diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index f28cd17..4bd0e30 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -7,6 +7,13 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 
 ---
 
+## [1.2.6] - 2026-03-18
+
+### Fixed
+- **Blocking `open()` call inside the event loop:** replaced the synchronous `open(tmp_path, "wb")` used during chunk-writing with `aiofiles.open()` so that file I/O is no longer performed on the event-loop thread. This resolves the `homeassistant.util.loop` warning *"Detected blocking call to open … inside the event loop"*. `aiofiles>=23.1.0` has been added as a runtime requirement.
+
+---
+
 ## [1.2.5] - 2026-03-11
 
 ### Changed
@@ -236,6 +243,7 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 - Service `media_downloader.download_file` with optional subdirectories, custom filenames, overwrite control, and per-download timeout.
 - Events: `media_downloader_download_started`, `media_downloader_download_completed` (with `success` and `error` fields).
 
+[1.2.6]: https://github.com/Geek-MD/Advanced_Downloader/compare/v1.2.5...v1.2.6
 [1.2.5]: https://github.com/Geek-MD/Advanced_Downloader/compare/v1.2.4...v1.2.5
 [1.2.4]: https://github.com/Geek-MD/Advanced_Downloader/compare/v1.2.3...v1.2.4
 [1.2.3]: https://github.com/Geek-MD/Advanced_Downloader/compare/v1.2.2...v1.2.3
diff --git a/custom_components/advanced_downloader/__init__.py b/custom_components/advanced_downloader/__init__.py
index 78d14d7..7bb597c 100644
--- a/custom_components/advanced_downloader/__init__.py
+++ b/custom_components/advanced_downloader/__init__.py
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 
 import os
 import sys
+import aiofiles
 import aiohttp
 import logging
 from pathlib import Path
@@ -186,10 +187,10 @@ async def _async_download(call: ServiceCall) -> None:
                 async with session.get(url) as resp:
                     if resp.status != 200:
                         raise HomeAssistantError(f"HTTP error {resp.status}: {url}")
-                    with open(tmp_path, "wb") as f:
+                    async with aiofiles.open(tmp_path, "wb") as f:
                         async for chunk in resp.content.iter_chunked(1024 * 64):
                             if chunk:
-                                f.write(chunk)
+                                await f.write(chunk)
 
             if dest_path.exists() and not do_overwrite:
                 raise HomeAssistantError(f"File exists and overwrite is False: {dest_path}")
diff --git a/custom_components/advanced_downloader/manifest.json b/custom_components/advanced_downloader/manifest.json
index 1d9db59..a713a33 100644
--- a/custom_components/advanced_downloader/manifest.json
+++ b/custom_components/advanced_downloader/manifest.json
@@ -8,6 +8,6 @@
   "iot_class": "local_push",
   "issue_tracker": "https://github.com/Geek-MD/Advanced_Downloader/issues",
   "quality_scale": "legacy",
-  "requirements": [],
-  "version": "1.2.5"
+  "requirements": ["aiofiles>=23.1.0"],
+  "version": "1.2.6"
 }
diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
index 5272d71..9e6b192 100644
--- a/requirements.txt
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -3,3 +3,4 @@ mypy==1.10.0
 ruff==0.14.3
 pytest==8.3.2
 voluptuous==0.15.2
+types-aiofiles>=23.1.0