diff --git a/.changeset/native-default-audio-session.md b/.changeset/native-default-audio-session.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..11cff52f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/native-default-audio-session.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@livekit/react-native': minor
+---
+
+Configure the iOS audio session natively in the default path, removing the audio engine's JS round trip and its deadlock window. Deprecate the unsafe `onConfigureNativeAudio` callback form of `setupIOSAudioManagement`. Developers can instead pass in a static `IOSAudioSessionPolicy`.
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 3bc8c7e2..38653824 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -353,19 +353,26 @@ If your app manages `AVAudioSession` directly, disable the automatic setup:
 registerGlobals({ autoConfigureAudioSession: false });
 ```
 
-For custom automatic behavior, disable the default setup and call
-`setupIOSAudioManagement` once during app startup:
+For custom categories/modes, disable the default setup and pass a static
+policy to `setupIOSAudioManagement` once during app startup:
 
 ```js
 import { registerGlobals, setupIOSAudioManagement } from '@livekit/react-native';
 
 registerGlobals({ autoConfigureAudioSession: false });
 
-const cleanup = setupIOSAudioManagement(true, (state) => ({
-  audioCategory: state.isRecordingEnabled ? 'playAndRecord' : 'playback',
-  audioCategoryOptions: ['mixWithOthers'],
-  audioMode: state.preferSpeakerOutput ? 'videoChat' : 'voiceChat',
-}));
+const cleanup = setupIOSAudioManagement(true, {
+  recording: {
+    audioCategory: 'playAndRecord',
+    audioCategoryOptions: ['allowBluetooth', 'mixWithOthers'],
+    audioMode: 'videoChat',
+  },
+  playout: {
+    audioCategory: 'playback',
+    audioCategoryOptions: ['mixWithOthers'],
+    audioMode: 'spokenAudio',
+  },
+});
 ```
 
 The older `useIOSAudioManagement(room, ...)` hook is still exported for
diff --git a/example/ios/Podfile.lock b/example/ios/Podfile.lock
index 243c9610..51af5601 100644
--- a/example/ios/Podfile.lock
+++ b/example/ios/Podfile.lock
@@ -5,10 +5,10 @@ PODS:
   - FBLazyVector (0.82.1)
   - fmt (11.0.2)
   - glog (0.3.5)
-  - hermes-engine (0.82.0):
-    - hermes-engine/Pre-built (= 0.82.0)
-  - hermes-engine/Pre-built (0.82.0)
-  - livekit-react-native (2.11.0-beta.1):
+  - hermes-engine (0.82.1):
+    - hermes-engine/Pre-built (= 0.82.1)
+  - hermes-engine/Pre-built (0.82.1)
+  - livekit-react-native (2.11.0):
     - boost
     - DoubleConversion
     - fast_float
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ PODS:
     - Yoga
   - livekit-react-native-webrtc (144.1.0):
     - React-Core
-    - WebRTC-SDK (= 144.7559.04)
+    - WebRTC-SDK (= 144.7559.10)
   - RCT-Folly (2024.11.18.00):
     - boost
     - DoubleConversion
@@ -2530,7 +2530,7 @@ PODS:
     - SocketRocket
     - Yoga
   - SocketRocket (0.7.1)
-  - WebRTC-SDK (144.7559.04)
+  - WebRTC-SDK (144.7559.10)
   - Yoga (0.0.0)
 
 DEPENDENCIES:
@@ -2789,10 +2789,10 @@ SPEC CHECKSUMS:
   FBLazyVector: 0aa6183b9afe3c31fc65b5d1eeef1f3c19b63bfa
   fmt: a40bb5bd0294ea969aaaba240a927bd33d878cdd
   glog: 5683914934d5b6e4240e497e0f4a3b42d1854183
-  hermes-engine: 8642d8f14a548ab718ec112e9bebdfdd154138b5
-  livekit-react-native: a051e6aa4c21e1b2429d136a3d544ae0ccfa08a6
-  livekit-react-native-webrtc: 6384bffff182166749ea42ccc419cee6785b0603
-  RCT-Folly: 59ec0ac1f2f39672a0c6e6cecdd39383b764646f
+  hermes-engine: 273e30e7fb618279934b0b95ffab60ecedb7acf5
+  livekit-react-native: b8a86fb1c57270437f8a010437c0570585a13625
+  livekit-react-native-webrtc: 9add5324b1c13f41577dffc01c2388d8e84d8348
+  RCT-Folly: 846fda9475e61ec7bcbf8a3fe81edfcaeb090669
   RCTDeprecation: f17e2ebc07876ca9ab8eb6e4b0a4e4647497ae3a
   RCTRequired: e2c574c1b45231f7efb0834936bd609d75072b63
   RCTTypeSafety: c693294e3993056955c3010eb1ebc574f1fcded6
@@ -2862,7 +2862,7 @@ SPEC CHECKSUMS:
   RNCAsyncStorage: 01e4301688a611936e3644746ffe3325d3181952
   RNScreens: 0bbf16c074ae6bb1058a7bf2d1ae017f4306797c
   SocketRocket: d4aabe649be1e368d1318fdf28a022d714d65748
-  WebRTC-SDK: ac5965a3cc2c258973466e3b1739ab0308bab0d0
+  WebRTC-SDK: 1d7fc2ae91da6edd63e25f3882ff24f86a8d9d8b
   Yoga: 689c8e04277f3ad631e60fe2a08e41d411daf8eb
 
 PODFILE CHECKSUM: a921a659e37cd7dfb12da519493e10c9f38400a1
diff --git a/src/audio/AudioManager.ts b/src/audio/AudioManager.ts
index cddf3bf7..05e0c4bc 100644
--- a/src/audio/AudioManager.ts
+++ b/src/audio/AudioManager.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,10 @@
 import { Platform } from 'react-native';
 import AudioSession, { type AppleAudioConfiguration } from './AudioSession';
 import { log } from '../logger';
-import { audioDeviceModuleEvents } from '@livekit/react-native-webrtc';
+import {
+  audioDeviceModuleEvents,
+  AudioDeviceModule,
+} from '@livekit/react-native-webrtc';
 
 export type AudioEngineConfigurationState = {
   isPlayoutEnabled: boolean;
@@ -9,14 +12,55 @@ export type AudioEngineConfigurationState = {
   preferSpeakerOutput: boolean;
 };
 
+/**
+ * Static recording/playout policy for {@link setupIOSAudioManagement}.
+ */
+export type IOSAudioSessionPolicy = {
+  recording: AppleAudioConfiguration;
+  playout: AppleAudioConfiguration;
+  /**
+   * Whether to deactivate the audio session when both playout and recording
+   * are disabled. Defaults to true.
+   */
+  deactivateOnStop?: boolean;
+};
+
+/**
+ * @deprecated Unsafe. Prefer {@link IOSAudioSessionPolicy} or the default
+ *   native path. See {@link setupIOSAudioManagement}.
+ */
+export type OnConfigureNativeAudio = (
+  configurationState: AudioEngineConfigurationState
+) => AppleAudioConfiguration;
+
 const kAudioEngineErrorFailedToConfigureAudioSession = -4100;
-let activeAudioManagementSetup: object | undefined;
+let activeSetupToken: object | undefined;
 
 /**
  * @inline
  */
 type CleanupFn = () => void;
 
+// Wraps a path-specific teardown so each setup supersedes the previous one
+// cleanly: the returned cleanup tears down only while its setup is still the
+// active one, so it runs at most once and a stale cleanup from a superseded
+// setup is a no-op. A new setup defuses the previous cleanup by replacing the
+// token rather than by running its teardown, because each path's body already
+// replaces the other path's mechanism in an order that never leaves the hooks
+// unowned - running the old teardown first would reopen exactly that window.
+function finalizeAudioManagement(
+  token: object,
+  teardown: CleanupFn
+): CleanupFn {
+  return () => {
+    if (activeSetupToken !== token) {
+      return;
+    }
+    activeSetupToken = undefined;
+    teardown();
+  };
+}
+
 /**
  * Sets up automatic iOS audio session management based on audio engine state.
  *
@@ -24,22 +68,129 @@ type CleanupFn = () => void;
  * invokes it for you by default unless `autoConfigureAudioSession: false`
  * is passed.
  *
+ * By default the audio session is configured and activated natively as the
+ * audio engine changes state, with no JavaScript involvement per transition.
+ *
+ * For custom categories/modes, pass a static {@link IOSAudioSessionPolicy}.
+ * That policy is pushed to native once and applied on the audio worker thread.
+ *
+ * Calling this again replaces the previous setup, including switching
+ * between the default and custom paths. Switch while disconnected; a switch
+ * during an active call is unsupported. In particular, switching away from a
+ * custom callback setup mid-call abandons the audio session activation that
+ * the custom handlers took, so the session may stay active after the call ends.
+ *
  * @param preferSpeakerOutput - Whether to prefer speaker output. Defaults to true.
- * @param onConfigureNativeAudio - Optional custom callback for determining audio configuration.
- * @returns A cleanup function that removes the event handlers.
+ * @returns A cleanup function that removes the installed handlers or native
+ *   configuration. A cleanup function from a superseded setup is a no-op.
+ */
+export function setupIOSAudioManagement(
+  preferSpeakerOutput?: boolean
+): CleanupFn;
+/**
+ * Sets up automatic iOS audio session management with a static native policy.
+ *
+ * @param preferSpeakerOutput - Unused when a full policy is provided; kept for
+ *   call-site consistency with the default overload.
+ * @param policy - Static recording/playout configuration applied natively.
+ * @see {@link setupIOSAudioManagement} for the default native path and usage notes.
  */
+export function setupIOSAudioManagement(
+  preferSpeakerOutput: boolean,
+  policy: IOSAudioSessionPolicy
+): CleanupFn;
+/**
+ * @deprecated The `onConfigureNativeAudio` callback is unsafe. It runs inside
+ *   the audio engine's lifecycle callbacks while native code waits for the
+ *   result (bounded at a few seconds). The callback must return quickly and
+ *   must not call APIs that enter the WebRTC engine or a peer connection
+ *   (for example `addTransceiver`, `getUserMedia`, or device enumeration):
+ *   those can block on the same engine operation the callback is holding up.
+ *   Prefer the default native path, or pass an {@link IOSAudioSessionPolicy}.
+ */
+export function setupIOSAudioManagement(
+  preferSpeakerOutput: boolean,
+  onConfigureNativeAudio: OnConfigureNativeAudio
+): CleanupFn;
 export function setupIOSAudioManagement(
   preferSpeakerOutput = true,
-  onConfigureNativeAudio?: (
-    configurationState: AudioEngineConfigurationState
-  ) => AppleAudioConfiguration
+  policyOrCallback?: IOSAudioSessionPolicy | OnConfigureNativeAudio
 ): CleanupFn {
   if (Platform.OS !== 'ios') {
     return () => {};
   }
 
+  // Supersede any previous setup (safe to call repeatedly, and to switch between
+  // default and custom). Claiming the token defuses the previous cleanup without
+  // running it. The path bodies below then replace the other path's mechanism in
+  // an order that keeps the hooks owned throughout the switch.
   const setupToken = {};
-  activeAudioManagementSetup = setupToken;
+  activeSetupToken = setupToken;
+
+  if (typeof policyOrCallback === 'function') {
+    return setupCustomCallbackPath(
+      setupToken,
+      preferSpeakerOutput,
+      policyOrCallback
+    );
+  }
+
+  return setupNativePolicyPath(setupToken, preferSpeakerOutput, policyOrCallback);
+}
+
+function setupNativePolicyPath(
+  setupToken: object,
+  preferSpeakerOutput: boolean,
+  policy?: IOSAudioSessionPolicy
+): CleanupFn {
+  // Configure the AVAudioSession natively so the engine's worker thread never
+  // round-trips to JS in willEnable/didDisable - that round trip is what can
+  // deadlock. The native observer applies `recording` while recording,
+  // `playout` while playout-only, and deactivates on full stop when requested.
+  AudioDeviceModule.setAutomaticAudioSessionConfiguration({
+    recording:
+      policy?.recording ??
+      getDefaultAppleAudioConfigurationForAudioState({
+        isPlayoutEnabled: true,
+        isRecordingEnabled: true,
+        preferSpeakerOutput,
+      }),
+    playout:
+      policy?.playout ??
+      getDefaultAppleAudioConfigurationForAudioState({
+        isPlayoutEnabled: true,
+        isRecordingEnabled: false,
+        preferSpeakerOutput,
+      }),
+    deactivateOnStop: policy?.deactivateOnStop ?? true,
+  });
+
+  // Set native config first, then clear any handlers a prior custom setup left
+  // registered, so native (not a stale JS handler) owns the hooks. In the brief
+  // overlap a still-registered handler wins, so a racing callback is never dropped.
+  audioDeviceModuleEvents.setWillEnableEngineHandler(null);
+  audioDeviceModuleEvents.setDidDisableEngineHandler(null);
+
+  return finalizeAudioManagement(setupToken, () => {
+    AudioDeviceModule.setAutomaticAudioSessionConfiguration(null);
+  });
+}
+
+function setupCustomCallbackPath(
+  setupToken: object,
+  preferSpeakerOutput: boolean,
+  onConfigureNativeAudio: OnConfigureNativeAudio
+): CleanupFn {
+  log.warn(
+    'setupIOSAudioManagement(onConfigureNativeAudio) is deprecated and unsafe. ' +
+      'Prefer the default native path, or pass an IOSAudioSessionPolicy object.'
+  );
+
+  // Custom path: derive + apply the session config in JS via the engine handlers
+  // (still bounded by the native 2s wait). The native default is cleared *after*
+  // the handlers are registered (below) so the JS handler, which takes precedence,
+  // owns the hooks throughout the switch.
+
   let audioEngineState: AudioEngineConfigurationState = {
     isPlayoutEnabled: false,
     isRecordingEnabled: false,
@@ -58,9 +209,7 @@ export function setupIOSAudioManagement(
       log.info('AudioSession deactivating...');
       await AudioSession.stopAudioSession();
     } else if (newState.isRecordingEnabled || newState.isPlayoutEnabled) {
-      const config = onConfigureNativeAudio
-        ? onConfigureNativeAudio(newState)
-        : getDefaultAppleAudioConfigurationForAudioState(newState);
+      const config = onConfigureNativeAudio(newState);
       log.info('AudioSession configuring category:', config.audioCategory);
       await AudioSession.setAppleAudioConfiguration(config);
       if (!oldState.isPlayoutEnabled && !oldState.isRecordingEnabled) {
@@ -106,14 +255,14 @@ export function setupIOSAudioManagement(
   audioDeviceModuleEvents.setWillEnableEngineHandler(handleEngineStateUpdate);
   audioDeviceModuleEvents.setDidDisableEngineHandler(handleEngineStateUpdate);
 
-  return () => {
-    if (activeAudioManagementSetup !== setupToken) {
-      return;
-    }
-    activeAudioManagementSetup = undefined;
+  // Handlers are live now, so clear the native default - the JS handler takes
+  // precedence, so there is never a window where neither path is active.
+  AudioDeviceModule.setAutomaticAudioSessionConfiguration(null);
+
+  return finalizeAudioManagement(setupToken, () => {
     audioDeviceModuleEvents.setWillEnableEngineHandler(null);
     audioDeviceModuleEvents.setDidDisableEngineHandler(null);
-  };
+  });
 }
 
 // Kept in sync with `getDefaultAppleAudioConfigurationForMode` in
diff --git a/src/audio/AudioManagerLegacy.ts b/src/audio/AudioManagerLegacy.ts
index 2d815299..b1a69264 100644
--- a/src/audio/AudioManagerLegacy.ts
+++ b/src/audio/AudioManagerLegacy.ts
@@ -20,12 +20,16 @@ import {
  *   The `room` parameter is ignored — audio session is now managed
  *   via audio engine events, not room track counts.
  *
+ *   The `onConfigureNativeAudio` callback is also deprecated and unsafe: it
+ *   runs under a bounded native wait on the audio worker thread. Prefer the
+ *   default native path, or pass an `IOSAudioSessionPolicy` to
+ *   `setupIOSAudioManagement`.
+ *
  *   Note: the `trackState` passed to `onConfigureNativeAudio` is now
  *   derived from the audio engine's playout/recording state, not from
  *   publication counts. Edge cases can differ. For example, a
  *   published-but-muted local audio track that previously yielded
- *   `localOnly` may now appear as `remoteOnly` or `none`. Callers with
- *   nuanced per-state logic should migrate to `setupIOSAudioManagement`.
+ *   `localOnly` may now appear as `remoteOnly` or `none`.
  */
 export function useIOSAudioManagement(
   _room: Room,
@@ -43,19 +47,20 @@ export function useIOSAudioManagement(
   callbackRef.current = onConfigureNativeAudio;
 
   useEffect(() => {
+    // Without a custom callback, use the safe native default path.
+    if (!callbackRef.current) {
+      return setupIOSAudioManagement(preferSpeakerOutput);
+    }
+
     const wrapped = (
       state: AudioEngineConfigurationState
     ): AppleAudioConfiguration => {
-      const cb = callbackRef.current;
+      const cb = callbackRef.current!;
       const trackState = engineStateToTrackState(state);
-      return cb
-        ? cb(trackState, state.preferSpeakerOutput)
-        : getDefaultAppleAudioConfigurationForMode(
-            trackState,
-            state.preferSpeakerOutput
-          );
+      return cb(trackState, state.preferSpeakerOutput);
     };
 
+    // setupIOSAudioManagement warns that the callback form is deprecated.
     return setupIOSAudioManagement(preferSpeakerOutput, wrapped);
   }, [preferSpeakerOutput]);
 }
diff --git a/src/audio/AudioSession.ts b/src/audio/AudioSession.ts
index 0169fd71..56916c6d 100644
--- a/src/audio/AudioSession.ts
+++ b/src/audio/AudioSession.ts
@@ -199,10 +199,10 @@ export type AppleAudioConfiguration = {
 
 /**
  * @deprecated Retained only for the legacy `useIOSAudioManagement` hook and
- *   `getDefaultAppleAudioConfigurationForMode`. New code should pass an
- *   `onConfigureNativeAudio` callback to `setupIOSAudioManagement`, which
- *   receives an `AudioEngineConfigurationState` (playout/recording/speaker
- *   booleans). That shape has no direct `AudioTrackState` equivalent.
+ *   `getDefaultAppleAudioConfigurationForMode`. New code should use
+ *   `setupIOSAudioManagement` (optionally with an `IOSAudioSessionPolicy`).
+ *   That API is driven by playout/recording engine state, which has no direct
+ *   `AudioTrackState` equivalent.
  */
 export type AudioTrackState =
   | 'none'