diff --git a/lib/ble/ble_engine.dart b/lib/ble/ble_engine.dart
index c828a3b2..5c3cfd67 100644
--- a/lib/ble/ble_engine.dart
+++ b/lib/ble/ble_engine.dart
@@ -2538,6 +2538,26 @@ class BleEngine {
     _log('Live streams enabled (optical: wrist-gated).');
   }
 
+  /// Clear the sticky standard-HR fallback and give the full live set another
+  /// chance. The fallback protects a struggling radio from the high-rate
+  /// flood, but it never resets and [enableLiveStreams] honours it silently —
+  /// so once tripped, every later step calibration / workout counted 0 steps
+  /// for the rest of the process lifetime (the IMU toggles were never sent).
+  /// Call this from EXPLICIT foreground user actions whose feature needs the
+  /// 100 Hz stream: there the flood is the point, and if the radio genuinely
+  /// can't sustain it the detectors re-trip (and re-downgrade) within seconds.
+  Future<void> retryFullLiveStreams() async {
+    if (state.standardHrFallback) {
+      _log('Radio fallback: cleared by explicit user action — retrying the '
+          'full live set.');
+      state.standardHrFallback = false;
+      _marginalRadio.reset();
+      _frameCorruption.reset();
+      onState(state);
+    }
+    await enableLiveStreams();
+  }
+
   /// Background live downgrade: keep ONLY the compact realtime-HR stream (0x28)
   /// armed and turn the high-rate R10/R11 + IMU + optical flood OFF. Used while
   /// backgrounded with no live consumer, so the radio isn't saturated by a raw
diff --git a/lib/state/app_state.dart b/lib/state/app_state.dart
index 8fdc7800..6850c930 100644
--- a/lib/state/app_state.dart
+++ b/lib/state/app_state.dart
@@ -2813,11 +2813,17 @@ class AppState extends ChangeNotifier {
     // open session still expects on. If the background downgrade left live in
     // HR-only, upgrade to full (the walk needs the 100 Hz IMU stream) without
     // taking ownership.
+    //
+    // retryFullLiveStreams (not enableLiveStreams): the walk NEEDS the 100 Hz
+    // IMU stream, and the sticky standard-HR fallback silently vetoes it —
+    // every calibration after a fallback trip counted 0 steps forever. An
+    // explicit user-initiated walk is exactly the moment to give the full
+    // flood another chance; the detectors re-trip if the radio can't cope.
     if (!engine.liveEnabled) {
-      await engine.enableLiveStreams();
+      await engine.retryFullLiveStreams();
       _stepCalEnabledStreams = true;
-    } else if (engine.liveHrOnly) {
-      await engine.enableLiveStreams();
+    } else if (engine.liveHrOnly || device.standardHrFallback) {
+      await engine.retryFullLiveStreams();
     }
     _resetLivePedometer(); // count this walk from 0
     notifyListeners();
@@ -2917,6 +2923,20 @@ class AppState extends ChangeNotifier {
     if (activeWorkout != null) return;
     final start = DateTime.now();
     final id = workoutId ?? 'w${start.millisecondsSinceEpoch}';
+    // The workout screen's live step count rides the 100 Hz IMU stream, which
+    // the sticky standard-HR fallback silently suppresses (same starvation as
+    // the calibration walk) — and which may simply be off (spot-check cleanup
+    // restores streams to OFF when they were off before) or still in the
+    // background HR-only downgrade. A deliberate workout start is an explicit
+    // user action — retry the full live set; detectors re-trip if it can't
+    // hold. No ownership flag: the background downgrade / session close
+    // manage the stream lifecycle exactly as for openSession's arming.
+    if (isConnected &&
+        (!engine.liveEnabled ||
+            engine.liveHrOnly ||
+            device.standardHrFallback)) {
+      unawaited(engine.retryFullLiveStreams());
+    }
     _workoutRawBase = _liveRaw;
     activeWorkout = LiveWorkoutState(
       startTime: start,
diff --git a/lib/ui/today/step_calibration_screen.dart b/lib/ui/today/step_calibration_screen.dart
index bea607ac..38bdd078 100644
--- a/lib/ui/today/step_calibration_screen.dart
+++ b/lib/ui/today/step_calibration_screen.dart
@@ -81,6 +81,12 @@ class _StepCalibrationScreenState extends State<StepCalibrationScreen> {
   @override
   Widget build(BuildContext context) {
     final steps = context.select<AppState, int>((a) => a.liveSteps);
+    // The standard-HR radio fallback suppresses the 100 Hz IMU stream this
+    // walk counts on. startStepCalibration clears it and retries; if it
+    // TRIPS AGAIN mid-walk the radio genuinely can't sustain the stream —
+    // say so instead of showing "Keep walking…" over a count of 0 forever.
+    final radioDegraded =
+        context.select<AppState, bool>((a) => a.device.standardHrFallback);
     final done = _learnedCadence != null;
     final t = (_target > 0 ? steps / _target : 0.0).clamp(0.0, 1.0).toDouble();
     final ready = steps >= _target;
@@ -144,6 +150,19 @@ class _StepCalibrationScreenState extends State<StepCalibrationScreen> {
                 : Text(_started ? 'Keep walking…' : 'Starting…',
                     style: AppText.label.copyWith(color: AppColors.inkSoft)),
           ),
+          if (radioDegraded && _started && !ready) ...[
+            const SizedBox(height: Sp.x4),
+            StateCard(
+              icon: OsIcon.bluetooth,
+              title: "Bluetooth can't keep up",
+              message:
+                  'The connection to your strap is struggling to carry the '
+                  'high-rate motion stream, so steps aren\'t coming through. '
+                  'Bring your phone closer to the strap and retry.',
+              actionLabel: 'Retry stream',
+              onAction: _start,
+            ),
+          ],
           const SizedBox(height: Sp.x6),
           SurfaceCard(
             entranceIndex: 1,