diff --git a/cmd/pad/impl_android.go b/cmd/pad/impl_android.go
index 442cb5a..adf71ae 100644
--- a/cmd/pad/impl_android.go
+++ b/cmd/pad/impl_android.go
@@ -41,6 +41,15 @@ func impl_start() {}
 func handleEvent(e event.Event) {
 	switch e := e.(type) {
 	case app.AndroidViewEvent:
+		// View == 0 is Gio's DETACH signal (window.detach sends an empty
+		// AndroidViewEvent when the GioView is destroyed — e.g. the activity
+		// going away on a recents-wipe). There is nothing to register for a
+		// detached view; passing the null ref on would abort in JNI
+		// (GetObjectClass on null). A re-attach arrives as a fresh event
+		// with a live view.
+		if e.View == 0 {
+			return
+		}
 		theJVM = (*C.JavaVM)(unsafe.Pointer(app.JavaVM()))
 		RunInJVM(func(env *JNIEnv) {
 			C.registerFragment(env, (C.jobject)(unsafe.Pointer(e.View)))
diff --git a/cmd/pad/jni_android.c b/cmd/pad/jni_android.c
index 3ca7b9f..df77efb 100644
--- a/cmd/pad/jni_android.c
+++ b/cmd/pad/jni_android.c
@@ -15,13 +15,17 @@ static jobject g_view = NULL;
 
 void
 registerFragment(JNIEnv *env, jobject view) {
-    if (view != NULL) {
-        if (g_view == NULL) {
-            g_view = (*env)->NewGlobalRef(env, view);
-        } else if (g_view != view) {
-            (*env)->DeleteGlobalRef(env, g_view);
-            g_view = (*env)->NewGlobalRef(env, view);
-        }
+    if (view == NULL) {
+        // Detach signal (Gio sends an empty AndroidViewEvent when the
+        // view is destroyed). The Go side already filters these; this
+        // guard keeps the JNI calls safe if one ever slips through.
+        return;
+    }
+    if (g_view == NULL) {
+        g_view = (*env)->NewGlobalRef(env, view);
+    } else if (g_view != view) {
+        (*env)->DeleteGlobalRef(env, g_view);
+        g_view = (*env)->NewGlobalRef(env, view);
     }
 	jclass cls = (*env)->GetObjectClass(env, view);
 	jmethodID mid = (*env)->GetMethodID(env, cls, "getContext", "()Landroid/content/Context;");