diff --git a/app/src/main/java/org/prolibertate/games/settings/SettingsRepository.kt b/app/src/main/java/org/prolibertate/games/settings/SettingsRepository.kt
index 64b9375..c086124 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/org/prolibertate/games/settings/SettingsRepository.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/org/prolibertate/games/settings/SettingsRepository.kt
@@ -25,10 +25,23 @@ data class Settings(
     val soundEnabled: Boolean = true,
     val animationSpeed: Float = 1.0f,
     val checkForUpdatesOnLaunch: Boolean = true,
-    val playerName: String = "Player",
+    /**
+     * Exactly what the user has typed, which may be blank while they are
+     * mid-edit. Nothing substitutes a default into this value: doing so meant
+     * that clearing the field wrote "Player" straight back and the text
+     * snapped back before a real name could be typed.
+     */
+    val playerName: String = "",
     /** Which builds the updater offers. Production unless deliberately changed. */
     val updateChannel: UpdateChannel = UpdateChannel.PRODUCTION,
 ) {
+    /**
+     * The name other players actually see. This is where the default lives, so
+     * an empty field is a display concern rather than something written back
+     * into what the user is typing.
+     */
+    val displayName: String get() = playerName.trim().ifBlank { DEFAULT_PLAYER_NAME }
+
     /** Scales a nominal duration by the chosen speed. */
     fun scaled(millis: Long): Long =
         (millis / animationSpeed.coerceIn(MIN_SPEED, MAX_SPEED)).toLong()
@@ -36,6 +49,7 @@ data class Settings(
     companion object {
         const val MIN_SPEED = 0.5f
         const val MAX_SPEED = 2.0f
+        const val DEFAULT_PLAYER_NAME = "Player"
     }
 }
 
@@ -54,7 +68,7 @@ class SettingsRepository(private val context: Context) {
             soundEnabled = prefs[Keys.SOUND] ?: true,
             animationSpeed = prefs[Keys.SPEED] ?: 1.0f,
             checkForUpdatesOnLaunch = prefs[Keys.UPDATE_ON_LAUNCH] ?: true,
-            playerName = prefs[Keys.NAME] ?: "Player",
+            playerName = prefs[Keys.NAME] ?: "",
             updateChannel = prefs[Keys.CHANNEL]
                 ?.let { stored -> runCatching { UpdateChannel.valueOf(stored) }.getOrNull() }
                 ?: UpdateChannel.PRODUCTION,
@@ -79,7 +93,8 @@ class SettingsRepository(private val context: Context) {
         context.dataStore.edit { it[Keys.UPDATE_ON_LAUNCH] = enabled }
     }
 
+    /** Stores the name verbatim. The fallback belongs to [Settings.displayName]. */
     suspend fun setPlayerName(name: String) {
-        context.dataStore.edit { it[Keys.NAME] = name.trim().ifBlank { "Player" } }
+        context.dataStore.edit { it[Keys.NAME] = name }
     }
 }
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/org/prolibertate/games/ui/AppRoot.kt b/app/src/main/java/org/prolibertate/games/ui/AppRoot.kt
index dc17eff..0d596c4 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/org/prolibertate/games/ui/AppRoot.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/org/prolibertate/games/ui/AppRoot.kt
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ fun AppRoot(env: AppEnv) {
 
         is Route.Setup -> GameSetupScreen(
             descriptor = GameCatalog.byId(route.gameId)!!,
-            playerName = settings.playerName,
+            playerName = settings.displayName,
             onBack = { pop() },
             onPlayOffline = { config -> push(Route.Play(route.gameId, config, true, 0)) },
             onHostOnline = { optionsJson ->
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ fun AppRoot(env: AppEnv) {
         is Route.Lobby -> LobbyScreen(
             env = env,
             route = route,
-            playerName = settings.playerName,
+            playerName = settings.displayName,
             onBack = { pop() },
             onStart = { config, hosting, seat ->
                 push(Route.Play(config.gameId, config, hosting, seat))
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/org/prolibertate/games/ui/SettingsScreen.kt b/app/src/main/java/org/prolibertate/games/ui/SettingsScreen.kt
index a85bf6d..5e072a7 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/org/prolibertate/games/ui/SettingsScreen.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/org/prolibertate/games/ui/SettingsScreen.kt
@@ -36,7 +36,11 @@ fun SettingsScreen(
     onBack: () -> Unit,
 ) {
     val scope = rememberCoroutineScope()
-    var name by remember(settings.playerName) { mutableStateOf(settings.playerName) }
+    // Null until the user touches the field, at which point their text takes
+    // over for good. Keying this off the stored name instead meant every
+    // keystroke re-seeded the field from what had just been written, so the
+    // caret jumped and a cleared field refilled itself.
+    var editedName by remember { mutableStateOf<String?>(null) }
     var updateStatus by remember { mutableStateOf<String?>(null) }
     var pendingRelease by remember { mutableStateOf<Updater.Release?>(null) }
 
@@ -86,14 +90,22 @@ fun SettingsScreen(
                     style = MaterialTheme.typography.bodySmall,
                 )
                 OutlinedTextField(
-                    value = name,
+                    value = editedName ?: settings.playerName,
                     onValueChange = { entered ->
-                        name = entered
+                        editedName = entered
                         scope.launch { env.settingsRepository.setPlayerName(entered) }
                     },
+                    placeholder = { Text(Settings.DEFAULT_PLAYER_NAME) },
                     singleLine = true,
                     modifier = Modifier.fillMaxWidth().padding(top = 8.dp),
                 )
+                if ((editedName ?: settings.playerName).isBlank()) {
+                    Text(
+                        text = "Leave it empty and you'll show up as " +
+                            "${Settings.DEFAULT_PLAYER_NAME}.",
+                        style = MaterialTheme.typography.bodySmall,
+                    )
+                }
             }
 
             Divider()