diff --git a/src/app/components/VoiceMessageRecorder.tsx b/src/app/components/VoiceMessageRecorder.tsx
index 7f0e00240..06ca5f74f 100644
--- a/src/app/components/VoiceMessageRecorder.tsx
+++ b/src/app/components/VoiceMessageRecorder.tsx
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ export function VoiceMessageRecorder({ onSend, onError }: VoiceRecorderProps) {
   const [previewUrl, setPreviewUrl] = useState<string | null>(null);
 
   const mediaRecorderRef = useRef<MediaRecorder | null>(null);
+  const streamRef = useRef<MediaStream | null>(null);
   const chunksRef = useRef<Blob[]>([]);
   const analyserRef = useRef<AnalyserNode | null>(null);
   const audioCtxRef = useRef<AudioContext | null>(null);
@@ -62,6 +63,9 @@ export function VoiceMessageRecorder({ onSend, onError }: VoiceRecorderProps) {
   const startMeters = useCallback(() => {
     const analyser = analyserRef.current;
     if (!analyser) return;
+    // Guard against ever running two loops.
+    if (animFrameRef.current) cancelAnimationFrame(animFrameRef.current);
+    if (timerRef.current) clearInterval(timerRef.current);
     const buf = new Uint8Array(analyser.frequencyBinCount);
     const tick = () => {
       if (!analyserRef.current) return;
@@ -87,6 +91,14 @@ export function VoiceMessageRecorder({ onSend, onError }: VoiceRecorderProps) {
     }
   }, []);
 
+  // Release the microphone. The mic tracks are independent of the MediaRecorder
+  // and the AudioContext — neither mr.stop() nor audioCtx.close() releases them —
+  // so they must be stopped explicitly (else the OS mic indicator stays on).
+  const stopStream = useCallback(() => {
+    streamRef.current?.getTracks().forEach((t) => t.stop());
+    streamRef.current = null;
+  }, []);
+
   const stopAll = useCallback(() => {
     stopMeters();
     if (audioCtxRef.current) {
@@ -98,6 +110,15 @@ export function VoiceMessageRecorder({ onSend, onError }: VoiceRecorderProps) {
 
   useEffect(
     () => () => {
+      // Unmounting mid-recording/pause must release the mic — stopAll() only
+      // closes the AudioContext and cancels the meters, not the mic tracks.
+      const mr = mediaRecorderRef.current;
+      if (mr && (mr.state === 'recording' || mr.state === 'paused')) {
+        mr.ondataavailable = null;
+        mr.onstop = null;
+        mr.stop();
+      }
+      stopStream();
       stopAll();
       if (previewUrl) URL.revokeObjectURL(previewUrl);
     },
@@ -115,6 +136,7 @@ export function VoiceMessageRecorder({ onSend, onError }: VoiceRecorderProps) {
 
       const mr = new MediaRecorder(stream, { mimeType });
       mediaRecorderRef.current = mr;
+      streamRef.current = stream;
       chunksRef.current = [];
       rawSamplesRef.current = [];
       accumulatedMsRef.current = 0;
@@ -136,6 +158,7 @@ export function VoiceMessageRecorder({ onSend, onError }: VoiceRecorderProps) {
 
       mr.onstop = () => {
         stream.getTracks().forEach((t) => t.stop());
+        streamRef.current = null;
         const blob = new Blob(chunksRef.current, { type: mimeType });
         setPreviewBlob(blob);
         setPreviewUrl((prev) => {
@@ -186,9 +209,11 @@ export function VoiceMessageRecorder({ onSend, onError }: VoiceRecorderProps) {
     const mr = mediaRecorderRef.current;
     if (mr && (mr.state === 'recording' || mr.state === 'paused')) {
       mr.ondataavailable = null;
+      // onstop (which would release the mic) is cleared, so release it here.
       mr.onstop = null;
       mr.stop();
     }
+    stopStream();
     setPreviewBlob(null);
     setPreviewUrl((prev) => {
       if (prev) URL.revokeObjectURL(prev);
@@ -200,7 +225,7 @@ export function VoiceMessageRecorder({ onSend, onError }: VoiceRecorderProps) {
     setWaveformBars(Array(WAVEFORM_BARS).fill(0));
     setDurationMs(0);
     setState('idle');
-  }, [stopAll]);
+  }, [stopAll, stopStream]);
 
   const sendVoice = useCallback(() => {
     if (!previewBlob) return;
@@ -299,17 +324,19 @@ export function VoiceMessageRecorder({ onSend, onError }: VoiceRecorderProps) {
           size="300"
           radii="300"
           title={paused ? 'Resume' : 'Pause'}
+          style={{ flexShrink: 0 }}
         >
           <Icon src={paused ? Icons.Play : Icons.Pause} size="100" />
         </IconButton>
         <IconButton
           onClick={stopRecording}
-          aria-label="Stop recording"
+          aria-label="Finish recording"
           variant="Primary"
           fill="Soft"
           size="300"
           radii="300"
-          title="Stop recording"
+          title="Finish"
+          style={{ flexShrink: 0 }}
         >
           <Icon src={Icons.Check} size="100" />
         </IconButton>
@@ -320,6 +347,7 @@ export function VoiceMessageRecorder({ onSend, onError }: VoiceRecorderProps) {
           size="300"
           radii="300"
           title="Cancel"
+          style={{ flexShrink: 0 }}
         >
           <Icon src={Icons.Cross} size="100" />
         </IconButton>