diff --git a/flutter_client/lib/player/now_playing_screen.dart b/flutter_client/lib/player/now_playing_screen.dart
index 1b0038ee..18ed3e00 100644
--- a/flutter_client/lib/player/now_playing_screen.dart
+++ b/flutter_client/lib/player/now_playing_screen.dart
@@ -45,6 +45,17 @@ class _NowPlayingScreenState extends ConsumerState<NowPlayingScreen> {
   // dismiss. Reset on each drag start.
   double _dragOffset = 0;
 
+  /// Last resolved dominant color. Held across track changes so the
+  /// gradient backdrop tweens smoothly from the previous album's color
+  /// to the next, instead of dropping through fs.obsidian during the
+  /// brief moment albumColorProvider for the new id is still loading.
+  Color? _lastDominant;
+
+  /// Dedupe key for the cover precache side-effect. Without this we'd
+  /// fire precacheImage on every MediaItem rebroadcast (twice per track
+  /// change, once on artUri arrival).
+  String? _precachedArtUri;
+
   void _onDragStart(DragStartDetails _) {
     _dragOffset = 0;
   }
@@ -87,17 +98,45 @@ class _NowPlayingScreenState extends ConsumerState<NowPlayingScreen> {
     final albumId = (media.extras?['album_id'] as String?) ?? '';
 
     // Dominant-color gradient backdrop seeded from the current track's
-    // album cover. While the color resolves (or when no cover exists),
-    // the gradient collapses to a flat fs.obsidian — same look as
-    // before the polish landed. Tweens to the new color on track change
-    // via AnimatedContainer.
+    // album cover. Tweens to the new color on track change via
+    // AnimatedContainer.
+    //
+    // We hold _lastDominant across builds so a track change doesn't
+    // briefly tween to fs.obsidian while albumColorProvider for the
+    // new id is loading — that brief stop produced the "background
+    // coloring snaps in" effect users saw. With a held color, the
+    // gradient stays on the previous album's color until the new
+    // extraction resolves, then animates straight to it.
     final dominantAsync = ref.watch(albumColorProvider(albumId));
-    final dominant = dominantAsync.asData?.value ?? fs.obsidian;
+    final resolved = dominantAsync.asData?.value;
+    if (resolved != null) _lastDominant = resolved;
+    final dominant = _lastDominant ?? fs.obsidian;
     // 0.55 alpha keeps the color present without overwhelming contrast
     // on the title / artist text below. The lower half of the screen
     // stays obsidian for control legibility.
     final gradientTop = dominant.withValues(alpha: 0.55);
 
+    // Precache the cover image bytes the moment a new MediaItem (with
+    // a file:// artUri) is broadcast. Without this, AnimatedSwitcher's
+    // cross-fade for the cover would complete before FileImage finished
+    // decoding the bytes — visible as a "snap in" of the album art
+    // after the fade. precacheImage decodes in the background; by the
+    // time the new _AlbumArt mounts inside the switcher, the bytes are
+    // ready and the cover paints synchronously.
+    //
+    // Non-file artUris (the rare moment before AlbumCoverCache has
+    // written the file) fall back to ServerImage / CachedNetworkImage
+    // which has its own 120ms fade — no precache benefit there.
+    final artUri = media.artUri;
+    final artKey = artUri?.toString();
+    if (artUri != null &&
+        artUri.isScheme('file') &&
+        artKey != _precachedArtUri) {
+      _precachedArtUri = artKey;
+      // ignore: unawaited_futures
+      precacheImage(FileImage(File.fromUri(artUri)), context);
+    }
+
     return Scaffold(
       backgroundColor: fs.obsidian,
       // The whole screen accepts vertical drag for dismissal. Buttons