diff --git a/node_modules/react-native-video/ios/Video/RCTVideo.m b/node_modules/react-native-video/ios/Video/RCTVideo.m
index 79d88de..a28a21e 100644
--- a/node_modules/react-native-video/ios/Video/RCTVideo.m
+++ b/node_modules/react-native-video/ios/Video/RCTVideo.m
@@ -1023,7 +1023,9 @@ static NSString *const statusKeyPath = @"status";
     
     /* The player used to render the video */
     AVPlayer *_player;
-    AVPlayerLayer *_playerLayer;
+    // Use strong reference instead of weak to prevent deallocation issues
+    __strong AVPlayerLayer *_playerLayer;
+    
     NSURL *_videoURL;
     
     /* IOS < 10 seek optimization */
@@ -1084,7 +1086,16 @@ - (void)removeFromSuperview
     
     _player = nil;
     _playerItem = nil;
-    _playerLayer = nil;
+    
+    // Properly clean up the player layer
+    if (_playerLayer) {
+        [_playerLayer removeFromSuperlayer];
+        // Set animation keys to nil before releasing to avoid crashes
+        [_playerLayer removeAllAnimations];
+        _playerLayer = nil;
+    }
+    
+    [[NSNotificationCenter defaultCenter] removeObserver:self];
 }
 
 #pragma mark - App lifecycle handlers
@@ -1116,7 +1127,8 @@ - (void)applicationDidEnterBackground:(NSNotification *)notification
 
 - (void)applicationWillEnterForeground:(NSNotification *)notification
 {
-    if (_playInBackground || _playWhenInactive || _paused) return;
+    // Resume playback even if originally playing in background
+    if (_paused) return;
     
     [_player play];
     [_player setRate:_rate];
 }