diff --git a/backend/app/downloads/errors.py b/backend/app/downloads/errors.py
index 68947a8a..0c883bfa 100644
--- a/backend/app/downloads/errors.py
+++ b/backend/app/downloads/errors.py
@@ -24,6 +24,16 @@ _RULES: tuple[tuple[str, str], ...] = (
     # Some extractors (e.g. Reddit) gate content behind a logged-in account: "Account
     # authentication is required." — an auth wall we deliberately don't cross, not a transient error.
     ("authentication is required", "login_required"),
+    # Closed-group / private-post auth walls (Facebook groups, Instagram private, …). yt-dlp phrases
+    # these many ways; the common thread is "you must be signed in" or its own suggestion to supply
+    # cookies. Treating the cookie suggestion as an auth signal is what makes a login-walled link read
+    # honestly (and stay non-retryable) when the acting user has no usable cookie for that host.
+    ("log in to", "login_required"),
+    ("login required", "login_required"),
+    ("you must be logged in", "login_required"),
+    ("only available for registered users", "login_required"),
+    ("use --cookies", "login_required"),
+    ("--cookies-from-browser", "login_required"),
     # Geo-restricted.
     ("in your country", "geo_blocked"),
     ("available in your location", "geo_blocked"),
@@ -42,6 +52,10 @@ _RULES: tuple[tuple[str, str], ...] = (
     ("account associated with this video has been terminated", "unavailable"),
     ("this video is not available", "unavailable"),
     ("this video has been removed", "unavailable"),
+    # yt-dlp doesn't support this site at all ("Unsupported URL: …") — distinct from an auth wall on a
+    # supported site. Non-retryable: no cookie or retry can make an unsupported host downloadable.
+    ("unsupported url", "unsupported_host"),
+    ("no video could be found in this url", "unsupported_host"),
     # DRM.
     ("drm protected", "drm"),
     ("drm-protected", "drm"),
diff --git a/backend/app/downloads/links.py b/backend/app/downloads/links.py
index 38dc2038..0344bf17 100644
--- a/backend/app/downloads/links.py
+++ b/backend/app/downloads/links.py
@@ -83,6 +83,10 @@ def public_meta(
     from app.downloads import service
 
     source_url = service.reference_url(job, asset)
+    # Audio-only assets (mp3 rips, extracted audio) carry a codec but no video stream. WebKit (all
+    # iOS browsers) refuses to play them inside a <video> element, so the watch page must render a
+    # native <audio> instead — flag it here from the recorded codecs (a real video always has vcodec).
+    is_audio = asset.vcodec is None and asset.acodec is not None
     return {
         "title": (job and job.display_name) or asset.title,
         "uploader": (job and job.display_uploader) or asset.uploader,
@@ -92,6 +96,7 @@ def public_meta(
         "duration_s": asset.duration_s,
         "width": asset.width,
         "height": asset.height,
+        "audio": is_audio,
         "allow_download": link.allow_download,
         "file_url": file_url,
         "poster_url": poster_url,
diff --git a/backend/tests/test_download_errors.py b/backend/tests/test_download_errors.py
index f4e4e55e..3614ec55 100644
--- a/backend/tests/test_download_errors.py
+++ b/backend/tests/test_download_errors.py
@@ -14,6 +14,13 @@ def test_real_ytdlp_messages_map_to_categories():
         "ERROR: [youtube] abc: Sign in to confirm you're not a bot": "login_required",
         "ERROR: [youtube] abc: Join this channel to get access to members-only content": "login_required",
         "ERROR: [Reddit] 1vi1x56: Account authentication is required.": "login_required",
+        # Closed-group / private-post auth walls: yt-dlp either says to sign in or suggests cookies.
+        "ERROR: [facebook] 123: You must be logged in to see this post": "login_required",
+        "ERROR: [facebook] 123: Login required. Use --cookies for the authentication.": "login_required",
+        "ERROR: [instagram] abc: This content is only available for registered users": "login_required",
+        "ERROR: [youtube] abc: Sign in to confirm... Use --cookies-from-browser or --cookies": "login_required",
+        # A site yt-dlp has no extractor for at all — distinct from an auth wall, still non-retryable.
+        "ERROR: Unsupported URL: https://example.com/whatever": "unsupported_host",
         "ERROR: [youtube] abc: The uploader has not made this video available in your country": "geo_blocked",
         "ERROR: [youtube] abc: Requested format is not available": "format_unavailable",
         "ERROR: [youtube] abc: Only images are available for download": "format_unavailable",
diff --git a/backend/tests/test_links.py b/backend/tests/test_links.py
index 57813b8e..8a7aa55b 100644
--- a/backend/tests/test_links.py
+++ b/backend/tests/test_links.py
@@ -4,7 +4,14 @@ token, rides in the file URL (a <video src> can't send a header), and expires.""
 from datetime import datetime, timedelta, timezone
 from types import SimpleNamespace
 
-from app.downloads.links import _GRANT_TTL, check_grant, is_expired, make_grant, new_token
+from app.downloads.links import (
+    _GRANT_TTL,
+    check_grant,
+    is_expired,
+    make_grant,
+    new_token,
+    public_meta,
+)
 
 
 def test_new_token_is_unguessable_and_unique():
@@ -48,6 +55,44 @@ class TestGrant:
             assert check_grant("tok", bad, 0) is False
 
 
+def _asset(**over):
+    base = dict(
+        title="Clip",
+        uploader="Someone",
+        uploader_url=None,
+        duration_s=42,
+        width=1280,
+        height=720,
+        vcodec="h264",
+        acodec="aac",
+        source_webpage_url=None,
+        source_kind="url",
+    )
+    base.update(over)
+    return SimpleNamespace(**base)
+
+
+class TestPublicMetaAudioFlag:
+    """The watch page picks <audio> vs <video> from this flag; WebKit refuses an audio-only mp3 in a
+    <video>, so an audio-only asset (codec present, no video stream) must report audio=True."""
+
+    _link = SimpleNamespace(allow_download=True)
+
+    def test_audio_only_asset_is_flagged_audio(self):
+        asset = _asset(vcodec=None, acodec="mp3", width=None, height=None)
+        meta = public_meta(self._link, None, asset, "/f.mp3")
+        assert meta["audio"] is True
+
+    def test_a_video_asset_is_not_audio(self):
+        meta = public_meta(self._link, None, _asset(), "/f.mp4")
+        assert meta["audio"] is False
+
+    def test_a_silent_video_is_not_audio(self):
+        # Video present but no audio track — still a video player, not the audio bar.
+        meta = public_meta(self._link, None, _asset(acodec=None), "/f.mp4")
+        assert meta["audio"] is False
+
+
 class TestIsExpired:
     def test_none_expiry_never_expires(self):
         assert is_expired(SimpleNamespace(expires_at=None)) is False
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/WatchPage.dom.test.tsx b/frontend/src/components/WatchPage.dom.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..74e0b1c1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/components/WatchPage.dom.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+// @vitest-environment jsdom
+//
+// S3 item 5a: the public watch page must render a native <audio> element for an audio-only asset
+// (mp3) and a <video> for everything else. WebKit (all iOS browsers) refuses to play an audio-only
+// mp3 inside a <video>, which is exactly why the branch exists — this locks it so a refactor can't
+// silently drop the audio player and reintroduce the iPad-broken behavior.
+import { afterEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+import { render, waitFor, cleanup } from "@testing-library/react";
+import WatchPage from "./WatchPage";
+
+function mockMeta(meta: Record<string, unknown>) {
+  vi.stubGlobal(
+    "fetch",
+    vi.fn(async () => ({ ok: true, json: async () => meta })),
+  );
+}
+
+afterEach(() => {
+  cleanup();
+  vi.unstubAllGlobals();
+});
+
+describe("WatchPage media element (S3 · 5a)", () => {
+  it("renders a native <audio> for an audio-only asset", async () => {
+    window.history.replaceState({}, "", "/watch/tok-audio");
+    mockMeta({ needs_password: false, audio: true, file_url: "/f.mp3", title: "A song" });
+    const { container } = render(<WatchPage />);
+    await waitFor(() => expect(container.querySelector("audio")).not.toBeNull());
+    expect(container.querySelector("video")).toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  it("renders a <video> for a normal video asset", async () => {
+    window.history.replaceState({}, "", "/watch/tok-video");
+    mockMeta({ needs_password: false, audio: false, file_url: "/f.mp4", title: "A clip" });
+    const { container } = render(<WatchPage />);
+    await waitFor(() => expect(container.querySelector("video")).not.toBeNull());
+    expect(container.querySelector("audio")).toBeNull();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/WatchPage.tsx b/frontend/src/components/WatchPage.tsx
index 41d6917b..d05325a3 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/WatchPage.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/WatchPage.tsx
@@ -11,10 +11,11 @@ import { Download, Link2, Lock, PlayCircle } from "lucide-react";
 // playing in the background on Brave iOS. We deliberately do NOT route the audio through the Web
 // Audio API: `createMediaElementSource` pulls the element out of the normal media pipeline that the
 // background feature (and iOS) hooks into, and iOS then suspends the AudioContext on background —
-// which STOPPED playback instead of keeping it alive (measured on iPad Brave). A plain <video> +
-// MediaSession leaves the browser's native background handling in charge.
+// which STOPPED playback instead of keeping it alive (measured on iPad Brave). A plain <video>/<audio>
+// + MediaSession leaves the browser's native background handling in charge. Typed on HTMLMediaElement
+// so it drives either the video or the audio-only player.
 function useMediaSession(
-  videoRef: React.RefObject<HTMLVideoElement | null>,
+  videoRef: React.RefObject<HTMLMediaElement | null>,
   meta: Meta | null,
   ready: boolean,
 ) {
@@ -45,6 +46,7 @@ type Meta = {
   source_url?: string | null;
   extra_links?: string[];
   duration_s?: number | null;
+  audio?: boolean;
   allow_download?: boolean;
   file_url?: string;
   poster_url?: string | null;
@@ -112,8 +114,13 @@ export default function WatchPage() {
   const [password, setPassword] = useState("");
   const [error, setError] = useState<string | null>(null);
   const [unlocking, setUnlocking] = useState(false);
-  const videoRef = useRef<HTMLVideoElement>(null);
-  useMediaSession(videoRef, meta, status === "ready");
+  // One ref for whichever element renders (video or audio-only) — a callback ref so it can bind to
+  // both without a per-element typed ref.
+  const mediaRef = useRef<HTMLMediaElement | null>(null);
+  const setMedia = (el: HTMLMediaElement | null) => {
+    mediaRef.current = el;
+  };
+  useMediaSession(mediaRef, meta, status === "ready");
 
   useEffect(() => {
     if (!token) {
@@ -206,18 +213,27 @@ export default function WatchPage() {
 
         {status === "ready" && meta && (
           <div>
-            {/* Shrink-wrap the player to the video so a vertical/short clip renders as a narrow
-                player instead of a wide box with black bars; a landscape clip fills the width. */}
-            <div className="rounded-xl overflow-hidden bg-black border border-border w-fit max-w-full mx-auto">
-              <video
-                ref={videoRef}
-                controls
-                playsInline
-                src={meta.file_url}
-                poster={meta.poster_url || undefined}
-                className="max-h-[80vh] max-w-full mx-auto block"
-              />
-            </div>
+            {meta.audio ? (
+              /* Audio-only asset (mp3): WebKit won't play it in a <video>, so render a native
+                 <audio>. No poster exists for these, so present it as a deliberate padded bar on
+                 the surface (not the black video box) so it looks intentional without artwork. */
+              <div className="rounded-xl border border-border bg-surface p-4">
+                <audio ref={setMedia} controls src={meta.file_url} className="w-full block" />
+              </div>
+            ) : (
+              /* Shrink-wrap the player to the video so a vertical/short clip renders as a narrow
+                 player instead of a wide box with black bars; a landscape clip fills the width. */
+              <div className="rounded-xl overflow-hidden bg-black border border-border w-fit max-w-full mx-auto">
+                <video
+                  ref={setMedia}
+                  controls
+                  playsInline
+                  src={meta.file_url}
+                  poster={meta.poster_url || undefined}
+                  className="max-h-[80vh] max-w-full mx-auto block"
+                />
+              </div>
+            )}
             <div className="mt-3 flex items-start gap-3">
               <div className="min-w-0 flex-1">
                 <h1 className="text-lg font-semibold leading-snug">{meta.title || "Video"}</h1>
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/downloadModals.tsx b/frontend/src/components/downloadModals.tsx
index 785836e6..c73dfbd9 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/downloadModals.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/downloadModals.tsx
@@ -114,9 +114,12 @@ export function MetaEditModal({ job, onClose }: { job: DownloadJob; onClose: ()
   );
 }
 
-// Transient failures worth an in-modal Retry button; the rest are permanent (private/geo/DRM/…),
-// where a retry can't help — the queue row still keeps its own retry control regardless.
-const RETRYABLE_ERRORS = ["postprocess", "network", "unknown"];
+// Transient failures worth an in-modal Retry button; the rest are permanent (private/geo/DRM/
+// sign-in/unsupported-host/…), where a retry can't help — the queue row still keeps its own retry
+// control regardless. `unknown` is deliberately NOT here: an unclassified failure is most often an
+// auth wall we couldn't parse (a login-walled Facebook post reads as a bare "no format"), so a
+// prominent Retry would mislead; force-retrying from the row stays available for genuine transients.
+const RETRYABLE_ERRORS = ["postprocess", "network"];
 
 // A readable "why did this fail" window for a failed job: a category headline + plain explanation,
 // the raw yt-dlp/ffmpeg text behind a disclosure, and a Retry when the failure may be transient.
diff --git a/frontend/src/i18n/locales/en/downloads.json b/frontend/src/i18n/locales/en/downloads.json
index ff3f92fd..03635633 100644
--- a/frontend/src/i18n/locales/en/downloads.json
+++ b/frontend/src/i18n/locales/en/downloads.json
@@ -220,6 +220,10 @@
           "short": "Sign-in required",
           "body": "This video needs a signed-in, age-verified, or members-only account to view, so it can't be downloaded here."
         },
+        "unsupported_host": {
+          "short": "Site not supported",
+          "body": "This site isn't supported for downloading, so nothing could be fetched from this link."
+        },
         "geo_blocked": {
           "short": "Region-blocked",
           "body": "The source blocks this video in the server's region, so it can't be downloaded."
diff --git a/frontend/src/i18n/locales/hu/downloads.json b/frontend/src/i18n/locales/hu/downloads.json
index 7bb25d54..43ed16ca 100644
--- a/frontend/src/i18n/locales/hu/downloads.json
+++ b/frontend/src/i18n/locales/hu/downloads.json
@@ -220,6 +220,10 @@
           "short": "Bejelentkezés szükséges",
           "body": "Ehhez a videóhoz bejelentkezett, kor-ellenőrzött vagy tagsági fiók kell, ezért itt nem tölthető le."
         },
+        "unsupported_host": {
+          "short": "Nem támogatott oldal",
+          "body": "Ez az oldal nem támogatott a letöltéshez, ezért erről a linkről semmit sem sikerült lekérni."
+        },
         "geo_blocked": {
           "short": "Régió szerint tiltva",
           "body": "A forrás a szerver régiójában letiltja ezt a videót, ezért nem tölthető le."