diff --git a/lib/gui/app/app.js b/lib/gui/app/app.js
index 080802e8..c7cbd621 100644
--- a/lib/gui/app/app.js
+++ b/lib/gui/app/app.js
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@ const selectionState = require('../../shared/models/selection-state')
 const driveScanner = require('./modules/drive-scanner')
 const osDialog = require('./os/dialog')
 const exceptionReporter = require('./modules/exception-reporter')
+const updateLock = require('./modules/update-lock')
 
 /* eslint-disable lodash/prefer-lodash-method */
 
@@ -284,6 +285,23 @@ app.run(($window) => {
       popupExists = false
     }).catch(exceptionReporter.report)
   })
+
+  /**
+   * @summary Helper fn for events
+   * @function
+   * @private
+   * @example
+   * window.addEventListener('click', extendLock)
+   */
+  const extendLock = () => {
+    updateLock.extend()
+  }
+
+  $window.addEventListener('click', extendLock)
+  $window.addEventListener('touchstart', extendLock)
+
+  // Initial update lock acquisition
+  extendLock()
 })
 
 app.run(($rootScope) => {
diff --git a/lib/gui/app/modules/image-writer.js b/lib/gui/app/modules/image-writer.js
index 71ab2dd0..c86cff34 100644
--- a/lib/gui/app/modules/image-writer.js
+++ b/lib/gui/app/modules/image-writer.js
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ const errors = require('../../../shared/errors')
 const permissions = require('../../../shared/permissions')
 const windowProgress = require('../os/window-progress')
 const analytics = require('../modules/analytics')
+const updateLock = require('./update-lock')
 const packageJSON = require('../../../../package.json')
 const selectionState = require('../../../shared/models/selection-state')
 
@@ -269,6 +270,9 @@ exports.performWrite = (image, drives, onProgress) => {
       })
     })
 
+    // Clear the update lock timer to prevent longer
+    // flashing timing it out, and releasing the lock
+    updateLock.pause()
     ipc.server.start()
   })
 }
@@ -351,6 +355,9 @@ exports.cancel = () => {
     validateWriteOnSuccess: settings.get('validateWriteOnSuccess')
   })
 
+  // Re-enable lock release on inactivity
+  updateLock.resume()
+
   try {
     const [ socket ] = ipc.server.sockets
     ipc.server.emit(socket, 'cancel')
diff --git a/lib/gui/app/modules/update-lock.js b/lib/gui/app/modules/update-lock.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..397790f8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/gui/app/modules/update-lock.js
@@ -0,0 +1,213 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2018 resin.io
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+'use strict'
+
+const electron = require('electron')
+const EventEmitter = require('events')
+const createInactivityTimer = require('inactivity-timer')
+const debug = require('debug')('etcher:update-lock')
+const analytics = require('./analytics')
+
+/* eslint-disable no-magic-numbers, callback-return */
+
+/**
+ * Interaction timeout in milliseconds (defaults to 5 minutes)
+ * @type {Number}
+ * @constant
+ */
+const INTERACTION_TIMEOUT_MS = process.env.ETCHER_INTERACTION_TIMEOUT_MS
+  ? parseInt(process.env.ETCHER_INTERACTION_TIMEOUT_MS, 10)
+  : 5 * 60 * 1000
+
+/**
+ * Resin Update Lock
+ * @class
+ */
+class UpdateLock extends EventEmitter {
+  /**
+   * @summary Resin Update Lock
+   * @example
+   * new UpdateLock()
+   */
+  constructor () {
+    super()
+    this.paused = false
+    this.on('inactive', UpdateLock.onInactive)
+    this.lockTimer = createInactivityTimer(INTERACTION_TIMEOUT_MS, () => {
+      debug('inactive')
+      this.emit('inactive')
+    })
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * @summary Inactivity event handler, releases the resin update lock on inactivity
+   * @private
+   * @example
+   * this.on('inactive', onInactive)
+   */
+  static onInactive () {
+    if (process.env.ELECTRON_RESIN_UPDATE_LOCK) {
+      UpdateLock.check((checkError, isLocked) => {
+        debug('inactive-check', Boolean(checkError))
+        if (checkError) {
+          analytics.logException(checkError)
+        }
+        if (isLocked) {
+          UpdateLock.release((error) => {
+            debug('inactive-release', Boolean(error))
+            if (error) {
+              analytics.logException(error)
+            }
+          })
+        }
+      })
+    }
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * @summary Acquire the update lock
+   * @private
+   * @param {Function} callback - callback(error)
+   * @example
+   * UpdateLock.acquire((error) => {
+   *   // ...
+   * })
+   */
+  static acquire (callback) {
+    debug('lock')
+    if (process.env.ELECTRON_RESIN_UPDATE_LOCK) {
+      electron.ipcRenderer.once('resin-update-lock', (event, error) => {
+        callback(error)
+      })
+      electron.ipcRenderer.send('resin-update-lock', 'lock')
+    } else {
+      callback(new Error('Update lock disabled'))
+    }
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * @summary Release the update lock
+   * @private
+   * @param {Function} callback - callback(error)
+   * @example
+   * UpdateLock.release((error) => {
+   *   // ...
+   * })
+   */
+  static release (callback) {
+    debug('unlock')
+    if (process.env.ELECTRON_RESIN_UPDATE_LOCK) {
+      electron.ipcRenderer.once('resin-update-lock', (event, error) => {
+        callback(error)
+      })
+      electron.ipcRenderer.send('resin-update-lock', 'unlock')
+    } else {
+      callback(new Error('Update lock disabled'))
+    }
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * @summary Check the state of the update lock
+   * @private
+   * @param {Function} callback - callback(error, isLocked)
+   * @example
+   * UpdateLock.check((error, isLocked) => {
+   *   if (isLocked) {
+   *     // ...
+   *   }
+   * })
+   */
+  static check (callback) {
+    debug('check')
+    if (process.env.ELECTRON_RESIN_UPDATE_LOCK) {
+      electron.ipcRenderer.once('resin-update-lock', (event, error, isLocked) => {
+        callback(error, isLocked)
+      })
+      electron.ipcRenderer.send('resin-update-lock', 'check')
+    } else {
+      callback(new Error('Update lock disabled'))
+    }
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * @summary Extend the lock timer
+   * @example
+   * updateLock.extend()
+   */
+  extend () {
+    debug('extend')
+
+    if (this.paused) {
+      debug('extend:paused')
+      return
+    }
+
+    this.lockTimer.signal()
+
+    // When extending, check that we have the lock,
+    // and acquire it, if not
+    if (process.env.ELECTRON_RESIN_UPDATE_LOCK) {
+      UpdateLock.check((checkError, isLocked) => {
+        if (checkError) {
+          analytics.logException(checkError)
+        }
+        if (!isLocked) {
+          UpdateLock.acquire((error) => {
+            if (error) {
+              analytics.logException(error)
+            }
+            debug('extend-acquire', Boolean(error))
+          })
+        }
+      })
+    }
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * @summary Clear the lock timer
+   * @example
+   * updateLock.clearTimer()
+   */
+  clearTimer () {
+    debug('clear')
+    this.lockTimer.clear()
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * @summary Clear the lock timer, and pause extension, avoiding triggering until resume()d
+   * @example
+   * updateLock.pause()
+   */
+  pause () {
+    debug('pause')
+    this.paused = true
+    this.clearTimer()
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * @summary Un-pause lock extension, and restart the timer
+   * @example
+   * updateLock.resume()
+   */
+  resume () {
+    debug('resume')
+    this.paused = false
+    this.extend()
+  }
+}
+
+module.exports = new UpdateLock()
diff --git a/lib/gui/app/pages/finish/controllers/finish.js b/lib/gui/app/pages/finish/controllers/finish.js
index 72e1008e..1bf94592 100644
--- a/lib/gui/app/pages/finish/controllers/finish.js
+++ b/lib/gui/app/pages/finish/controllers/finish.js
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ const settings = require('../../../models/settings')
 const flashState = require('../../../../../shared/models/flash-state')
 const selectionState = require('../../../../../shared/models/selection-state')
 const analytics = require('../../../modules/analytics')
+const updateLock = require('../../../modules/update-lock')
 const messages = require('../../../../../shared/messages')
 
 module.exports = function ($state) {
@@ -57,6 +58,9 @@ module.exports = function ($state) {
     }
     selectionState.deselectAllDrives()
     analytics.logEvent('Restart', options)
+
+    // Re-enable lock release on inactivity
+    updateLock.resume()
     $state.go('main')
   }
 
diff --git a/npm-shrinkwrap.json b/npm-shrinkwrap.json
index 4ac63874..e1713218 100644
--- a/npm-shrinkwrap.json
+++ b/npm-shrinkwrap.json
@@ -4363,6 +4363,16 @@
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/in-publish/-/in-publish-2.0.0.tgz",
       "dev": true
     },
+    "inactivity-timer": {
+      "version": "1.0.0",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/inactivity-timer/-/inactivity-timer-1.0.0.tgz",
+      "dependencies": {
+        "ms": {
+          "version": "2.1.1",
+          "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/ms/-/ms-2.1.1.tgz"
+        }
+      }
+    },
     "indent-string": {
       "version": "2.1.0",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/indent-string/-/indent-string-2.1.0.tgz"
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index cdccb75f..381f3aef 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@
     "flexboxgrid": "6.3.0",
     "gpt": "1.0.0",
     "immutable": "3.8.1",
+    "inactivity-timer": "1.0.0",
     "lodash": "4.13.1",
     "lzma-native": "1.5.2",
     "mbr": "1.1.2",