diff --git a/Shared/Audio/AudioPlayer.swift b/Shared/Audio/AudioPlayer.swift
index c055beb..018e49c 100644
--- a/Shared/Audio/AudioPlayer.swift
+++ b/Shared/Audio/AudioPlayer.swift
@@ -259,6 +259,19 @@ class AudioPlayer: NSObject, ObservableObject {
         // by widget intents sit in App Group UserDefaults until we check here.
         WidgetBridge.shared.processAnyPendingCommand()
 
+        // Sync currentTime/duration from the live AVPlayer state.
+        // While backgrounded, the time observer was removed (suspendVisTimers)
+        // but AVPlayer kept advancing. Without this sync, the vis timer's first
+        // frames read the stale position from when the app backgrounded, causing
+        // the waveform to render from the wrong song position then snap-correct
+        // once the reinstalled time observer fires (~0.1s later).
+        if let p = player, p.currentTime().isNumeric {
+            currentTime = p.currentTime().seconds
+        }
+        if let dur = playerItem?.duration.seconds, dur.isFinite, dur > 0 {
+            duration = dur
+        }
+
         // Always reinstall time observers — they were removed on background regardless
         // of play state. Without this, currentTime is frozen after background+pause+play.
         reinstallTimeObserver()
@@ -445,6 +458,7 @@ class AudioPlayer: NSObject, ObservableObject {
                 
                 // Prepare next track in standby
                 prepareNextForCrossfade()
+                pushWidgetState()
                 return
             }
         }
@@ -1138,6 +1152,7 @@ class AudioPlayer: NSObject, ObservableObject {
             
             self.updateNowPlayingInfo()
             self.fetchAndSetArtwork(coverArtId: self.currentSong?.coverArt)
+            self.pushWidgetState()
             
             // Prepare next-next (picks up any queue changes that happened mid-fade)
             self.prepareNextForCrossfade()
@@ -1784,7 +1799,9 @@ class AudioPlayer: NSObject, ObservableObject {
                 // produce the same "custom_al-123" key → blur is reused, not redone.
                 artKey = "custom_\(id)"
             } else if let url = ServerManager.shared.client.coverArtURL(id: id, size: 600) {
-                coverImage = ImageCache.shared.memoryOnlyImage(for: url)
+                // cachedImage checks memory first, then disk — acceptable here because
+                // pushWidgetState only fires on song change / pause / resume, not per-frame.
+                coverImage = ImageCache.shared.cachedImage(for: url)
             }
         }