diff --git a/ably.d.ts b/ably.d.ts
index 4f7c82fb5..c80717665 100644
--- a/ably.d.ts
+++ b/ably.d.ts
@@ -2718,7 +2718,7 @@ export declare interface Channels<T> {
    */
   getDerived(name: string, deriveOptions: DeriveOptions, channelOptions?: ChannelOptions): T;
   /**
-   * Releases a {@link Channel} or {@link RealtimeChannel} object, deleting it, and enabling it to be garbage collected. To release a channel, the {@link ChannelState} must be `INITIALIZED`, `DETACHED`, or `FAILED`.
+   * Releases all SDK-held references to a {@link Channel} or {@link RealtimeChannel} object, enabling it to be garbage collected. Warning: this method has no guardrails; using a channel reference after it has been released is undefined behaviour. It can be useful for applications that work with a continually changing set of channels on a single client and need to avoid unbounded memory growth; if this does not describe you, don't call it. Realtime channels not already in the `INITIALIZED`, `DETACHED`, or `FAILED` state are detached before release.
    *
    * @param name - The channel name.
    */
diff --git a/src/common/lib/client/baserealtime.ts b/src/common/lib/client/baserealtime.ts
index 73a5411fb..c32251397 100644
--- a/src/common/lib/client/baserealtime.ts
+++ b/src/common/lib/client/baserealtime.ts
@@ -223,15 +223,29 @@ class Channels extends EventEmitter {
    * Please do not use this unless you know what you're doing */
   release(name: string) {
     name = String(name);
+    Logger.logAction(this.logger, Logger.LOG_MAJOR, 'Channels.release()', 'Releasing references to channel ' + name);
     const channel = this.all[name];
     if (!channel) {
       return;
     }
-    const releaseErr = channel.getReleaseErr();
-    if (releaseErr) {
-      throw releaseErr;
+    const s = channel.state;
+    if (s === 'initialized' || s === 'detached' || s === 'failed') {
+      delete this.all[name];
+      return;
     }
-    delete this.all[name];
+    channel
+      .detach()
+      .catch((err) => {
+        Logger.logAction(
+          this.logger,
+          Logger.LOG_ERROR,
+          'Channels.release()',
+          'Error detaching channel ' + name + ' prior to release: ' + Utils.inspectError(err),
+        );
+      })
+      .then(() => {
+        delete this.all[name];
+      });
   }
 }