diff --git a/frontend/index.html b/frontend/index.html
index d693e65..6be369f 100644
--- a/frontend/index.html
+++ b/frontend/index.html
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@
         <button type="submit" class="btn btn-primary btn-block">Sign In</button>
       </form>
     </div>
-    <span class="version-label">v0.2.1</span>
+    <span class="version-label">v0.3.1</span>
   </div>
 
   <script src="/js/api.js"></script>
diff --git a/frontend/js/voice.js b/frontend/js/voice.js
index 44dea42..b78dc85 100644
--- a/frontend/js/voice.js
+++ b/frontend/js/voice.js
@@ -316,6 +316,13 @@ class VoiceManager {
 
         // ── Playback ──────────────────────────────────────────────────
         try {
+            // Wait for audio to be fully buffered before playing
+            await new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+                audio.addEventListener('canplaythrough', resolve, { once: true });
+                audio.addEventListener('error', reject, { once: true });
+                audio.load(); // Explicitly trigger loading
+            });
+            audio.currentTime = 0; // Ensure we start from the very beginning
             await audio.play();
             return new Promise(resolve => {
                 audio.onended = () => {