Audio handler broadcasts MediaItem twice on every track change:
once with artUri=null (the new track's bare metadata), then again
with artUri pointing at the AlbumCoverCache file once the cover
lands on disk. The mini player's cover element was rebuilding in
place: previous track's image → slate placeholder → new track's
image. That flash is the flicker reported on the v2026.05.13.0 build.
AnimatedSwitcher around the cover (180ms crossfade) keyed by the
artUri value makes the swap a smooth crossfade instead of a visible
snap. The Hero parent stays — its tag is stable across track changes
so the mini→full bar expansion animation keeps working unchanged.
bvandeusen
6a08d94255