diff --git a/mobile/lib/presentation/widgets/asset_viewer/asset_page.widget.dart b/mobile/lib/presentation/widgets/asset_viewer/asset_page.widget.dart
index b62f579762..18fd8846b4 100644
--- a/mobile/lib/presentation/widgets/asset_viewer/asset_page.widget.dart
+++ b/mobile/lib/presentation/widgets/asset_viewer/asset_page.widget.dart
@@ -307,7 +307,7 @@ class _AssetPageState extends ConsumerState<AssetPage> {
     if (displayAsset.isImage && !isPlayingMotionVideo) {
       final size = context.sizeData;
       return PhotoView(
-        key: ValueKey(displayAsset.heroTag),
+        key: Key(displayAsset.heroTag),
         index: widget.index,
         imageProvider: getFullImageProvider(displayAsset, size: size),
         heroAttributes: heroAttributes,
@@ -335,7 +335,7 @@ class _AssetPageState extends ConsumerState<AssetPage> {
     }
 
     return PhotoView.customChild(
-      key: ValueKey(displayAsset),
+      key: Key(displayAsset.heroTag),
       onDragStart: _onDragStart,
       onDragUpdate: _onDragUpdate,
       onDragEnd: _onDragEnd,
@@ -351,12 +351,11 @@ class _AssetPageState extends ConsumerState<AssetPage> {
       enablePanAlways: true,
       backgroundDecoration: backgroundDecoration,
       child: NativeVideoViewer(
-        key: ValueKey(displayAsset),
+        key: _NativeVideoViewerKey(displayAsset.heroTag),
         asset: displayAsset,
         scaleStateNotifier: _videoScaleStateNotifier,
         disableScaleGestures: showingDetails,
         image: Image(
-          key: ValueKey(displayAsset.heroTag),
           image: getFullImageProvider(displayAsset, size: context.sizeData),
           height: context.height,
           width: context.width,
@@ -460,3 +459,25 @@ class _AssetPageState extends ConsumerState<AssetPage> {
     );
   }
 }
+
+// A global key is used for video viewers to prevent them from being
+// unnecessarily recreated. They're quite expensive, and maintain internal
+// state. This can cause videos to restart multiple times during normal usage,
+// like a hero animation.
+//
+// A plain ValueKey is insufficient, as it does not allow widgets to reparent. A
+// GlobalObjectKey is fragile, as it checks if the given objects are identical,
+// rather than equal. Hero tags are created with string interpolation, which
+// prevents Dart from interning them. As such, hero tags are not identical, even
+// if they are equal.
+class _NativeVideoViewerKey extends GlobalKey {
+  final String value;
+
+  const _NativeVideoViewerKey(this.value) : super.constructor();
+
+  @override
+  bool operator ==(Object other) => other is _NativeVideoViewerKey && other.value == value;
+
+  @override
+  int get hashCode => value.hashCode;
+}
diff --git a/mobile/lib/presentation/widgets/asset_viewer/video_viewer.widget.dart b/mobile/lib/presentation/widgets/asset_viewer/video_viewer.widget.dart
index 0f6568e8fd..30889835f6 100644
--- a/mobile/lib/presentation/widgets/asset_viewer/video_viewer.widget.dart
+++ b/mobile/lib/presentation/widgets/asset_viewer/video_viewer.widget.dart
@@ -420,20 +420,18 @@ class NativeVideoViewer extends HookConsumerWidget {
       child: Stack(
         children: [
           // Hide thumbnail once video is visible to avoid it showing in background when zooming out on video.
-          if (!isVisible.value || controller.value == null) Center(key: ValueKey(asset.heroTag), child: image),
+          if (!isVisible.value || controller.value == null) Center(child: image),
           if (aspectRatio.value != null && !isCasting && isCurrent)
             Visibility.maintain(
-              key: ValueKey(asset),
               visible: isVisible.value,
               child: PhotoView.customChild(
-                key: ValueKey(asset),
                 enableRotation: false,
                 disableScaleGestures: disableScaleGestures,
                 // Transparent to avoid a black flash when viewer becomes visible but video isn't loaded yet.
                 backgroundDecoration: const BoxDecoration(color: Colors.transparent),
                 scaleStateChangedCallback: (state) => scaleStateNotifier?.value = state,
                 childSize: videoContextSize(aspectRatio.value, context),
-                child: NativeVideoPlayerView(key: ValueKey(asset), onViewReady: initController),
+                child: NativeVideoPlayerView(onViewReady: initController),
               ),
             ),
           if (showControls) const Center(child: VideoViewerControls()),