diff --git a/services/soundtrigger/SoundTriggerHwService.cpp b/services/soundtrigger/SoundTriggerHwService.cpp
index c891fd6..66310b5 100644
--- a/services/soundtrigger/SoundTriggerHwService.cpp
+++ b/services/soundtrigger/SoundTriggerHwService.cpp
@@ -544,19 +544,39 @@
     AutoMutex lock(mLock);
 
     if (mModels.size() >= mDescriptor.properties.max_sound_models) {
+        /* Make space for a keyphrase sound model by first trying to swap out a previously loaded
+         * keyphrase sound model, or if needed, another sound model. This decision would optimally
+         * happen in SoundTriggerHelper, but is happening here because state tracking isn't good
+         * enough in SoundTriggerHelper to ensure that state is consistent between it and the HAL,
+         * nor does sufficient error handling exist to recover from inconsistencies.
+         * Once that exists:
+         * TODO: we should return an error instead of unloading a previous sound model here.
+         */
         if (mModels.size() == 0) {
             return INVALID_OPERATION;
         }
-        ALOGW("loadSoundModel() max number of models exceeded %d making room for a new one",
-              mDescriptor.properties.max_sound_models);
-        unloadSoundModel_l(mModels.valueAt(0)->mHandle);
+        if (sound_model->type == SOUND_MODEL_TYPE_KEYPHRASE) {
+            ALOGW("loadSoundModel() max number of models exceeded %d making room for a new one",
+                  mDescriptor.properties.max_sound_models);
+            sound_model_handle_t unload_handle = mModels.valueAt(0)->mHandle;
+            for (size_t i = 0; i < mModels.size(); i++) {
+                if (mModels.valueAt(i)->mType == SOUND_MODEL_TYPE_KEYPHRASE) {
+                    unload_handle = mModels.keyAt(i);
+                    break;
+                }
+            }
+            unloadSoundModel_l(unload_handle);
+        } else {
+            ALOGW("loadSoundModel(): Not loading, max number of models (%d) would be exceeded",
+                  mDescriptor.properties.max_sound_models);
+            return INVALID_OPERATION;
+        }
     }
 
-    status_t status = mHwDevice->load_sound_model(mHwDevice,
-                                                  sound_model,
+    status_t status = mHwDevice->load_sound_model(mHwDevice, sound_model,
                                                   SoundTriggerHwService::soundModelCallback,
-                                                  this,
-                                                  handle);
+                                                  this, handle);
+
     if (status != NO_ERROR) {
         return status;
     }