted away, and the deadline has to survive all three. `BootReceiver`
   restores it; `restoreReRing` drops an instant that has already passed
   (see *Gotchas*).
-- **A still phone** (accelerometer, `MotionMonitor.kt`, no motion for 4 min)
-  re-rings from Dart via `ringNow`, then routes itself to `/ring` in case the
-  full-screen intent lands on the live `singleInstance` activity instead of
-  recreating it. Suspended during the shower leg — the phone is on a shelf.
-  Only works while the session screen is up, which is why `AlarmActivity`
-  now holds `FLAG_KEEP_SCREEN_ON`; the deadline alarm is the backstop.
+- **No still-phone check.** An accelerometer watch (`MotionMonitor.kt`, 4 min
+  without motion) existed for one day and was deleted on 2026-09-17: it only
+  ran while the session screen was in front, and the real routine leaves the
+  app on purpose (a podcast before the shower), so it was off for most of the
+  session and never rang on the one morning it was watched. The deadlines are
+  the only re-ring. Do not bring it back as a foreground service without a
+  morning that shows a lie-in the ≤ 10-minute windows missed.
+- When Dart rings a deadline itself it routes to `/ring` afterwards, in case
+  the full-screen intent lands on the live `singleInstance` activity instead
+  of recreating it.
 - **Silencing a re-ring is the full dismiss sequence**: tag 1, the walk,
   tag 2, three questions. The ring screen's `_finishDismiss` sees a live
   session for today and resumes it with `reRings + 1`.
@@ -64,6 +68,39 @@ Everything is **persisted after every change** (`session_store.dart`,
 `session.current`) and driven by wall-clock instants, because a re-ring
 replaces the whole Flutter engine and resumes from the store.
 
+## Leaving the app, and coming back
+
+The checklist lives in `AlarmActivity` (NFC reader mode and the kept-on
+screen are asserted there), and the launcher starts `MainActivity`. Until
+2026-09-17 a home gesture or a recents swipe therefore lost the screen for
+good: the re-ring still fired, but the app opened on the home screen with no
+way back to the leg. Now **every launch while the morning is live lands in
+`AlarmActivity`**, and the home screen is unreachable until the session is
+over:
+
+- `MainActivity.resumeMorning()` runs in `onCreate` *and* `onResume` (the
+  activity is `singleTop`; a warm instance never re-runs `onCreate`), before
+  any Dart and before the permission prompt — a permission dialog must never
+  come up over a ring. It starts `AlarmActivity` with the `route` extra and
+  finishes itself.
+- It decides natively, from `SessionNotice.kt`: a cache Dart rewrites on
+  every leg change (`updateSessionNotice`, always paired with `armReRing` in
+  `session_notice.dart`) holding the session's **date** and the leg label.
+  A cache dated any other day is ignored, never resumed — the phone dying
+  mid-morning must not open a dead checklist the next evening. Flutter's
+  own preferences file is deliberately not parsed from Kotlin.
+- **A sounding ring wins.** `AlarmService.running` routes the launch — and
+  `AlarmActivity.getInitialRoute()` — to `/ring` whatever the extra says,
+  so a swiped-away ring reopened from the launcher gets the dismiss
+  sequence, not the home screen or a checklist over the noise.
+- **An ongoing notification** ("Morning session — Tap the bathroom tag",
+  counting down to the re-ring) is one tap back to the leg. Silent channel,
+  `setOnlyAlertOnce`, native chronometer, so Dart posts it per leg, not per
+  tick. `finishSession` is the only thing that cancels it. The launcher
+  redirect is the guarantee; the notification is the convenience.
+- `main_session_probe.dart` asks `morningLive` before its test ring, so a
+  relaunch of the probe during a session resumes rather than rings.
+
 ## History and sync
 
 Finished sessions go to `session.history` (30 kept). The home screen shows
@@ -104,8 +141,8 @@ reinstall gets its history back.
 ## Testing it without a bathroom
 
 `lib/main_session_probe.dart` runs the real app on `FileDrivenScheduler`
-(`lib/probe/`), which replaces NFC, the step count and the motion watch with
-files under `/sdcard/Android/data/com.kuhy.wake_alarm_sync/files/`.
+(`lib/probe/`), which replaces NFC and the step count with files under
+`/sdcard/Android/data/com.kuhy.wake_alarm_sync/files/`.
 `phone_app/scripts/emu_morning.py` drives it:
 
 ```sh
@@ -113,13 +150,15 @@ flutter run -d emulator-5554 --debug -t lib/main_session_probe.dart > run.log
 scripts/emu_morning.py --log run.log dismiss    # ring1, 30 steps, ring2, answers
 scripts/emu_morning.py weight 72.4
 scripts/emu_morning.py tag bath                 # then wait 8 min, tag bath again
-scripts/emu_morning.py idle 250000              # still phone -> re-ring
+scripts/emu_morning.py home; scripts/emu_morning.py launch   # back on the leg
+scripts/emu_morning.py rering                   # the deadline broadcast, now
 scripts/emu_morning.py --log run.log dismiss    # resumes at the same leg, 1/3
 scripts/emu_morning.py tag ward; scripts/emu_morning.py tag desk
 ```
 
 Verified this way on 2026-09-16 (API 36 AVD): the whole morning including a
-still-phone re-ring and the resume. `flutter build apk --debug --target`
+re-ring and the resume; on 2026-09-17 the home-and-relaunch round trip on a
+leg and during a ring. `flutter build apk --debug --target`
 produced an APK that ran `main.dart` instead; `flutter run -t` did not.
 The phone remains the only test of the AlarmManager deadline with the
 screen off and the app swiped away.
diff --git a/phone_app/android/app/src/main/kotlin/com/kuhy/wake_alarm_sync/AlarmActivity.kt b/phone_app/android/app/src/main/kotlin/com/kuhy/wake_alarm_sync/AlarmActivity.kt
index 5242184..8562165 100644
--- a/phone_app/android/app/src/main/kotlin/com/kuhy/wake_alarm_sync/AlarmActivity.kt
+++ b/phone_app/android/app/src/main/kotlin/com/kuhy/wake_alarm_sync/AlarmActivity.kt
@@ -20,7 +20,19 @@ class AlarmActivity : FlutterActivity() {
     /** Dart route the ring screen is registered under in main.dart. */
     private val ringRoute = "/ring"
 
-    override fun getInitialRoute(): String = ringRoute
+    /**
+     * The ring by default; the session checklist only when asked for by
+     * [SessionNotice.resumeIntent] (the launcher redirect or the ongoing
+     * notification) AND nothing is sounding. A ring always wins: an intent
+     * that opened the checklist over a live alarm would leave the sound
+     * running with no dismiss sequence in front of it. Read once, at
+     * creation -- a live `singleInstance` instance just comes forward on
+     * whatever screen Dart is showing, which is the right thing.
+     */
+    override fun getInitialRoute(): String {
+        if (AlarmService.running) return ringRoute
+        return intent?.getStringExtra(SessionNotice.EXTRA_ROUTE) ?: ringRoute
+    }
 
     override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
         // showWhenLocked/turnScreenOn are also set as manifest attributes; the
@@ -31,8 +43,8 @@ class AlarmActivity : FlutterActivity() {
         super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
         // The morning session lives in this activity for half an hour after
         // the ring stops. With the screen allowed to sleep the activity
-        // pauses, NFC stops polling and the motion watch stops sampling, so
-        // the only thing left working would be the AlarmManager backstop.
+        // pauses and NFC stops polling, so a tag tap would need a wake and
+        // an unlock first, every leg.
         window.addFlags(WindowManager.LayoutParams.FLAG_KEEP_SCREEN_ON)
         dismissKeyguard()
     }
diff --git a/phone_app/android/app/src/main/kotlin/com/kuhy/wake_alarm_sync/AlarmChannel.kt b/phone_app/android/app/src/main/kotlin/com/kuhy/wake_alarm_sync/AlarmChannel.kt
index b429ffd..9419058 100644
--- a/phone_app/android/app/src/main/kotlin/com/kuhy/wake_alarm_sync/AlarmChannel.kt
+++ b/phone_app/android/app/src/main/kotlin/com/kuhy/wake_alarm_sync/AlarmChannel.kt
@@ -108,14 +108,31 @@ object AlarmChannel {
             // no off switch.
             "finishSession" -> {
                 AlarmScheduler.clearReRing(context)
-                MotionMonitor.stop(context)
+                SessionNotice.clear(context)
                 result.success(null)
             }
-            "beginMotionWatch" -> {
-                MotionMonitor.start(context)
-                result.success(null)
+            // The live leg, for the launcher redirect and the ongoing
+            // notification; see SessionNotice.kt. Called on every leg
+            // change, never per tick.
+            "updateSessionNotice" -> {
+                val date = call.argument<String>("date")
+                val label = call.argument<String>("label")
+                if (date == null || label == null) {
+                    result.error("bad_args", "date and label are required", null)
+                } else {
+                    val at = call.argument<Number>("deadlineMillis")?.toLong()
+                    SessionNotice.update(context, date, label, at)
+                    result.success(null)
+                }
             }
-            "motionIdleMillis" -> result.success(MotionMonitor.idleMillis())
+            // Whether a launch right now would be redirected into the
+            // morning; the probes ask before starting a test ring.
+            "morningLive" ->
+                result.success(AlarmService.running || SessionNotice.isLiveToday(context))
+            // Whether the ring is sounding; the session screen polls this so
+            // a deadline that rang while it sat in the background puts the
+            // dismiss sequence in front the moment it is looked at.
+            "isRinging" -> result.success(AlarmService.running)
             "beginStepCount" -> {
                 StepCounter.markRingStart(context)
                 result.success(null)
diff --git a/phone_app/android/app/src/main/kotlin/com/kuhy/wake_alarm_sync/AlarmService.kt b/phone_app/android/app/src/main/kotlin/com/kuhy/wake_alarm_sync/AlarmService.kt
index d831866..acc5974 100644
--- a/phone_app/android/app/src/main/kotlin/com/kuhy/wake_alarm_sync/AlarmService.kt
+++ b/phone_app/android/app/src/main/kotlin/com/kuhy/wake_alarm_sync/AlarmService.kt
@@ -46,6 +46,15 @@ class AlarmService : Service() {
         /** Vibration: 1s buzz, 1s gap, repeating from index 0. */
         private val VIBRATION_PATTERN = longArrayOf(0, 1000, 1000)
 
+        /**
+         * Whether the ring is sounding right now. Same process as both
+         * activities, so a launch during a ring can route to the dismiss
+         * screen instead of the home screen or a session checklist.
+         */
+        @Volatile
+        var running: Boolean = false
+            private set
+
         /** Starts the ring. Safe to call when already ringing — start is idempotent. */
         fun start(context: Context) {
             val intent = Intent(context, AlarmService::class.java)
@@ -54,6 +63,11 @@ class AlarmService : Service() {
 
         /** Stops the ring and releases every resource it holds. */
         fun stop(context: Context) {
+            // Cleared here, not only in onDestroy: stopService is
+            // asynchronous, and the session screen that follows a dismiss
+            // polls this flag from its first tick -- a stale true would
+            // re-ring the alarm it had just silenced.
+            running = false
             context.stopService(Intent(context, AlarmService::class.java))
         }
     }
@@ -72,12 +86,14 @@ class AlarmService : Service() {
         acquireWakeLock()
         startSound()
         startVibration()
+        running = true
         // START_STICKY: if the system kills us under memory pressure while the
         // user is still asleep, the alarm comes back rather than going silent.
         return START_STICKY
     }
 
     override fun onDestroy() {
+        running = false
         stopSound()
         stopVibration()
         releaseWakeLock()
diff --git a/phone_app/android/app/src/main/kotlin/com/kuhy/wake_alarm_sync/MainActivity.kt b/phone_app/android/app/src/main/kotlin/com/kuhy/wake_alarm_sync/MainActivity.kt
index 6b46294..9f72baf 100644
--- a/phone_app/android/app/src/main/kotlin/com/kuhy/wake_alarm_sync/MainActivity.kt
+++ b/phone_app/android/app/src/main/kotlin/com/kuhy/wake_alarm_sync/MainActivity.kt
@@ -20,9 +20,28 @@ class MainActivity : FlutterActivity() {
 
     override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
         super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
+        if (resumeMorning()) return
         requestAlarmPermissions()
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Steps aside into [AlarmActivity] while the morning is live: a ring is
+     * sounding, or today's session is still on a leg.
+     *
+     * Decided here, natively, before any Dart runs: the home screen must
+     * never come up mid-session (a home gesture used to be a way out with
+     * no way back, 2026-09-17), and the permission prompt above must never
+     * appear over a ring. Checked on resume as well as create -- this
+     * activity is `singleTop`, and a warm instance brought back from the
+     * launcher never re-runs onCreate.
+     */
+    private fun resumeMorning(): Boolean {
+        if (!AlarmService.running && !SessionNotice.isLiveToday(this)) return false
+        startActivity(SessionNotice.resumeIntent(this))
+        finishAndRemoveTask()
+        return true
+    }
+
     /**
      * Asks for the two runtime permissions the alarm cannot work without.
      *
@@ -114,6 +133,7 @@ class MainActivity : FlutterActivity() {
 
     override fun onResume() {
         super.onResume()
+        if (resumeMorning()) return
         if (registeringTag) alarmChannel?.let { NfcReader.start(this, it) }
     }
 
diff --git a/phone_app/android/app/src/main/kotlin/com/kuhy/wake_alarm_sync/MotionMonitor.kt b/phone_app/android/app/src/main/kotlin/com/kuhy/wake_alarm_sync/MotionMonitor.kt
deleted file mode 100644
index 1076f66..0000000
--- a/phone_app/android/app/src/main/kotlin/com/kuhy/wake_alarm_sync/MotionMonitor.kt
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,77 +0,0 @@
-package com.kuhy.wake_alarm_sync
-
-import android.content.Context
-import android.hardware.Sensor
-import android.hardware.SensorEvent
-import android.hardware.SensorEventListener
-import android.hardware.SensorManager
-import android.os.SystemClock
-import kotlin.math.abs
-import kotlin.math.sqrt
-
-/**
- * How long the phone has lain still, for the morning session.
- *
- * A phone that does not move for minutes after the alarm is a phone on the
- * nightstand next to someone who went back to bed. The accelerometer rather
- * than the step sensors: sitting down is not going back to sleep, and a
- * phone in a pocket keeps moving without a single step being taken.
- *
- * Hand-written on the existing channel, like [StepCounter]: nothing on the
- * ring path may depend on a pub plugin compiling. Only meaningful while the
- * session screen keeps the screen on -- an unregistered or suspended sensor
- * reports nothing, which the Dart side reads as "unknown", never as "still".
- */
-object MotionMonitor {
-
-    /** Change in acceleration magnitude (m/s²) between samples that counts as motion. */
-    private const val THRESHOLD = 0.6f
-
-    /** Sentinel for "not watching". */
-    private const val NONE = -1L
-
-    @Volatile
-    private var lastMotionAt: Long = NONE
-
-    private var lastMagnitude: Float = Float.NaN
-    private var listener: SensorEventListener? = null
-
-    /** Starts watching; the idle clock begins now, so a resume never inherits an old gap. */
-    fun start(context: Context) {
-        stop(context)
-        val manager = context.getSystemService(Context.SENSOR_SERVICE) as SensorManager
-        val sensor = manager.getDefaultSensor(Sensor.TYPE_ACCELEROMETER) ?: return
-        lastMotionAt = SystemClock.elapsedRealtime()
-        lastMagnitude = Float.NaN
-        val l = object : SensorEventListener {
-            override fun onSensorChanged(event: SensorEvent) {
-                val (x, y, z) = event.values
-                val magnitude = sqrt(x * x + y * y + z * z)
-                if (!lastMagnitude.isNaN() && abs(magnitude - lastMagnitude) > THRESHOLD) {
-                    lastMotionAt = SystemClock.elapsedRealtime()
-                }
-                lastMagnitude = magnitude
-            }
-
-            override fun onAccuracyChanged(sensor: Sensor?, accuracy: Int) = Unit
-        }
-        manager.registerListener(l, sensor, SensorManager.SENSOR_DELAY_NORMAL)
-        listener = l
-    }
-
-    /** Milliseconds since the phone last moved, or -1 when not watching. */
-    fun idleMillis(): Long {
-        val since = lastMotionAt
-        if (since == NONE || listener == null) return NONE
-        return SystemClock.elapsedRealtime() - since
-    }
-
-    /** Stops watching and forgets the clock. */
-    fun stop(context: Context) {
-        val l = listener ?: return
-        val manager = context.getSystemService(Context.SENSOR_SERVICE) as SensorManager
-        manager.unregisterListener(l)
-        listener = null
-        lastMotionAt = NONE
-    }
-}
diff --git a/phone_app/android/app/src/main/kotlin/com/kuhy/wake_alarm_sync/SessionNotice.kt b/phone_app/android/app/src/main/kotlin/com/kuhy/wake_alarm_sync/SessionNotice.kt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c699eb0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/phone_app/android/app/src/main/kotlin/com/kuhy/wake_alarm_sync/SessionNotice.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,108 @@
+package com.kuhy.wake_alarm_sync
+
+import android.app.Notification
+import android.app.NotificationChannel
+import android.app.NotificationManager
+import android.app.PendingIntent
+import android.content.Context
+import android.content.Intent
+import android.util.Log
+import java.time.LocalDate
+
+/**
+ * The native copy of the live morning session: which leg is waiting and when
+ * it re-rings, plus the ongoing notification that shows the same.
+ *
+ * Two jobs, one record. The launcher starts [MainActivity], and it has to
+ * know *before any Dart runs* whether to step aside into the session screen;
+ * the notification needs the leg text with no engine running behind it.
+ * Dart rewrites this cache on every leg change (`updateSessionNotice`) and
+ * `finishSession` clears it, so it is only ever as stale as the last change.
+ *
+ * The record carries the session's date and [isLiveToday] refuses any other:
+ * a cache left behind by a session that never finished (the phone died
+ * mid-morning) must not open a dead checklist the next evening -- the same
+ * class of bug as the re-ring instant `restoreReRing` drops.
+ *
+ * Fail closed: unreadable means "no session", so a corrupt cache costs the
+ * shortcut, never the home screen.
+ */
+object SessionNotice {
+
+    private const val TAG = "WakeAlarmSession"
+    private const val PREFS = "wake_alarm_session"
+    private const val KEY_DATE = "date"
+    private const val KEY_LABEL = "label"
+    private const val CHANNEL_ID = "wake_alarm_session"
+    private const val NOTIFICATION_ID = 43
+
+    /** Intent extra naming the Dart route [AlarmActivity] should open with. */
+    const val EXTRA_ROUTE = "route"
+
+    /** The session screen's route in main.dart. */
+    const val SESSION_ROUTE = "/session"
+
+    /** Records [label] for [date] and posts (or updates) the notification. */
+    fun update(context: Context, date: String, label: String, deadlineMillis: Long?) {
+        context.getSharedPreferences(PREFS, Context.MODE_PRIVATE).edit()
+            .putString(KEY_DATE, date)
+            .putString(KEY_LABEL, label)
+            .apply()
+        val manager = context.getSystemService(Context.NOTIFICATION_SERVICE) as NotificationManager
+        manager.createNotificationChannel(
+            NotificationChannel(CHANNEL_ID, "Morning session", NotificationManager.IMPORTANCE_LOW)
+                .apply { description = "The live morning checklist" },
+        )
+        manager.notify(NOTIFICATION_ID, build(context, label, deadlineMillis))
+    }
+
+    /** Drops the record and the notification; the session's finish path only. */
+    fun clear(context: Context) {
+        context.getSharedPreferences(PREFS, Context.MODE_PRIVATE).edit().clear().apply()
+        (context.getSystemService(Context.NOTIFICATION_SERVICE) as NotificationManager)
+            .cancel(NOTIFICATION_ID)
+    }
+
+    /** Whether a session dated today (local calendar day) is still live. */
+    fun isLiveToday(context: Context): Boolean = try {
+        val date = context.getSharedPreferences(PREFS, Context.MODE_PRIVATE)
+            .getString(KEY_DATE, null)
+        date == LocalDate.now().toString()
+    } catch (e: RuntimeException) {
+        Log.w(TAG, "session cache unreadable; treating as no session", e)
+        false
+    }
+
+    /** Opens [AlarmActivity] on the session screen, or brings the live one forward. */
+    fun resumeIntent(context: Context): Intent =
+        Intent(context, AlarmActivity::class.java)
+            .putExtra(EXTRA_ROUTE, SESSION_ROUTE)
+            .addFlags(Intent.FLAG_ACTIVITY_NEW_TASK)
+
+    private fun build(context: Context, label: String, deadlineMillis: Long?): Notification {
+        val tap = PendingIntent.getActivity(
+            context,
+            NOTIFICATION_ID,
+            resumeIntent(context),
+            PendingIntent.FLAG_UPDATE_CURRENT or PendingIntent.FLAG_IMMUTABLE,
+        )
+        val builder = Notification.Builder(context, CHANNEL_ID)
+            .setContentTitle("Morning session")
+            .setContentText(label)
+            .setSmallIcon(android.R.drawable.ic_lock_idle_alarm)
+            .setCategory(Notification.CATEGORY_REMINDER)
+            .setContentIntent(tap)
+            .setOngoing(true)
+            // Re-posted on every leg change; a buzz each time would be noise.
+            .setOnlyAlertOnce(true)
+        if (deadlineMillis != null) {
+            // The system renders the countdown itself, so Dart never has to
+            // tick this notification: one post per leg is enough.
+            builder.setWhen(deadlineMillis)
+                .setUsesChronometer(true)
+                .setChronometerCountDown(true)
+                .setShowWhen(true)
+        }
+        return builder.build()
+    }
+}
diff --git a/phone_app/lib/main.dart b/phone_app/lib/main.dart
index 97b5d87..735b86e 100644
--- a/phone_app/lib/main.dart
+++ b/phone_app/lib/main.dart
@@ -54,8 +54,11 @@ class WakeAlarmSyncApp extends StatelessWidget {
       routes: <String, WidgetBuilder>{
         '/': (_) => const HomeScreen(),
         kRingRoute: (_) => RingScreen(scheduler: newScheduler?.call()),
-        // Reached only by pushReplacement from the ring screen, inside
-        // AlarmActivity; it is never an initial route.
+        // Reached by pushReplacement from the ring screen, or as
+        // AlarmActivity's initial route when the launcher or the ongoing
+        // notification reopens a live session (SessionNotice.kt). Always
+        // inside AlarmActivity: NFC reader mode and the kept-on screen live
+        // there.
         kSessionRoute: (_) => SessionScreen(scheduler: newScheduler?.call()),
       },
     );
diff --git a/phone_app/lib/main_session_probe.dart b/phone_app/lib/main_session_probe.dart
index d74c89a..322ffc5 100644
--- a/phone_app/lib/main_session_probe.dart
+++ b/phone_app/lib/main_session_probe.dart
@@ -8,9 +8,11 @@ import 'package:wake_alarm_sync/services/session_tag_settings.dart';
 
 /// Emulator entrypoint: the whole morning, driven from adb.
 ///
-/// Like `main_ring_probe.dart` it rings on launch, but it runs the app on a
-/// [FileDrivenScheduler] and registers fixed tag ids, so the dismiss walk
-/// and the session legs can be fed by writing files:
+/// Like `main_ring_probe.dart` it rings on launch -- unless the morning is
+/// already live, in which case the launch is redirected into it exactly as
+/// the launcher's would be -- but it runs the app on a [FileDrivenScheduler]
+/// and registers fixed tag ids, so the dismiss walk and the session legs can
+/// be fed by writing files:
 ///
 /// ```sh
 /// F=/sdcard/Android/data/com.kuhy.wake_alarm_sync/files
@@ -27,6 +29,7 @@ Future<void> main() async {
   await SessionTagSettings.saveTagAt(SessionTagSlot.bathroom, 'bath');
   await SessionTagSettings.saveTagAt(SessionTagSlot.wardrobe, 'ward');
   await SessionTagSettings.saveTagAt(SessionTagSlot.desk, 'desk');
-  await AlarmScheduler().ringNow();
+  final scheduler = AlarmScheduler();
+  if (!await scheduler.morningLive()) await scheduler.ringNow();
   runApp(const WakeAlarmSyncApp(newScheduler: FileDrivenScheduler.new));
 }
diff --git a/phone_app/lib/probe/file_driven_scheduler.dart b/phone_app/lib/probe/file_driven_scheduler.dart
index 62331d0..78f4cda 100644
--- a/phone_app/lib/probe/file_driven_scheduler.dart
+++ b/phone_app/lib/probe/file_driven_scheduler.dart
@@ -11,11 +11,10 @@ import 'package:wake_alarm_sync/services/alarm_scheduler.dart';
 /// The emulator has no NFC and no step sensor, so the real dismiss sequence
 /// and the whole morning session are unreachable on it. This bridge keeps
 /// every alarm, ring and re-ring call on the real channel and replaces only
-/// the three inputs hardware would supply:
+/// the two inputs hardware would supply:
 ///
 /// - `files/tag`     — a tag id; consumed once, delivered to the NFC listener
 /// - `files/steps`   — the step count the ring's walk stage reads
-/// - `files/idle_ms` — how long the phone has "lain still"
 ///
 /// under `/sdcard/Android/data/<package>/files/`. Probe-only: `lib/main.dart`
 /// never constructs it.
@@ -67,10 +66,4 @@ class FileDrivenScheduler extends AlarmScheduler {
   @override
   Future<int> stepsSinceRingStart() async =>
       int.tryParse(await _read('steps') ?? '') ?? -1;
-
-  @override
-  Future<Duration?> motionIdle() async {
-    final ms = int.tryParse(await _read('idle_ms') ?? '');
-    return ms == null ? null : Duration(milliseconds: ms);
-  }
 }
diff --git a/phone_app/lib/screens/session_body.dart b/phone_app/lib/screens/session_body.dart
index 0549d02..85ddcd5 100644
--- a/phone_app/lib/screens/session_body.dart
+++ b/phone_app/lib/screens/session_body.dart
@@ -52,8 +52,8 @@ class SessionBody extends StatelessWidget {
               Text('Stay up', style: theme.textTheme.headlineMedium),
               const SizedBox(height: 4),
               Text(
-                'The alarm is off. It comes back if a step below is missed, '
-                'or if the phone lies still.',
+                'The alarm is off. It comes back if a step below is missed. '
+                'Leaving the app is fine — the notification brings you back.',
                 style: theme.textTheme.bodyMedium,
               ),
               const SizedBox(height: 24),
diff --git a/phone_app/lib/screens/session_screen.dart b/phone_app/lib/screens/session_screen.dart
index d07fc0c..e7d1bbd 100644
--- a/phone_app/lib/screens/session_screen.dart
+++ b/phone_app/lib/screens/session_screen.dart
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import 'package:wake_alarm_sync/main.dart';
 import 'package:wake_alarm_sync/screens/session_body.dart';
 import 'package:wake_alarm_sync/services/alarm_scheduler.dart';
 import 'package:wake_alarm_sync/services/morning_session.dart';
+import 'package:wake_alarm_sync/services/session_notice.dart';
 import 'package:wake_alarm_sync/services/session_publisher.dart';
 import 'package:wake_alarm_sync/services/session_rules.dart';
 import 'package:wake_alarm_sync/services/session_store.dart';
@@ -14,9 +15,6 @@ import 'package:wake_alarm_sync/services/weight_entry.dart';
 /// How often the clocks advance and the countdown redraws.
 const Duration kSessionTick = Duration(seconds: 1);
 
-/// Every this many ticks the motion watch is read.
-const int kMotionPollEvery = 5;
-
 /// Logs to logcat in release too: `developer.log` is invisible there, and a
 /// morning that went wrong on the phone is only ever debugged from logcat.
 void sessionLog(String message) => debugPrint('WakeAlarmSession: $message');
@@ -25,9 +23,10 @@ void sessionLog(String message) => debugPrint('WakeAlarmSession: $message');
 ///
 /// Shown in `AlarmActivity` in place of the ring screen, so NFC reader mode
 /// and the kept-on screen carry over. Nothing here rings by itself; the
-/// deadlines are AlarmManager alarms armed through [AlarmScheduler.armReRing]
-/// and this widget merely keeps them pointed at the live leg. What it does
-/// decide is the still-phone ring, which needs a live sensor.
+/// deadlines are AlarmManager alarms armed through [pointNativeAtLeg] and
+/// this widget merely keeps them, and the ongoing notification, pointed at
+/// the live leg. Leaving the app is allowed (a podcast before the shower):
+/// the launcher and the notification both come back here.
 class SessionScreen extends StatefulWidget {
   /// Creates the screen; every dependency is injectable for tests.
   const SessionScreen({
@@ -67,7 +66,6 @@ class _SessionScreenState extends State<SessionScreen> {
   double? _lastWeight;
   double? _confirming;
   Timer? _timer;
-  int _ticks = 0;
   bool _finishing = false;
   String _status = '';
 
@@ -78,11 +76,22 @@ class _SessionScreenState extends State<SessionScreen> {
   }
 
   /// Loads the session the ring screen left, or starts one if reached cold.
+  ///
+  /// Cold with today's session already in history is a stale native record
+  /// (`SessionNotice.kt`) that redirected a launch here: one session per
+  /// day, so clear it and close rather than start the morning over.
   Future<void> _init() async {
     final tags = await SessionTagSettings.load();
     final now = _now();
     var session = await _store.loadCurrent();
     if (session == null) {
+      final today = SessionRules.dateKey(now);
+      if ((await _store.history()).any((s) => s.date == today)) {
+        sessionLog('already finished today; closing');
+        await _scheduler.finishSession();
+        await _scheduler.closeRingScreen();
+        return;
+      }
       session = SessionRules.start(
         now: now,
         tags: tags,
@@ -93,8 +102,7 @@ class _SessionScreenState extends State<SessionScreen> {
       await _store.save(session);
     }
     final last = await _store.lastWeightKg();
-    await _scheduler.beginMotionWatch();
-    await _scheduler.armReRing(session.nextDeadline());
+    await pointNativeAtLeg(_scheduler, session);
     if (!mounted) return;
     setState(() {
       _tags = tags;
@@ -143,7 +151,7 @@ class _SessionScreenState extends State<SessionScreen> {
   Future<void> _commit(String status) async {
     final session = _session!;
     await _store.save(session);
-    await _scheduler.armReRing(session.nextDeadline());
+    await pointNativeAtLeg(_scheduler, session);
     if (!mounted) return;
     setState(() => _status = status);
     if (!session.isActive) await _finish();
@@ -157,19 +165,17 @@ class _SessionScreenState extends State<SessionScreen> {
     if (tick.changed) {
       // A bypass passes a leg, so the deadline moves with it.
       await _store.save(session);
-      await _scheduler.armReRing(session.nextDeadline());
+      await pointNativeAtLeg(_scheduler, session);
     }
     if (tick.ringReason != null) {
       await _ring(tick.ringReason!, now);
       return;
     }
-    _ticks++;
-    if (_ticks % kMotionPollEvery == 0) {
-      final idle = await _scheduler.motionIdle();
-      if (session.stillnessRingDue(idle)) {
-        await _ring('still:${session.currentLeg!.name}', now);
-        return;
-      }
+    // The native deadline already rang (see [AlarmScheduler.isRinging]):
+    // the dismiss sequence belongs in front now, not after the 20 s grace.
+    if (session.isActive && await _scheduler.isRinging()) {
+      await _ring('deadline:${session.currentLeg!.name}', now);
+      return;
     }
     if (!mounted) return;
     setState(() {
diff --git a/phone_app/lib/services/alarm_scheduler.dart b/phone_app/lib/services/alarm_scheduler.dart
index 856672a..924a5b6 100644
--- a/phone_app/lib/services/alarm_scheduler.dart
+++ b/phone_app/lib/services/alarm_scheduler.dart
@@ -148,23 +148,43 @@ class AlarmScheduler {
     <String, int?>{'atMillis': at?.millisecondsSinceEpoch},
   );
 
-  /// Ends the session: drops the pending re-ring and the motion watch.
+  /// Ends the session: drops the pending re-ring and the session notice.
   ///
   /// The only path that clears a re-ring. Called from the session's own
   /// finish, never from a button — the wake alarm still has no off switch.
   Future<void> finishSession() => _channel.invokeMethod<void>('finishSession');
 
-  /// Starts sampling the accelerometer; the idle clock starts now.
-  Future<void> beginMotionWatch() =>
-      _channel.invokeMethod<void>('beginMotionWatch');
-
-  /// How long the phone has lain still, or null when nothing is watching.
+  /// Hands the native side the live leg: [date] (`yyyy-mm-dd`), its [label]
+  /// and the instant it re-rings at, or null when it has no deadline.
   ///
-  /// Null is "unknown", never "still": a missing sensor must not re-ring.
-  Future<Duration?> motionIdle() async {
-    final millis = await _channel.invokeMethod<int>('motionIdleMillis') ?? -1;
-    return millis < 0 ? null : Duration(milliseconds: millis);
-  }
+  /// This is what the launcher redirect and the ongoing notification read
+  /// (`SessionNotice.kt`), so it must follow every leg change; the
+  /// notification counts down by itself, so it need not follow the tick.
+  Future<void> updateSessionNotice({
+    required String date,
+    required String label,
+    DateTime? deadline,
+  }) => _channel.invokeMethod<void>('updateSessionNotice', <String, Object?>{
+    'date': date,
+    'label': label,
+    'deadlineMillis': deadline?.millisecondsSinceEpoch,
+  });
+
+  /// Whether a launch right now is redirected into the morning: a ring is
+  /// sounding, or today's session is still on a leg. The probes ask before
+  /// starting a test ring on top of it.
+  Future<bool> morningLive() async =>
+      await _channel.invokeMethod<bool>('morningLive') ?? false;
+
+  /// Whether the ring is sounding right now.
+  ///
+  /// The session screen polls this every tick. A deadline that fires while
+  /// the checklist sits in the background is a heads-up notification plus
+  /// sound (an unlocked, in-use phone downgrades the full-screen intent) and
+  /// the live `singleInstance` activity is not recreated, so nothing else
+  /// would put the dismiss sequence in front of the noise.
+  Future<bool> isRinging() async =>
+      await _channel.invokeMethod<bool>('isRinging') ?? false;
 
   /// Raw presence observations: `ssid`, `bssid`, `lat`, `lon`, `accuracy`,
   /// `distanceMeters`, `reason`.
diff --git a/phone_app/lib/services/morning_session.dart b/phone_app/lib/services/morning_session.dart
index 5e45829..d1c24e4 100644
--- a/phone_app/lib/services/morning_session.dart
+++ b/phone_app/lib/services/morning_session.dart
@@ -108,9 +108,6 @@ class MorningSession {
   /// your feet — never a silent skip.
   static const Duration bypassGrace = Duration(minutes: 5);
 
-  /// A phone that has not moved for this long is on a nightstand.
-  static const Duration stillnessLimit = Duration(minutes: 4);
-
   /// Re-rings per morning before the session gives up.
   static const int maxReRings = 3;
 
@@ -147,7 +144,7 @@ class MorningSession {
   /// Re-rings dismissed so far this session.
   int reRings;
 
-  /// Why each re-ring happened, e.g. `still:dressed`, `deadline:atDesk`.
+  /// Why each re-ring happened, e.g. `deadline:atDesk`.
   final List<String> reRingReasons;
 
   /// Set by the driver before it rings, so the dismiss can name the reason.
@@ -188,9 +185,6 @@ class MorningSession {
   /// Whether another re-ring is allowed.
   bool get canReRing => reRings < maxReRings;
 
-  /// Whether the still-phone check is off: it lies on a shelf in the shower.
-  bool get stillnessSuspended => currentLeg == SessionLeg.showerDone;
-
   /// Whether this session still needs driving.
   bool get isActive => outcome == SessionOutcome.active;
 }
diff --git a/phone_app/lib/services/session_notice.dart b/phone_app/lib/services/session_notice.dart
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7e5d031
--- /dev/null
+++ b/phone_app/lib/services/session_notice.dart
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+import 'package:wake_alarm_sync/services/alarm_scheduler.dart';
+import 'package:wake_alarm_sync/services/morning_session.dart';
+import 'package:wake_alarm_sync/services/session_rules.dart';
+
+/// Keeps the native side pointed at the live leg.
+///
+/// One call re-arms the deadline (`armReRing`) and rewrites the native
+/// session record behind the launcher redirect and the ongoing notification
+/// (`updateSessionNotice`). They are one operation on purpose: a leg whose
+/// deadline moved but whose notice did not would show a countdown to an
+/// instant nothing rings at, and the reverse would let the notification
+/// promise a ring the alarm never arms.
+///
+/// Called on every change to the session, never per tick -- the countdown
+/// is the notification's own.
+///
+/// A session that is over gets no notice: the finish path clears the record
+/// and the notification, and this must not race it back into existence --
+/// the tick that noticed the last leg pass ran `_finish` while the tag's
+/// own commit was still on its way here (emulator, 2026-09-17), and the
+/// stale "Done" record then redirected the next launch into a second
+/// session for the day.
+Future<void> pointNativeAtLeg(
+  AlarmScheduler scheduler,
+  MorningSession session,
+) async {
+  final deadline = session.nextDeadline();
+  await scheduler.armReRing(deadline);
+  if (!session.isActive) return;
+  await scheduler.updateSessionNotice(
+    date: session.date,
+    label: noticeLabel(session),
+    deadline: deadline,
+  );
+}
+
+/// The notification's one line: the leg to satisfy, or what happens instead.
+String noticeLabel(MorningSession session) {
+  final leg = session.currentLeg!;
+  if (session.deadlineRung.contains(leg)) {
+    return '${leg.label} — passes by itself soon';
+  }
+  return leg.label;
+}
diff --git a/phone_app/lib/services/session_rules.dart b/phone_app/lib/services/session_rules.dart
index 40be258..3e582ba 100644
--- a/phone_app/lib/services/session_rules.dart
+++ b/phone_app/lib/services/session_rules.dart
@@ -12,9 +12,8 @@ class SessionTick {
 
   /// Why to ring right now, or null.
   ///
-  /// Set only for a stillness ring or a deadline the native alarm should
-  /// already have fired — calling the ring twice is harmless, missing it is
-  /// not.
+  /// Set only for a deadline the native alarm should already have fired —
+  /// calling the ring twice is harmless, missing it is not.
   final String? ringReason;
 
   /// Something to show, or null.
@@ -141,14 +140,6 @@ extension SessionRules on MorningSession {
     return SessionTick(ringReason: 'deadline:${leg.name}');
   }
 
-  /// Whether the phone has lain still long enough to ring.
-  bool stillnessRingDue(Duration? idle) =>
-      isActive &&
-      canReRing &&
-      !stillnessSuspended &&
-      idle != null &&
-      idle >= MorningSession.stillnessLimit;
-
   /// Names the re-ring the driver is about to trigger.
   void markReRing(String reason, DateTime now) {
     pendingReRingReason = reason;
diff --git a/phone_app/scripts/emu_morning.py b/phone_app/scripts/emu_morning.py
index 825589f..bdc2f10 100755
--- a/phone_app/scripts/emu_morning.py
+++ b/phone_app/scripts/emu_morning.py
@@ -8,8 +8,10 @@ and types the challenge answers it reads back from logcat. Everything else
 
     scripts/emu_morning.py dismiss          # tag 1, walk, tag 2, 3 answers
     scripts/emu_morning.py tag bath         # one session tag
-    scripts/emu_morning.py idle 300000      # the phone "lay still" 5 min
+    scripts/emu_morning.py rering           # fire the deadline alarm now
     scripts/emu_morning.py weight 72.4      # type a weight and submit
+    scripts/emu_morning.py home             # leave the app (home gesture)
+    scripts/emu_morning.py launch           # tap the launcher icon
     scripts/emu_morning.py shot out.png     # screenshot
 
 Reads answers from a ``flutter run`` log (``--log``) or from ``adb logcat``.
@@ -63,6 +65,42 @@ def write_file(serial: str, name: str, content: str) -> None:
     adb(serial, "shell", f"mkdir -p {FILES} && printf %s '{content}' > {FILES}/{name}")
 
 
+def rering(serial: str) -> None:
+    """Delivers the session-deadline broadcast, as AlarmManager would.
+
+    Targets the receiver by component, so there is no waiting for a real
+    ten-minute window. The receiver is not exported, so the shell user's
+    broadcast is silently dropped (``result=0`` and nothing happens); adbd
+    has to run as root, which a Google-APIs AVD allows and a Play one does
+    not. Idempotent, so it is done here rather than left to the caller.
+    """
+    adb(serial, "root")
+    adb(serial, "wait-for-device")
+    adb(
+        serial,
+        "shell",
+        "am broadcast -n",
+        f"{PACKAGE}/.AlarmReceiver",
+        "--es reason rering",
+    )
+
+
+def home(serial: str) -> None:
+    """Backgrounds whatever is in front, as the home gesture does."""
+    adb(serial, "shell", "input keyevent HOME")
+
+
+def launch(serial: str) -> None:
+    """Starts the app from its launcher entry, as a tap on the icon does."""
+    adb(
+        serial,
+        "shell",
+        "monkey -p",
+        PACKAGE,
+        "-c android.intent.category.LAUNCHER 1",
+    )
+
+
 def screenshot(serial: str, path: Path) -> None:
     """Captures the screen as PNG to [path]."""
     path.write_bytes(adb(serial, "exec-out", "screencap", "-p"))
@@ -172,7 +210,9 @@ def main(argv: list[str]) -> int:
     sub = parser.add_subparsers(dest="cmd", required=True)
     sub.add_parser("dismiss")
     sub.add_parser("tag").add_argument("id")
-    sub.add_parser("idle").add_argument("ms")
+    sub.add_parser("rering")
+    sub.add_parser("home")
+    sub.add_parser("launch")
     sub.add_parser("weight").add_argument("kg")
     sub.add_parser("shot").add_argument("path", type=Path)
     args = parser.parse_args(argv)
@@ -180,8 +220,12 @@ def main(argv: list[str]) -> int:
         dismiss(args.serial, args.log)
     elif args.cmd == "tag":
         write_file(args.serial, "tag", args.id)
-    elif args.cmd == "idle":
-        write_file(args.serial, "idle_ms", args.ms)
+    elif args.cmd == "rering":
+        rering(args.serial)
+    elif args.cmd == "home":
+        home(args.serial)
+    elif args.cmd == "launch":
+        launch(args.serial)
     elif args.cmd == "weight":
         type_and_submit(args.serial, args.kg)
     elif args.cmd == "shot":
diff --git a/phone_app/test/free_day_interop_writer_test.dart b/phone_app/test/free_day_interop_writer_test.dart
index cfa5689..949bda7 100644
--- a/phone_app/test/free_day_interop_writer_test.dart
+++ b/phone_app/test/free_day_interop_writer_test.dart
@@ -7,9 +7,9 @@ import 'package:wake_alarm_sync/services/free_day_pool.dart';
 /// Half of the cross-language gate (`scripts/free_days_interop/check.sh`).
 ///
 /// Writes a pool through the Dart rules to `FREE_DAYS_INTEROP_OUT`, then the
-/// script replays the same edits through the Python package and compares. Under a plain
-/// `flutter test` the variable is unset and this does nothing: the point is
-/// the comparison, and only the script can make it.
+/// script replays the same edits through the Python package and compares.
+/// Under a plain `flutter test` the variable is unset and this does nothing:
+/// the point is the comparison, and only the script can make it.
 class _FilePersistence implements LogPersistence {
   _FilePersistence(this.file);
 
diff --git a/phone_app/test/services/alarm_scheduler_test.dart b/phone_app/test/services/alarm_scheduler_test.dart
index e66a24b..fc62fca 100644
--- a/phone_app/test/services/alarm_scheduler_test.dart
+++ b/phone_app/test/services/alarm_scheduler_test.dart
@@ -80,4 +80,35 @@ void main() {
   test('stepsSinceRingStart reports -1 when the platform gives null', () async {
     expect(await scheduler.stepsSinceRingStart(), -1);
   });
+
+  test('updateSessionNotice carries date, label and the deadline', () async {
+    final at = DateTime(2026, 9, 17, 8, 45);
+    await scheduler.updateSessionNotice(
+      date: '2026-09-17',
+      label: 'Tap the bathroom tag',
+      deadline: at,
+    );
+    expect(calls.single.method, 'updateSessionNotice');
+    expect(calls.single.arguments, <String, Object?>{
+      'date': '2026-09-17',
+      'label': 'Tap the bathroom tag',
+      'deadlineMillis': at.millisecondsSinceEpoch,
+    });
+  });
+
+  test('updateSessionNotice sends null for a leg with no deadline', () async {
+    await scheduler.updateSessionNotice(date: '2026-09-17', label: 'x');
+    expect(
+      (calls.single.arguments as Map<Object?, Object?>)['deadlineMillis'],
+      isNull,
+    );
+  });
+
+  test('morningLive and isRinging fail closed on a null result', () async {
+    expect(await scheduler.morningLive(), isFalse);
+    expect(await scheduler.isRinging(), isFalse);
+    reply = true;
+    expect(await scheduler.morningLive(), isTrue);
+    expect(await scheduler.isRinging(), isTrue);
+  });
 }
diff --git a/phone_app/test/services/session_notice_test.dart b/phone_app/test/services/session_notice_test.dart
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..15c5d82
--- /dev/null
+++ b/phone_app/test/services/session_notice_test.dart
@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+import 'package:flutter/services.dart';
+import 'package:flutter_test/flutter_test.dart';
+import 'package:wake_alarm_sync/services/alarm_scheduler.dart';
+import 'package:wake_alarm_sync/services/morning_session.dart';
+import 'package:wake_alarm_sync/services/session_notice.dart';
+import 'package:wake_alarm_sync/services/session_rules.dart';
+import 'package:wake_alarm_sync/services/session_tag_settings.dart';
+
+final DateTime t0 = DateTime(2026, 9, 17, 8, 5);
+const SessionTagSettings allTags = SessionTagSettings(
+  tagIds: <String>['bath', 'ward', 'desk'],
+);
+
+MorningSession fresh() =>
+    SessionRules.start(now: t0, tags: allTags, nfcAvailable: true);
+
+void main() {
+  TestWidgetsFlutterBinding.ensureInitialized();
+
+  late List<MethodCall> calls;
+  late AlarmScheduler scheduler;
+
+  setUp(() {
+    calls = <MethodCall>[];
+    const channel = MethodChannel(AlarmScheduler.channelName);
+    TestDefaultBinaryMessengerBinding.instance.defaultBinaryMessenger
+        .setMockMethodCallHandler(channel, (call) async {
+          calls.add(call);
+          return null;
+        });
+    scheduler = AlarmScheduler(channel: channel);
+  });
+
+  test('the label is the live leg', () {
+    expect(noticeLabel(fresh()), 'Tap the bathroom tag');
+  });
+
+  test('a leg whose re-ring is spent says it will pass by itself', () {
+    final s = fresh()..deadlineRung.add(SessionLeg.bathroomIn);
+    expect(noticeLabel(s), 'Tap the bathroom tag — passes by itself soon');
+  });
+
+  test('a finished session drops the deadline and posts no notice', () async {
+    final s = fresh()
+      ..enterWeight(72, t0)
+      ..onTag(SessionTagSlot.bathroom, t0)
+      ..onTag(SessionTagSlot.bathroom, t0.add(const Duration(minutes: 9)))
+      ..onTag(SessionTagSlot.wardrobe, t0)
+      ..onTag(SessionTagSlot.desk, t0);
+    expect(s.isActive, isFalse);
+    await pointNativeAtLeg(scheduler, s);
+    expect(calls.map((c) => c.method), <String>['armReRing']);
+    expect(calls.single.arguments, <String, int?>{'atMillis': null});
+  });
+
+  test('pointNativeAtLeg arms the deadline and the notice together', () async {
+    final s = fresh();
+    await pointNativeAtLeg(scheduler, s);
+    expect(calls.map((c) => c.method), <String>[
+      'armReRing',
+      'updateSessionNotice',
+    ]);
+    final deadline = s.nextDeadline()!.millisecondsSinceEpoch;
+    expect(calls[0].arguments, <String, int?>{'atMillis': deadline});
+    expect(calls[1].arguments, <String, Object?>{
+      'date': '2026-09-17',
+      'label': 'Tap the bathroom tag',
+      'deadlineMillis': deadline,
+    });
+  });
+
+  test('a spent re-ring sends no deadline to either side', () async {
+    final s = fresh()..deadlineRung.add(SessionLeg.bathroomIn);
+    await pointNativeAtLeg(scheduler, s);
+    expect(calls[0].arguments, <String, int?>{'atMillis': null});
+    expect(
+      (calls[1].arguments as Map<Object?, Object?>)['deadlineMillis'],
+      isNull,
+    );
+  });
+}
diff --git a/phone_app/test/services/session_rules_test.dart b/phone_app/test/services/session_rules_test.dart
index 9df061f..1dcfaa6 100644
--- a/phone_app/test/services/session_rules_test.dart
+++ b/phone_app/test/services/session_rules_test.dart
@@ -136,7 +136,6 @@ void main() {
         s.deadline(SessionLeg.bathroomIn),
         t0.add(const Duration(minutes: 10)),
       );
-      expect(s.stillnessSuspended, isTrue);
     });
   });
 
@@ -178,30 +177,17 @@ void main() {
     });
 
     test(
-      'a stillness ring keeps its reason and does not spend the deadline',
+      'a ring before the deadline keeps its reason and does not spend it',
       () {
         final s = fresh()
-          ..markReRing('still:bathroomIn', t0)
+          ..markReRing('deadline:bathroomIn', t0)
           ..recordReRing(t0.add(const Duration(minutes: 3)));
-        expect(s.reRingReasons, <String>['still:bathroomIn']);
+        expect(s.reRingReasons, <String>['deadline:bathroomIn']);
         expect(s.deadlineRung, isEmpty);
         expect(s.nextDeadline(), isNotNull);
       },
     );
 
-    test('stillness is due only when live, allowed and not showering', () {
-      final s = fresh();
-      expect(s.stillnessRingDue(const Duration(minutes: 4)), isTrue);
-      expect(s.stillnessRingDue(const Duration(minutes: 3)), isFalse);
-      expect(s.stillnessRingDue(null), isFalse);
-      expect(
-        inBathroom().stillnessRingDue(const Duration(minutes: 9)),
-        isFalse,
-      );
-      s.reRings = MorningSession.maxReRings;
-      expect(s.stillnessRingDue(const Duration(minutes: 9)), isFalse);
-    });
-
     test('a miss with no re-rings left fails the session', () {
       final s = fresh()..reRings = MorningSession.maxReRings;
       expect(s.nextDeadline(), isNull);
diff --git a/phone_app/test/session_screen_relaunch_test.dart b/phone_app/test/session_screen_relaunch_test.dart
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..acf5b56
--- /dev/null
+++ b/phone_app/test/session_screen_relaunch_test.dart
@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
+import 'package:flutter/services.dart';
+import 'package:flutter_test/flutter_test.dart';
+import 'package:shared_preferences/shared_preferences.dart';
+import 'package:wake_alarm_sync/screens/session_screen.dart';
+import 'package:wake_alarm_sync/services/alarm_scheduler.dart';
+import 'package:wake_alarm_sync/services/morning_session.dart';
+import 'package:wake_alarm_sync/services/session_rules.dart';
+import 'package:wake_alarm_sync/services/session_store.dart';
+import 'package:wake_alarm_sync/services/session_tag_settings.dart';
+
+/// The session screen reached cold by the launcher redirect, not by a ring.
+void main() {
+  TestWidgetsFlutterBinding.ensureInitialized();
+
+  late List<MethodCall> calls;
+  final now = DateTime(2026, 9, 17, 8, 40);
+
+  setUp(() async {
+    calls = <MethodCall>[];
+    SharedPreferences.setMockInitialValues(<String, Object>{});
+    TestDefaultBinaryMessengerBinding.instance.defaultBinaryMessenger
+        .setMockMethodCallHandler(
+          const MethodChannel(AlarmScheduler.channelName),
+          (call) async {
+            calls.add(call);
+            return call.method == 'hasNfc' ? true : null;
+          },
+        );
+    await SessionTagSettings.replaceAll(<String>['bath', 'ward', 'desk'], '');
+  });
+
+  Future<void> pumpCold(WidgetTester tester) async {
+    await tester.pumpWidget(
+      MaterialApp(
+        home: SessionScreen(clock: () => now, publish: () async => 'ok'),
+      ),
+    );
+    await tester.pump();
+    await tester.pump();
+  }
+
+  testWidgets('resumes the persisted session at its live leg', (tester) async {
+    final at = now.subtract(const Duration(minutes: 4));
+    final session =
+        SessionRules.start(
+            now: now.subtract(const Duration(minutes: 5)),
+            tags: await SessionTagSettings.load(),
+            nfcAvailable: true,
+          )
+          ..enterWeight(72, at)
+          ..onTag(SessionTagSlot.bathroom, at);
+    await SessionStore().save(session);
+    await pumpCold(tester);
+    expect(find.text('Weigh in — 72.0 kg'), findsOneWidget);
+    expect(find.textContaining('tag counts in'), findsOneWidget);
+    final notice = calls.lastWhere((c) => c.method == 'updateSessionNotice');
+    expect(
+      (notice.arguments as Map<Object?, Object?>)['label'],
+      'Shower, then tap the bathroom tag again',
+    );
+    expect(calls.map((c) => c.method), isNot(contains('closeRingScreen')));
+  });
+
+  testWidgets('with today already finished it clears the record and closes', (
+    tester,
+  ) async {
+    final done = SessionRules.start(
+      now: now.subtract(const Duration(minutes: 30)),
+      tags: const SessionTagSettings(),
+      nfcAvailable: false,
+    )..enterWeight(72, now.subtract(const Duration(minutes: 29)));
+    expect(done.outcome, SessionOutcome.completed);
+    await SessionStore().archive(done);
+    await pumpCold(tester);
+    final methods = calls.map((c) => c.method).toList();
+    expect(methods, contains('finishSession'));
+    expect(methods.last, 'closeRingScreen');
+    expect(methods, isNot(contains('updateSessionNotice')));
+    expect(await SessionStore().loadCurrent(), isNull);
+    expect((await SessionStore().history()).length, 1);
+  });
+}
diff --git a/phone_app/test/session_screen_test.dart b/phone_app/test/session_screen_test.dart
index 5984cc1..8c4bddc 100644
--- a/phone_app/test/session_screen_test.dart
+++ b/phone_app/test/session_screen_test.dart
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ void main() {
 
   late List<MethodCall> calls;
   late DateTime now;
-  int? idleMs;
+  var ringing = false;
   var published = 0;
 
   void mockChannel() {
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ void main() {
           (call) async {
             calls.add(call);
             if (call.method == 'hasNfc') return true;
-            if (call.method == 'motionIdleMillis') return idleMs ?? -1;
+            if (call.method == 'isRinging') return ringing;
             return null;
           },
         );
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ void main() {
   setUp(() async {
     calls = <MethodCall>[];
     now = DateTime(2026, 9, 17, 8, 4);
-    idleMs = null;
+    ringing = false;
     published = 0;
     SharedPreferences.setMockInitialValues(<String, Object>{});
     mockChannel();
@@ -92,14 +92,33 @@ void main() {
     expect(find.text('Stay up'), findsOneWidget);
     expect(find.text('Weigh in'), findsOneWidget);
     expect(find.text('Alarm returns in 10:00'), findsOneWidget);
-    expect(methods(), contains('beginMotionWatch'));
+    final deadline = now.add(MorningSession.legWindow).millisecondsSinceEpoch;
     final arm = calls.firstWhere((c) => c.method == 'armReRing');
-    expect(arm.arguments, <String, int?>{
-      'atMillis': now.add(MorningSession.legWindow).millisecondsSinceEpoch,
+    expect(arm.arguments, <String, int?>{'atMillis': deadline});
+    // The native record behind the launcher redirect and the notification
+    // follows the deadline in the same breath.
+    final notice = calls.firstWhere((c) => c.method == 'updateSessionNotice');
+    expect(notice.arguments, <String, Object?>{
+      'date': '2026-09-17',
+      'label': 'Tap the bathroom tag',
+      'deadlineMillis': deadline,
     });
     expect((await SessionStore().loadCurrent())?.date, '2026-09-17');
   });
 
+  testWidgets('every leg change re-points the native notice', (tester) async {
+    await pumpSession(tester);
+    await logWeight(tester, '72');
+    await tap('bath');
+    await tester.pump();
+    final labels = calls
+        .where((c) => c.method == 'updateSessionNotice')
+        .map((c) => (c.arguments as Map<Object?, Object?>)['label'])
+        .toList();
+    expect(labels.last, 'Shower, then tap the bathroom tag again');
+    expect(methods(), isNot(contains('beginMotionWatch')));
+  });
+
   testWidgets('walks every leg, then finishes, archives and closes', (
     tester,
   ) async {
@@ -137,7 +156,7 @@ void main() {
     expect(done.reRings, 0);
   });
 
-  testWidgets('a still phone rings and routes to the ring screen', (
+  testWidgets('a native ring already sounding routes to the ring screen', (
     tester,
   ) async {
     await pumpSession(tester);
@@ -146,22 +165,22 @@ void main() {
     now = now.add(const Duration(minutes: 9));
     await tap('bath');
     await tester.pump();
-    idleMs = MorningSession.stillnessLimit.inMilliseconds;
-    await tick(tester, kMotionPollEvery);
+    ringing = true;
+    await tick(tester);
     await tester.pumpAndSettle();
     expect(methods(), contains('ringNow'));
     expect(find.text('RING'), findsOneWidget);
     final saved = (await SessionStore().loadCurrent())!;
-    expect(saved.pendingReRingReason, 'still:dressed');
+    expect(saved.pendingReRingReason, 'deadline:dressed');
     expect(saved.currentLeg, SessionLeg.dressed);
   });
 
-  testWidgets('stillness is ignored while showering', (tester) async {
+  testWidgets('a silent phone keeps ticking without ringing', (tester) async {
     await pumpSession(tester);
     await logWeight(tester, '72');
     await tap('bath');
-    idleMs = MorningSession.stillnessLimit.inMilliseconds * 2;
-    await tick(tester, kMotionPollEvery);
+    await tick(tester, 5);
+    expect(methods(), contains('isRinging'));
     expect(methods(), isNot(contains('ringNow')));
   });