diff --git a/MobileGL/MG_Backend/DirectGLES/DirectGLES.cpp b/MobileGL/MG_Backend/DirectGLES/DirectGLES.cpp
index e9bde988..00fb641f 100644
--- a/MobileGL/MG_Backend/DirectGLES/DirectGLES.cpp
+++ b/MobileGL/MG_Backend/DirectGLES/DirectGLES.cpp
@@ -1621,9 +1621,8 @@ namespace MobileGL::MG_Backend::DirectGLES {
                     const auto& effectiveSampler = textureUnit.GetSamplerObject()
                         ? textureUnit.GetSamplerObject()
                         : textureObject->GetSamplerObject();
-                    const Bool mipmappedFilter =
-                        effectiveSampler && effectiveSampler->GetMipmapMode() != SamplerMipmapMode::None;
-                    if (!MG_State::GLState::IsMipmapCompleteForFilter(textureObject.get(), mipmappedFilter)) {
+                    if (MG_State::GLState::SamplesAsIncompleteTexture(textureObject.get(),
+                                                                      effectiveSampler.get())) {
                         continue;
                     }
 
diff --git a/MobileGL/MG_Backend/DirectVulkan/Renderer/UniformManager.cpp b/MobileGL/MG_Backend/DirectVulkan/Renderer/UniformManager.cpp
index b96aedab..2259577e 100644
--- a/MobileGL/MG_Backend/DirectVulkan/Renderer/UniformManager.cpp
+++ b/MobileGL/MG_Backend/DirectVulkan/Renderer/UniformManager.cpp
@@ -266,6 +266,14 @@ namespace MobileGL::MG_Backend::DirectVulkan {
         const auto& samplerOverride = textureUnit.GetSamplerObject();
         const auto preferredTarget = programObj.samplerTextureTargetByBinding[binding];
         SharedPtr<MG_State::GLState::ITextureObject> fallbackHolder;
+        // A texture that fails the completeness rules for the filter in effect reads
+        // (0, 0, 0, 1), which is exactly what the fallback texture holds - so it takes the
+        // same route as a sampler with nothing bound.
+        if (texture != nullptr &&
+            MG_State::GLState::SamplesAsIncompleteTexture(
+                texture, samplerOverride ? samplerOverride.get() : texture->GetSamplerObject().get())) {
+            texture = nullptr;
+        }
         if (texture == nullptr) {
             fallbackHolder = GetFallbackTexture(preferredTarget);
             texture = fallbackHolder.get();
@@ -769,6 +777,11 @@ namespace MobileGL::MG_Backend::DirectVulkan {
             fallbackTexture->SetInternalFormat(TextureInternalFormat::RGBA8);
             fallbackTexture->AllocateStorage(TextureUploadTarget::Texture2D, 0,
                                              {.texelSize = {1, 1, 1}, .byteSize = 4});
+            // (0, 0, 0, 1): what GL reads from a texture that is not complete, and the only
+            // sensible answer for a sampler with nothing bound.
+            static Uint8 kOpaqueBlackTexel[4] = {0, 0, 0, 255};
+            fallbackTexture->UpdateMipmapSubData(TextureUploadTarget::Texture2D, 0,
+                                                 {kOpaqueBlackTexel, sizeof(kOpaqueBlackTexel)});
             fallbackTexture->MarkStorageDirty(TextureUploadTarget::Texture2D, 0, true);
             m_fallbackTexture2D = fallbackTexture;
         }
diff --git a/MobileGL/MG_State/GLState/TextureState/TextureObject.cpp b/MobileGL/MG_State/GLState/TextureState/TextureObject.cpp
index 1f0566cf..1b41f8f2 100644
--- a/MobileGL/MG_State/GLState/TextureState/TextureObject.cpp
+++ b/MobileGL/MG_State/GLState/TextureState/TextureObject.cpp
@@ -348,6 +348,12 @@ namespace MobileGL {
 
             // TODO: add other texture types as needed
 
+        Bool SamplesAsIncompleteTexture(const ITextureObject* texture, const SamplerObject* effectiveSampler) {
+            const Bool mipmapped =
+                effectiveSampler != nullptr && effectiveSampler->GetMipmapMode() != SamplerMipmapMode::None;
+            return !IsMipmapCompleteForFilter(texture, mipmapped);
+        }
+
         Bool IsMipmapCompleteForFilter(const ITextureObject* texture, Bool mipmapped) {
             if (texture == nullptr) return true;
             if (!texture->IsComplete()) return false;
diff --git a/MobileGL/MG_State/GLState/TextureState/TextureObject.h b/MobileGL/MG_State/GLState/TextureState/TextureObject.h
index f1196ad0..d3fea053 100644
--- a/MobileGL/MG_State/GLState/TextureState/TextureObject.h
+++ b/MobileGL/MG_State/GLState/TextureState/TextureObject.h
@@ -164,6 +164,12 @@ namespace MobileGL::MG_State::GLState {
     // IsComplete() already covers. Sampling an incomplete texture returns (0, 0, 0, 1).
     Bool IsMipmapCompleteForFilter(const ITextureObject* texture, Bool mipmapped);
 
+    // The rule above asked as the backends need it: does a lookup on this texture read
+    // (0, 0, 0, 1) instead of its contents? `effectiveSampler` is the sampler object bound
+    // to the unit when there is one, otherwise the texture's own. A backend answers yes by
+    // routing the texture to whatever it already uses for "nothing is bound there".
+    Bool SamplesAsIncompleteTexture(const ITextureObject* texture, const SamplerObject* effectiveSampler);
+
     inline const TextureObjectMipmap* AsMipmapTexture(const ITextureObject* texture) {
         return (texture && texture->GetStorageType() == TextureStorageType::Mipmap)
                    ? static_cast<const TextureObjectMipmap*>(texture)