diff --git a/apps/server/src/device/DeviceService.ts b/apps/server/src/device/DeviceService.ts
index 30e1f18c0497e..3f25ce84ef49b 100644
--- a/apps/server/src/device/DeviceService.ts
+++ b/apps/server/src/device/DeviceService.ts
@@ -93,6 +93,10 @@ const HubActionResult = Schema.Struct({
   serial: Schema.optional(Schema.String),
   error: Schema.optional(Schema.String),
 });
+const HubStreamModeResult = Schema.Struct({
+  ok: Schema.Literal(true),
+  mode: Schema.Literal("scrcpy"),
+});
 
 export interface DeviceScreenshot {
   readonly device: DeviceSummary;
@@ -525,6 +529,17 @@ export const makeWithHosts = Effect.fn("DeviceService.makeWithHosts")(function*
     }
   });
 
+  const ensurePhysicalAndroidStream = Effect.fn("DeviceService.ensurePhysicalAndroidStream")(
+    function* (ready: DeviceReadiness, device: DeviceSummary) {
+      if (device.platform !== "android" || !device.physical) return;
+      const url = `${ready.hub.origin}${vendorPrefix("android")}/api/stream-mode?device=${encodeURIComponent(device.id)}`;
+      const request = HttpClientRequest.put(url).pipe(
+        HttpClientRequest.bodyJsonUnsafe({ mode: "scrcpy" }),
+      );
+      yield* hubJson(request, HubStreamModeResult, "select stream source", BOOT_TIMEOUT);
+    },
+  );
+
   /**
    * Boot through the hub so its device list and the streaming helper both see
    * the device come up. Android AVDs change id when they boot (AVD name to
@@ -625,6 +640,7 @@ export const makeWithHosts = Effect.fn("DeviceService.makeWithHosts")(function*
         ),
       );
     }
+    yield* ensurePhysicalAndroidStream(ready, device);
     if (hosts.get(host.id) !== host)
       return yield* new DeviceHostUnavailableError({
         hostId: host.id,
diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/device/deviceStream.test.ts b/apps/web/src/components/device/deviceStream.test.ts
index 13a57d44ffcf3..f4f83a80bab45 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/device/deviceStream.test.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/device/deviceStream.test.ts
@@ -20,6 +20,17 @@ const envelope = (tag: number, payload: number[]) => {
   ];
 };
 
+const semuFrame = (payload: number[], isKey: boolean, timestamp = 0) => {
+  const buffer = new ArrayBuffer(16 + payload.length);
+  const view = new DataView(buffer);
+  view.setUint32(0, 0x53454d55);
+  view.setUint8(4, 1);
+  view.setUint8(5, isKey ? 1 : 0);
+  view.setBigUint64(8, BigInt(timestamp));
+  new Uint8Array(buffer).set(payload, 16);
+  return buffer;
+};
+
 describe("AvccDemuxer", () => {
   it("reassembles envelopes split across reads", () => {
     const demuxer = new AvccDemuxer();
@@ -64,6 +75,7 @@ describe("native device stream transport", () => {
       readyState = 1;
       binaryType = "";
       onopen: (() => void) | null = null;
+      onmessage: ((event: { data: string | ArrayBuffer }) => void) | null = null;
       onclose: ((event: { code: number; reason: string }) => void) | null = null;
       send = vi.fn();
       close = vi.fn();
@@ -155,6 +167,34 @@ describe("native device stream transport", () => {
     expect(socket.close).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
   });
 
+  it("decodes the Android keyframe used to configure the decoder without resetting the stream", async () => {
+    // Annex-B SPS (High profile, level 3.1) followed by an IDR slice.
+    const sps = [0, 0, 0, 1, 0x67, 0x64, 0, 0x1f];
+    const idr = [0, 0, 0, 1, 0x65, 0xaa];
+    const h264KeyframeWithSps = [...sps, ...idr];
+    let decoder!: FakeVideoDecoder;
+    class FakeVideoDecoder {
+      static isConfigSupported = vi.fn(async () => ({ supported: true }));
+      state: "unconfigured" | "configured" | "closed" = "unconfigured";
+      decodeQueueSize = 0;
+      configure = vi.fn(() => (this.state = "configured"));
+      close = vi.fn(() => (this.state = "closed"));
+      decode = vi.fn();
+      constructor() {
+        decoder = this;
+      }
+    }
+    const { client, opened } = setup("android");
+    vi.stubGlobal("VideoDecoder", FakeVideoDecoder);
+    client.start();
+    const socket = await opened;
+    socket.onmessage?.({ data: semuFrame(h264KeyframeWithSps, true) });
+    await vi.waitFor(() => expect(decoder.decode).toHaveBeenCalledOnce());
+    expect(decoder.configure).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(socket.send).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    client.stop();
+  });
+
   it("renews an expired Android ticket when the HTTP upgrade is rejected instead of retrying it forever", async () => {
     const { client, opened, events } = setup("android");
     client.start();
@@ -210,14 +250,7 @@ describe("native device stream transport", () => {
 
 describe("serve-emu frames", () => {
   it("strips the SEMU header and reads the keyframe flag and timestamp", () => {
-    const buffer = new ArrayBuffer(16 + 3);
-    const view = new DataView(buffer);
-    view.setUint32(0, 0x53454d55);
-    view.setUint8(4, 1);
-    view.setUint8(5, 1);
-    view.setBigUint64(8, 123456n);
-    new Uint8Array(buffer).set([7, 8, 9], 16);
-    const packet = parseSemuPacket(buffer);
+    const packet = parseSemuPacket(semuFrame([7, 8, 9], true, 123456));
     expect(packet.isKey).toBe(true);
     expect(packet.timestamp).toBe(123456);
     expect(Array.from(packet.data)).toEqual([7, 8, 9]);
diff --git a/packages/client-runtime/src/device/stream.ts b/packages/client-runtime/src/device/stream.ts
index 02aa46c67e1da..1ccdbf9fd18ae 100644
--- a/packages/client-runtime/src/device/stream.ts
+++ b/packages/client-runtime/src/device/stream.ts
@@ -579,7 +579,11 @@ export function createDeviceStreamClient(
         void configureDecoder({ codec: avcCodecString(scanned.sps) }).then((configured) => {
           configuring = false;
           awaitingKeyframe = true;
-          if (configured) requestKeyframe();
+          if (configured) {
+            // The hub prefixes every keyframe with its codec configuration.
+            if (isKey) decode(true, packet.data, packet.timestamp);
+            else requestKeyframe();
+          }
         });
         return;
       }