diff --git a/mnemo_cards_admin/src/components/CardVoicesManager.tsx b/mnemo_cards_admin/src/components/CardVoicesManager.tsx
index 9b25d32..ff4cd39 100644
--- a/mnemo_cards_admin/src/components/CardVoicesManager.tsx
+++ b/mnemo_cards_admin/src/components/CardVoicesManager.tsx
@@ -386,7 +386,26 @@ function VoiceItem({ voice, onRemove, disabled }: VoiceItemProps) {
   const handlePlayPause = () => {
     if (!audioRef.current) {
       try {
-        const audio = new Audio(`data:audio/mpeg;base64,${voice.voiceUrl}`)
+        // voiceUrl can be either:
+        // 1. Presigned URL (http/https) - new format
+        // 2. Base64 data URL (data:audio/...) - legacy format
+        // 3. UUID - if presigned URL generation failed (shouldn't happen, but handle gracefully)
+        let audioUrl = voice.voiceUrl
+        
+        // If it's a UUID (not a URL and not base64), we can't play it directly
+        // This shouldn't happen as backend should return presigned URL, but handle it
+        if (!audioUrl.startsWith('http://') && !audioUrl.startsWith('https://') && !audioUrl.startsWith('data:')) {
+          // Check if it looks like a UUID
+          const uuidPattern = /^[0-9a-f]{8}-[0-9a-f]{4}-[0-9a-f]{4}-[0-9a-f]{4}-[0-9a-f]{12}$/i
+          if (uuidPattern.test(audioUrl)) {
+            toast.error('Audio URL is not available. Please refresh the page.')
+            return
+          }
+          // Otherwise, assume it's legacy base64 without data: prefix
+          audioUrl = `data:audio/mpeg;base64,${audioUrl}`
+        }
+        
+        const audio = new Audio(audioUrl)
         audioRef.current = audio
         
         audio.onended = () => {
@@ -394,9 +413,18 @@ function VoiceItem({ voice, onRemove, disabled }: VoiceItemProps) {
           audioRef.current = null
         }
         
-        audio.onerror = (e) => {
+        audio.onerror = (e: Event | string) => {
           console.error('Audio playback error:', e)
-          toast.error('Failed to play audio. The file may be corrupted or in an unsupported format.')
+          let errorMessage = 'Failed to play audio. The file may be corrupted, in an unsupported format, or the URL may have expired.'
+          
+          if (e instanceof Event) {
+            const audioElement = e.target as HTMLAudioElement | null
+            if (audioElement?.error) {
+              errorMessage = `Failed to load audio: ${audioElement.error.message || 'Unknown error'}`
+            }
+          }
+          
+          toast.error(errorMessage)
           setIsPlaying(false)
           audioRef.current = null
         }
@@ -407,7 +435,10 @@ function VoiceItem({ voice, onRemove, disabled }: VoiceItemProps) {
         
         audio.play().catch((error) => {
           console.error('Audio play error:', error)
-          toast.error('Failed to play audio. Please check your browser audio settings.')
+          const errorMessage = error instanceof Error 
+            ? error.message 
+            : 'Failed to play audio'
+          toast.error(`Failed to play audio: ${errorMessage}. Please check your browser audio settings.`)
           setIsPlaying(false)
           audioRef.current = null
         })
diff --git a/mnemo_cards_admin/src/components/ui/audio-upload.tsx b/mnemo_cards_admin/src/components/ui/audio-upload.tsx
index fa020c6..287d1c6 100644
--- a/mnemo_cards_admin/src/components/ui/audio-upload.tsx
+++ b/mnemo_cards_admin/src/components/ui/audio-upload.tsx
@@ -173,9 +173,18 @@ export function AudioUpload({
           audioRef.current = null
         }
         
-        audio.onerror = (e) => {
+        audio.onerror = (e: Event | string) => {
           console.error('Audio playback error:', e)
-          alert('Failed to play audio. The file may be corrupted or in an unsupported format.')
+          let errorMessage = 'Failed to play audio. The file may be corrupted, in an unsupported format, or the URL may have expired.'
+          
+          if (e instanceof Event) {
+            const audioElement = e.target as HTMLAudioElement | null
+            if (audioElement?.error) {
+              errorMessage = `Failed to load audio: ${audioElement.error.message || 'Unknown error'}`
+            }
+          }
+          
+          alert(errorMessage)
           setIsPlaying(false)
           audioRef.current = null
         }
@@ -186,7 +195,10 @@ export function AudioUpload({
         
         audio.play().catch((error) => {
           console.error('Audio play error:', error)
-          alert('Failed to play audio. Please check your browser audio settings.')
+          const errorMessage = error instanceof Error 
+            ? error.message 
+            : 'Failed to play audio'
+          alert(`Failed to play audio: ${errorMessage}. Please check your browser audio settings.`)
           setIsPlaying(false)
           audioRef.current = null
         })