diff --git a/app/src/main/java/in/co/gorest/grblcontroller/UsbConnectionActivity.java b/app/src/main/java/in/co/gorest/grblcontroller/UsbConnectionActivity.java
index 69f7eb3..f2146b1 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/in/co/gorest/grblcontroller/UsbConnectionActivity.java
+++ b/app/src/main/java/in/co/gorest/grblcontroller/UsbConnectionActivity.java
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@
 import android.os.Handler;
 import android.os.IBinder;
 import android.os.Message;
+import android.util.Log;
 import android.view.Menu;
 import android.view.MenuItem;
 
@@ -79,7 +80,13 @@ public void onStart(){
 
         // The service goes foreground on its own once a USB device permission is granted.
         // startForegroundService would crash here on Android 14+ when no device is granted yet.
-        startService(new Intent(getApplicationContext(), GrblUsbSerialService.class));
+        try{
+            startService(new Intent(getApplicationContext(), GrblUsbSerialService.class));
+        }catch(IllegalStateException e){
+            // Android refuses this while it counts the app as in the background.
+            // The bind in onCreate already keeps the service alive.
+            Log.w("UsbConnectionActivity", "could not start the USB service", e);
+        }
     }
 
     @Override
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/in/co/gorest/grblcontroller/service/FileStreamerIntentService.java b/app/src/main/java/in/co/gorest/grblcontroller/service/FileStreamerIntentService.java
index 26953c4..68ed705 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/in/co/gorest/grblcontroller/service/FileStreamerIntentService.java
+++ b/app/src/main/java/in/co/gorest/grblcontroller/service/FileStreamerIntentService.java
@@ -25,7 +25,6 @@
 import android.app.Notification;
 import android.content.Context;
 import android.content.Intent;
-import android.os.Build;
 import android.os.PowerManager;
 import android.os.Process;
 import androidx.core.app.NotificationCompat;
@@ -105,6 +104,16 @@ public void onDestroy(){
         EventBus.getDefault().unregister(this);
     }
 
+    @Override
+    public int onStartCommand(Intent intent, int flags, int startId){
+        // Android kills the app when a service started with startForegroundService() stops, or runs
+        // for 10 s, without calling startForeground(). So call it first, on every start, before any work.
+        boolean isCheckMode = intent != null && intent.getBooleanExtra(CHECK_MODE_ENABLED, false);
+        String title = getString(isCheckMode ? R.string.text_file_checking_started : R.string.text_file_streaming_started);
+        startForeground(Constants.FILE_STREAMING_NOTIFICATION_ID, getNotification(title, FileSenderListener.getInstance().getGcodeFileName()));
+        return super.onStartCommand(intent, flags, startId);
+    }
+
     @Override
     protected void onHandleIntent(Intent intent){
         fileSenderListener = FileSenderListener.getInstance();
@@ -151,20 +160,12 @@ public void run() {
         EventBus.getDefault().post(new StreamingStartedEvent());
 
         if(isCheckMode){
-            if(Build.VERSION.SDK_INT > Build.VERSION_CODES.N_MR1){
-                startForeground(Constants.FILE_STREAMING_NOTIFICATION_ID, getNotification(getString(R.string.text_file_checking_started), fileSenderListener.getGcodeFile().getName()));
-            }
-
             if(defaultConnectionType != null && defaultConnectionType.equals(Constants.SERIAL_CONNECTION_TYPE_BLUETOOTH)){
                 this.checkGcodeFile();
             }else{
                 this.startStreaming(555);
             }
         }else{
-            if(Build.VERSION.SDK_INT > Build.VERSION_CODES.N_MR1){
-                startForeground(Constants.FILE_STREAMING_NOTIFICATION_ID, getNotification(getString(R.string.text_file_streaming_started), fileSenderListener.getGcodeFile().getName()));
-            }
-
             this.startStreaming(5);
         }