diff --git a/filament/backend/include/private/backend/HandleAllocator.h b/filament/backend/include/private/backend/HandleAllocator.h
index afc6dc924e..d083fe3da9 100644
--- a/filament/backend/include/private/backend/HandleAllocator.h
+++ b/filament/backend/include/private/backend/HandleAllocator.h
@@ -181,6 +181,18 @@ public:
         return static_cast<Dp>(p);
     }
 
+    template<typename B>
+    bool is_valid(Handle<B>& handle) {
+        if (handle && isPoolHandle(handle.getId())) {
+            auto [p, tag] = handleToPointer(handle.getId());
+            uint8_t const age = (tag & HANDLE_AGE_MASK) >> HANDLE_AGE_SHIFT;
+            auto const pNode = static_cast<typename Allocator::Node*>(p);
+            uint8_t const expectedAge = pNode[-1].age;
+            return expectedAge == age;
+        }
+        return true;
+    }
+
     template<typename Dp, typename B>
     inline typename std::enable_if_t<
             std::is_pointer_v<Dp> &&
diff --git a/filament/backend/src/opengl/OpenGLDriver.cpp b/filament/backend/src/opengl/OpenGLDriver.cpp
index 4f88c9717f..5b011ee625 100644
--- a/filament/backend/src/opengl/OpenGLDriver.cpp
+++ b/filament/backend/src/opengl/OpenGLDriver.cpp
@@ -2336,9 +2336,9 @@ void OpenGLDriver::updateSamplerGroup(Handle<HwSamplerGroup> sbh,
     auto const* const pSamplers = (SamplerDescriptor const*)data.buffer;
     for (size_t i = 0, c = sb->textureUnitEntries.size(); i < c; i++) {
         GLuint samplerId = 0u;
-        const GLTexture* t = nullptr;
-        if (UTILS_LIKELY(pSamplers[i].t)) {
-            t = handle_cast<const GLTexture*>(pSamplers[i].t);
+        Handle<HwTexture> th = pSamplers[i].t;
+        if (UTILS_LIKELY(th)) {
+            GLTexture const* const t = handle_cast<const GLTexture*>(th);
             assert_invariant(t);
 
             SamplerParams params = pSamplers[i].s;
@@ -2394,7 +2394,7 @@ void OpenGLDriver::updateSamplerGroup(Handle<HwSamplerGroup> sbh,
             // which is not an error.
         }
 
-        sb->textureUnitEntries[i] = { t, samplerId };
+        sb->textureUnitEntries[i] = { th, samplerId };
     }
     scheduleDestroy(std::move(data));
 }
diff --git a/filament/backend/src/opengl/OpenGLDriver.h b/filament/backend/src/opengl/OpenGLDriver.h
index d5e1b797b6..5345d474bf 100644
--- a/filament/backend/src/opengl/OpenGLDriver.h
+++ b/filament/backend/src/opengl/OpenGLDriver.h
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ public:
     struct GLSamplerGroup : public HwSamplerGroup {
         using HwSamplerGroup::HwSamplerGroup;
         struct Entry {
-            GLTexture const* texture = nullptr;
+            Handle<HwTexture> th;
             GLuint sampler = 0u;
         };
         utils::FixedCapacityVector<Entry> textureUnitEntries;
@@ -256,6 +256,11 @@ private:
         return mHandleAllocator.handle_cast<Dp, B>(handle);
     }
 
+    template<typename B>
+    bool is_valid(Handle<B>& handle) {
+        return mHandleAllocator.is_valid(handle);
+    }
+
     template<typename Dp, typename B>
     inline typename std::enable_if_t<
             std::is_pointer_v<Dp> &&
diff --git a/filament/backend/src/opengl/OpenGLProgram.cpp b/filament/backend/src/opengl/OpenGLProgram.cpp
index 6c5eab9a44..7a85e3c63c 100644
--- a/filament/backend/src/opengl/OpenGLProgram.cpp
+++ b/filament/backend/src/opengl/OpenGLProgram.cpp
@@ -20,21 +20,24 @@
 #include "OpenGLDriver.h"
 #include "ShaderCompilerService.h"
 
+#include <backend/DriverEnums.h>
 #include <backend/Program.h>
+#include <backend/Handle.h>
 
-#include <private/backend/BackendUtils.h>
-
-#include <utils/debug.h>
 #include <utils/compiler.h>
+#include <utils/debug.h>
+#include <utils/FixedCapacityVector.h>
 #include <utils/Log.h>
 #include <utils/Systrace.h>
 
+#include <algorithm>
 #include <array>
 #include <string_view>
 #include <utility>
 #include <new>
 
 #include <stddef.h>
+#include <stdint.h>
 
 namespace filament::backend {
 
@@ -241,8 +244,9 @@ void OpenGLProgram::updateSamplers(OpenGLDriver* const gld) const noexcept {
         assert_invariant(sb);
         if (!sb) continue; // should never happen, this would be a user error.
         for (uint8_t j = 0, m = sb->textureUnitEntries.size(); j < m; ++j, ++tmu) { // "<=" on purpose here
-            const GLTexture* const t = sb->textureUnitEntries[j].texture;
-            if (t) { // program may not use all samplers of sampler group
+            Handle<HwTexture> th = sb->textureUnitEntries[j].th;
+            if (th) { // program may not use all samplers of sampler group
+                GLTexture const* const t = gld->handle_cast<GLTexture const*>(th);
                 gld->bindTexture(tmu, t);
 #ifndef FILAMENT_SILENCE_NOT_SUPPORTED_BY_ES2
                 if (UTILS_LIKELY(!es2)) {