diff --git a/android/app/src/main/java/ai/offgridmobile/download/DownloadForegroundService.kt b/android/app/src/main/java/ai/offgridmobile/download/DownloadForegroundService.kt
index 30508e618..e990f2cf9 100644
--- a/android/app/src/main/java/ai/offgridmobile/download/DownloadForegroundService.kt
+++ b/android/app/src/main/java/ai/offgridmobile/download/DownloadForegroundService.kt
@@ -95,10 +95,16 @@ class DownloadForegroundService : Service() {
 
         private fun startService(context: Context) {
             val intent = Intent(context, DownloadForegroundService::class.java)
-            if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.O) {
-                context.startForegroundService(intent)
-            } else {
-                context.startService(intent)
+            try {
+                if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.O) {
+                    context.startForegroundService(intent)
+                } else {
+                    context.startService(intent)
+                }
+            } catch (e: IllegalStateException) {
+                // App is in the background on Android 12+ — notification skipped,
+                // but WorkManager continues the download unaffected.
+                android.util.Log.w("DownloadService", "Skipping foreground notification (background): ${e.message}")
             }
         }
     }
@@ -112,10 +118,19 @@ class DownloadForegroundService : Service() {
 
     override fun onStartCommand(intent: Intent?, flags: Int, startId: Int): Int {
         val notification = buildNotificationFromState()
-        if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.Q) {
-            startForeground(NOTIFICATION_ID, notification, ServiceInfo.FOREGROUND_SERVICE_TYPE_DATA_SYNC)
-        } else {
-            startForeground(NOTIFICATION_ID, notification)
+        try {
+            if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.Q) {
+                startForeground(NOTIFICATION_ID, notification, ServiceInfo.FOREGROUND_SERVICE_TYPE_DATA_SYNC)
+            } else {
+                startForeground(NOTIFICATION_ID, notification)
+            }
+        } catch (e: IllegalStateException) {
+            // startForeground() can throw on Android 15+ when the dataSync time budget
+            // is exhausted. Calling stopSelf() here prevents the service sitting in limbo,
+            // which would otherwise trigger ForegroundServiceDidNotStartInTimeException.
+            // WorkManager continues the download unaffected without the notification.
+            android.util.Log.w("DownloadService", "startForeground failed, stopping service: ${e.message}")
+            stopSelf()
         }
         return START_NOT_STICKY
     }
diff --git a/ios/OffgridMobile.xcodeproj/project.pbxproj b/ios/OffgridMobile.xcodeproj/project.pbxproj
index f7a712c4c..3d87997e5 100644
--- a/ios/OffgridMobile.xcodeproj/project.pbxproj
+++ b/ios/OffgridMobile.xcodeproj/project.pbxproj
@@ -315,14 +315,10 @@
 			inputFileListPaths = (
 				"${PODS_ROOT}/Target Support Files/Pods-OffgridMobile/Pods-OffgridMobile-frameworks-${CONFIGURATION}-input-files.xcfilelist",
 			);
-			inputPaths = (
-			);
 			name = "[CP] Embed Pods Frameworks";
 			outputFileListPaths = (
 				"${PODS_ROOT}/Target Support Files/Pods-OffgridMobile/Pods-OffgridMobile-frameworks-${CONFIGURATION}-output-files.xcfilelist",
 			);
-			outputPaths = (
-			);
 			runOnlyForDeploymentPostprocessing = 0;
 			shellPath = /bin/sh;
 			shellScript = "\"${PODS_ROOT}/Target Support Files/Pods-OffgridMobile/Pods-OffgridMobile-frameworks.sh\"\n";
@@ -358,14 +354,10 @@
 			inputFileListPaths = (
 				"${PODS_ROOT}/Target Support Files/Pods-OffgridMobile/Pods-OffgridMobile-resources-${CONFIGURATION}-input-files.xcfilelist",
 			);
-			inputPaths = (
-			);
 			name = "[CP] Copy Pods Resources";
 			outputFileListPaths = (
 				"${PODS_ROOT}/Target Support Files/Pods-OffgridMobile/Pods-OffgridMobile-resources-${CONFIGURATION}-output-files.xcfilelist",
 			);
-			outputPaths = (
-			);
 			runOnlyForDeploymentPostprocessing = 0;
 			shellPath = /bin/sh;
 			shellScript = "\"${PODS_ROOT}/Target Support Files/Pods-OffgridMobile/Pods-OffgridMobile-resources.sh\"\n";
diff --git a/ios/Podfile.lock b/ios/Podfile.lock
index a076829d0..3db88fc3a 100644
--- a/ios/Podfile.lock
+++ b/ios/Podfile.lock
@@ -3238,11 +3238,11 @@ PODS:
     - ReactCommon/turbomodule/core
     - SocketRocket
     - Yoga
-  - RNZipArchive (7.0.2):
+  - RNZipArchive (7.1.0):
     - React-Core
-    - RNZipArchive/Core (= 7.0.2)
+    - RNZipArchive/Core (= 7.1.0)
     - SSZipArchive (~> 2.5.5)
-  - RNZipArchive/Core (7.0.2):
+  - RNZipArchive/Core (7.1.0):
     - React-Core
     - SSZipArchive (~> 2.5.5)
   - SocketRocket (0.7.1)
@@ -3603,7 +3603,7 @@ SPEC CHECKSUMS:
   FBLazyVector: 309703e71d3f2f1ed7dc7889d58309c9d77a95a4
   fmt: a40bb5bd0294ea969aaaba240a927bd33d878cdd
   glog: 5683914934d5b6e4240e497e0f4a3b42d1854183
-  hermes-engine: 3f74bbb07573d284e764cee0131ae769e16c53b8
+  hermes-engine: 8c6be38f94b3bf8b864981980e64e55f08e467ec
   llama-rn: 3ae5a64b3d08ff41f9e62b214ba5004e475b9561
   lottie-ios: a881093fab623c467d3bce374367755c272bdd59
   lottie-react-native: 691b8363e8c591fb78a78254ff2517258891456b
@@ -3695,7 +3695,7 @@ SPEC CHECKSUMS:
   RNSVG: 595abfa0f9ac26d56afcaaedf4e37a00f54cab71
   RNVectorIcons: 791f13226ec4a3fd13062eda9e892159f0981fae
   RNWorklets: 944dddd0eef13006b658e653abbb3ee8365c3809
-  RNZipArchive: 4304f5100eab004eeb7349adc51997b3a28deb76
+  RNZipArchive: f2806ba80e24cf1984d6a7cb361d8a07d734997d
   SocketRocket: d4aabe649be1e368d1318fdf28a022d714d65748
   SSZipArchive: c69881e8ac5521f0e622291387add5f60f30f3c4
   whisper-rn: 7566faf9b7d78e39ab9fc634cb90fdee81177793
diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index 11517dc29..17facdb48 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@
         "react-native-svg": "^15.15.3",
         "react-native-vector-icons": "^10.3.0",
         "react-native-worklets": "^0.7.3",
-        "react-native-zip-archive": "^7.0.2",
+        "react-native-zip-archive": "^7.1.0",
         "whisper.rn": "^0.5.5",
         "zustand": "^5.0.10"
       },
@@ -12595,9 +12595,9 @@
       }
     },
     "node_modules/react-native-zip-archive": {
-      "version": "7.0.2",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/react-native-zip-archive/-/react-native-zip-archive-7.0.2.tgz",
-      "integrity": "sha512-msCRJMcwH6NVZ2/zoC+1nvA0wlpYRnMxteQywS9nt4BzXn48tZpaVtE519QEZn0xe3ygvgsWx5cdPoE9Jx3bsg==",
+      "version": "7.1.0",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/react-native-zip-archive/-/react-native-zip-archive-7.1.0.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-d/UGiF4Y9Xlf3PUIDO6d9u8AFuv1Wl7n8GirYOobpVoPLFuQhhf+YsHEZJBbi6aSZcM6QcGxeoqcJi303OrWJA==",
       "license": "MIT",
       "peerDependencies": {
         "react": ">=16.8.6",
@@ -14156,7 +14156,7 @@
       "version": "5.9.3",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/typescript/-/typescript-5.9.3.tgz",
       "integrity": "sha512-jl1vZzPDinLr9eUt3J/t7V6FgNEw9QjvBPdysz9KfQDD41fQrC2Y4vKQdiaUpFT4bXlb1RHhLpp8wtm6M5TgSw==",
-      "dev": true,
+      "devOptional": true,
       "license": "Apache-2.0",
       "bin": {
         "tsc": "bin/tsc",
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 58f1de965..29ecf907f 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@
     "react-native-svg": "^15.15.3",
     "react-native-vector-icons": "^10.3.0",
     "react-native-worklets": "^0.7.3",
-    "react-native-zip-archive": "^7.0.2",
+    "react-native-zip-archive": "^7.1.0",
     "whisper.rn": "^0.5.5",
     "zustand": "^5.0.10"
   },