diff --git a/android/app/src/main/java/com/fabledsword/minstrel/player/PlayerController.kt b/android/app/src/main/java/com/fabledsword/minstrel/player/PlayerController.kt
index 6a172a0d..b7782e64 100644
--- a/android/app/src/main/java/com/fabledsword/minstrel/player/PlayerController.kt
+++ b/android/app/src/main/java/com/fabledsword/minstrel/player/PlayerController.kt
@@ -13,12 +13,15 @@ import com.fabledsword.minstrel.models.TrackRef
 import com.fabledsword.minstrel.shared.resolveServerUrl
 import dagger.hilt.android.qualifiers.ApplicationContext
 import kotlinx.coroutines.CoroutineScope
+import kotlinx.coroutines.Dispatchers
 import kotlinx.coroutines.channels.Channel
+import kotlinx.coroutines.delay
 import kotlinx.coroutines.flow.Flow
 import kotlinx.coroutines.flow.MutableStateFlow
 import kotlinx.coroutines.flow.StateFlow
 import kotlinx.coroutines.flow.asStateFlow
 import kotlinx.coroutines.flow.receiveAsFlow
+import kotlinx.coroutines.isActive
 import kotlinx.coroutines.launch
 import kotlinx.coroutines.suspendCancellableCoroutine
 import javax.inject.Inject
@@ -193,6 +196,7 @@ class PlayerController @Inject constructor(
                 return
             }
         mediaController = controller
+        startPositionPolling(controller)
         controller.addListener(
             object : Player.Listener {
                 override fun onPlayerError(error: androidx.media3.common.PlaybackException) {
@@ -235,6 +239,33 @@ class PlayerController @Inject constructor(
         )
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Periodic `currentPosition` / `bufferedPosition` poller. Media3's
+     * `Player.Events` callbacks only fire at boundaries (track change,
+     * pause/play, buffer state), never on normal position advancement,
+     * so the seek bar would otherwise sit static between events. Polls
+     * at [POSITION_POLL_INTERVAL_MS]; matches the in-app cadence of
+     * Spotify / Apple Music / Flutter (just_audio `positionStream` runs
+     * at ~200ms; this 500ms is a battery-friendly middle ground that
+     * still reads as smooth on a slider).
+     *
+     * The poll only patches position fields via `.copy()` so a stale
+     * `onEvents` snapshot can't clobber the latest state. MediaController
+     * is touched only from the main dispatcher.
+     */
+    private fun startPositionPolling(controller: MediaController) {
+        scope.launch(Dispatchers.Main.immediate) {
+            while (isActive) {
+                delay(POSITION_POLL_INTERVAL_MS)
+                if (!controller.isPlaying) continue
+                uiStateInternal.value = uiStateInternal.value.copy(
+                    positionMs = controller.currentPosition.coerceAtLeast(0),
+                    bufferedPositionMs = controller.bufferedPosition.coerceAtLeast(0),
+                )
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
     /**
      * Bridges Media3's `ListenableFuture<MediaController>.buildAsync()`
      * to a suspend function without pulling in `kotlinx-coroutines-guava`
@@ -296,3 +327,10 @@ class PlayerController @Inject constructor(
         const val MINSTREL_SOURCE_KEY: String = "minstrel_source"
     }
 }
+
+// 500ms: smooth-enough on a slider without being battery-hostile.
+// Flutter (just_audio positionStream) ticks at ~200ms; Spotify / Apple
+// Music sit around 250-500ms in-app. Lock-screen / notification
+// surfaces are driven by Media3's MediaSession callbacks separately;
+// they don't need this poll.
+private const val POSITION_POLL_INTERVAL_MS = 500L