diff --git a/flutter_client/lib/player/audio_handler.dart b/flutter_client/lib/player/audio_handler.dart
index 57c14bed..945ac971 100644
--- a/flutter_client/lib/player/audio_handler.dart
+++ b/flutter_client/lib/player/audio_handler.dart
@@ -31,6 +31,14 @@ class MinstrelAudioHandler extends BaseAudioHandler with QueueHandler, SeekHandl
   Stream<double> get volumeStream => _player.volumeStream;
   double get volume => _player.volume;
 
+  /// Position stream for UI subscribers. just_audio emits roughly every
+  /// 200ms while playing, which is what makes the seek bar advance
+  /// smoothly. PlaybackState.updatePosition only changes on event
+  /// transitions (play/pause/buffer), so it's too coarse for live
+  /// scrubbing UI.
+  Stream<Duration> get positionStream => _player.positionStream;
+  Duration get position => _player.position;
+
   void configure({
     required String baseUrl,
     required String? token,
diff --git a/flutter_client/lib/player/now_playing_screen.dart b/flutter_client/lib/player/now_playing_screen.dart
index 17b96e24..5cdc2e11 100644
--- a/flutter_client/lib/player/now_playing_screen.dart
+++ b/flutter_client/lib/player/now_playing_screen.dart
@@ -62,7 +62,11 @@ class _NowPlayingScreenState extends ConsumerState<NowPlayingScreen> {
       return const Scaffold(body: Center(child: Text('Nothing playing.')));
     }
 
-    final pos = playback?.updatePosition ?? Duration.zero;
+    // Use positionProvider (just_audio's positionStream, ~200ms) for
+    // the seek bar so it scrubs live; PlaybackState.updatePosition
+    // only fires on state transitions and would leave the bar frozen
+    // between them.
+    final pos = ref.watch(positionProvider).value ?? Duration.zero;
     final dur = media.duration ?? Duration.zero;
     final isPlaying = playback?.playing == true;
     final shuffleOn = playback?.shuffleMode == AudioServiceShuffleMode.all;
@@ -109,22 +113,22 @@ class _NowPlayingScreenState extends ConsumerState<NowPlayingScreen> {
                           overflow: TextOverflow.ellipsis,
                         ),
                       ],
-                      const SizedBox(height: 20),
+                      const SizedBox(height: 32),
                       _SeekRow(position: pos, duration: dur, fs: fs, ref: ref),
-                      const SizedBox(height: 8),
+                      const SizedBox(height: 24),
                       _PrimaryControls(
                         fs: fs,
                         ref: ref,
                         isPlaying: isPlaying,
                       ),
-                      const SizedBox(height: 16),
+                      const SizedBox(height: 24),
                       _SecondaryControls(
                         fs: fs,
                         actions: actions,
                         shuffleOn: shuffleOn,
                         repeatMode: repeatMode,
                       ),
-                      const Spacer(),
+                      const SizedBox(height: 24),
                     ],
                   ),
                 ),
diff --git a/flutter_client/lib/player/player_bar.dart b/flutter_client/lib/player/player_bar.dart
index 1fa84e16..4e40013d 100644
--- a/flutter_client/lib/player/player_bar.dart
+++ b/flutter_client/lib/player/player_bar.dart
@@ -36,7 +36,10 @@ class PlayerBar extends ConsumerWidget {
     final playback = ref.watch(playbackStateProvider).value;
     if (media == null) return const SizedBox.shrink();
 
-    final pos = playback?.updatePosition ?? Duration.zero;
+    // positionProvider is just_audio's positionStream (~200ms cadence)
+    // so the mini bar's seek crawls forward smoothly. PlaybackState
+    // only updates on event transitions and would leave it frozen.
+    final pos = ref.watch(positionProvider).value ?? Duration.zero;
     final dur = media.duration ?? Duration.zero;
 
     return Material(
diff --git a/flutter_client/lib/player/player_provider.dart b/flutter_client/lib/player/player_provider.dart
index 8cbeff3c..eafcb9a7 100644
--- a/flutter_client/lib/player/player_provider.dart
+++ b/flutter_client/lib/player/player_provider.dart
@@ -38,6 +38,15 @@ final volumeProvider = StreamProvider<double>(
   (ref) => ref.watch(audioHandlerProvider).volumeStream,
 );
 
+/// Live playback position. just_audio emits at ~200ms cadence so seek
+/// bars driven by this provider scrub smoothly. Don't use
+/// PlaybackState.updatePosition for that — it only changes on state
+/// transitions (play/pause/buffer/seek) and the bar would appear
+/// frozen between events.
+final positionProvider = StreamProvider<Duration>(
+  (ref) => ref.watch(audioHandlerProvider).positionStream,
+);
+
 class PlayerActions {
   PlayerActions(this._ref);
   final Ref _ref;