diff --git a/src/components/ble/DfuService.cpp b/src/components/ble/DfuService.cpp
index ad9c99e9e0..6310987f75 100644
--- a/src/components/ble/DfuService.cpp
+++ b/src/components/ble/DfuService.cpp
@@ -138,6 +138,15 @@ int DfuService::WritePacketHandler(uint16_t connectionHandle, os_mbuf* om) {
                    bootloaderSize,
                    applicationSize);
 
+      // From here until the response below, this task blocks and cannot service BLE:
+      // first the unbounded wait for SystemTask to disable sleeping, then the image-slot
+      // erase, which can approach or exceed the 10s inactivity timeout (116 sectors at a
+      // datasheet-max 300ms each). The timer runs on the FreeRTOS timer task, so it fires
+      // while this task is blocked; its Reset() zeroes applicationSize, the erase then
+      // completes and the transfer carries on with a zero-length image. Hold the timeout
+      // off until this handler can react to packets again.
+      xTimerStop(timeoutTimer, 0);
+
       // Wait until SystemTask has disabled sleeping
       // This isn't quite correct, as we don't actually know
       // if BleFirmwareUpdateStarted has been received yet
@@ -146,6 +155,7 @@ int DfuService::WritePacketHandler(uint16_t connectionHandle, os_mbuf* om) {
       }
 
       dfuImage.Erase();
+      xTimerStart(timeoutTimer, 0);
 
       uint8_t data[] {16, 1, 1};
       notificationManager.Send(connectionHandle, controlPointCharacteristicHandle, data, 3);