Seek bar glitch — The time observer was reporting from the outgoing player (near 100%) for the first half, then jumping to the incoming player (near 0%) at 50%. Now it reports from the incoming player as soon as crossfade begins. The user hears the new song fading in — the seek bar matches.

Metadata/art/colors delayed — currentSong, artwork, widget colors, and lyrics only updated after finalizeCrossfade. Now a songHandoff callback fires at the crossfade midpoint (50%) — updates everything mid-fade so the UI transitions with the audio. Scrobble of the outgoing song also fires here (before currentSong changes).
Visualizer stale data — Old song’s vis frames stayed in the buffer during the first half of crossfade. Now visualizerHandoff zeros offlineVisBuffer + _audioLevels before loading the new song’s data. Clean slate → simulation fills the gap → real vis takes over.
The needsNextTrack callback (post-finalize) now only handles player swap, observer re-registration, and queue persistence — no redundant metadata/scrobble work.

Shared/Audio/AudioPlayer.swift

@@ -429,8 +429,34 @@ class AudioPlayer: NSObject, ObservableObject {
                           let nextSong = SmartCrossfadeManager.shared.pendingNextSong,
                           let url = SmartCrossfadeManager.shared.resolveURL(for: nextSong)
                     else { return }
+                    // Clear stale vis from outgoing song before loading new
+                    self.offlineVisBuffer = VisFrameBuffer.empty
+                    self.setLevels(Array(repeating: 0, count: self._audioLevels.count))
                     self.loadOfflineVisualizer(songId: nextSong.id, url: url)
                 }
+                // At crossfade midpoint, transition metadata/artwork/colors/widget
+                // so the UI reflects the incoming song while audio is still fading.
+                crossfade.songHandoff = { [weak self] incomingSong in
+                    guard let self = self else { return }
+                    // Scrobble the outgoing song before updating currentSong
+                    if let outgoing = self.currentSong {
+                        Task { try? await ServerManager.shared.client.scrobble(id: outgoing.id) }
+                    }
+                    self.currentSong = incomingSong
+                    if let idx = self.queue.firstIndex(where: { $0.id == incomingSong.id }) {
+                        self.queueIndex = idx
+                    }
+                    self.updateNowPlayingInfo()
+                    self.fetchAndSetArtwork(coverArtId: incomingSong.coverArt)
+                    self.pushWidgetState()
+                    LyricsManager.shared.songChanged(
+                        songId: incomingSong.id,
+                        artist: incomingSong.artist ?? "Unknown",
+                        title: incomingSong.title,
+                        path: incomingSong.path,
+                        duration: self.duration
+                    )
+                }
                 
                 crossfade.playSong(song, url: url)
                 isPlaying = true
@@ -1109,20 +1135,20 @@ class AudioPlayer: NSObject, ObservableObject {
         crossfade.needsNextTrack = { [weak self] in
             guard let self = self else { return }
             
-            // Scrobble the song that just finished.
-            // playerDidFinish only fires on natural item end — crossfade replaces the item
-            // before that happens, so we scrobble here instead.
-            if let finishedSong = self.currentSong {
-                Task { try? await ServerManager.shared.client.scrobble(id: finishedSong.id) }
-            }
+            // Scrobble + currentSong + artwork already handled by songHandoff at midpoint.
+            // Here we only handle post-swap housekeeping.
             
-            // Sync queueIndex to whatever was actually in standby (pendingNextSong),
-            // not just queueIndex+1. The queue may have changed between prepareNext()
-            // and now — this guarantees currentSong matches what the active player is playing.
+            // Ensure queueIndex is synced (songHandoff may have set it, but verify)
             if let nowPlaying = crossfade.pendingNextSong,
                let idx = self.queue.firstIndex(where: { $0.id == nowPlaying.id }) {
                 self.queueIndex = idx
-                self.currentSong = nowPlaying
+                // Only update currentSong if songHandoff somehow didn't fire
+                if self.currentSong?.id != nowPlaying.id {
+                    self.currentSong = nowPlaying
+                    self.updateNowPlayingInfo()
+                    self.fetchAndSetArtwork(coverArtId: nowPlaying.coverArt)
+                    self.pushWidgetState()
+                }
             } else {
                 // Fallback: queue was cleared or song removed — advance sequentially
                 let hasNext = self.repeatMode == .all || self.queueIndex + 1 < self.queue.count
@@ -1133,21 +1159,22 @@ class AudioPlayer: NSObject, ObservableObject {
                         self.queueIndex = min(self.queueIndex + 1, self.queue.count - 1)
                     }
                     self.currentSong = self.queue[self.queueIndex]
+                    self.updateNowPlayingInfo()
+                    self.fetchAndSetArtwork(coverArtId: self.currentSong?.coverArt)
+                    self.pushWidgetState()
                 }
             }
             
-            // Persist updated queue position — time observer only saves position now
+            // Persist updated queue position
             PlaybackStateStore.shared.save(
                 queue: self.queue, index: self.queueIndex,
                 currentTime: 0, currentSongId: self.currentSong?.id
             )
             
+            // Swap AudioPlayer.player to the new active crossfade player
             self.player = crossfade.activePlayer
             
-            // Re-register the safety-net AVPlayerItemDidPlayToEndTime observer on the
-            // new active item. play() registered it on the first item only — subsequent
-            // crossfades swap the active slot so the original observer is now stale.
-            // Without this, a boundary-observer failure on track 2+ has no fallback.
+            // Re-register the safety-net AVPlayerItemDidPlayToEndTime observer
             NotificationCenter.default.removeObserver(self, name: .AVPlayerItemDidPlayToEndTime, object: nil)
             if let newItem = crossfade.activePlayer.currentItem {
                 NotificationCenter.default.addObserver(
@@ -1156,10 +1183,6 @@ 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()
         }
@@ -1798,8 +1821,21 @@ class AudioPlayer: NSObject, ObservableObject {
             duration: duration
         )
         
-        let upcoming = Array(queue.dropFirst(queueIndex + 1).prefix(3))
-            .map { (title: $0.title, artist: $0.artist ?? "Unknown") }
+        let upcomingSongs = Array(queue.dropFirst(queueIndex + 1).prefix(3))
+        let upcoming: [(title: String, artist: String, coverData: Data?)] = upcomingSongs.map { s in
+            var artData: Data?
+            if let id = s.coverArt {
+                if let custom = AlbumCoverStore.shared.loadCover(for: id) {
+                    // Downscale to tiny thumbnail for widget (~40pt @ 2x = 80px)
+                    artData = custom.preparingThumbnail(of: CGSize(width: 80, height: 80))?
+                        .jpegData(compressionQuality: 0.5)
+                } else if let url = ServerManager.shared.client.coverArtURL(id: id, size: 80) {
+                    artData = ImageCache.shared.cachedImage(for: url)?
+                        .jpegData(compressionQuality: 0.5)
+                }
+            }
+            return (title: s.title, artist: s.artist ?? "Unknown", coverData: artData)
+        }
         
         // Cover art: custom first, then server (memory + disk).
         var coverImage: UIImage?
@@ -1926,10 +1962,17 @@ class AudioPlayer: NSObject, ObservableObject {
             SmartCrossfadeManager.shared.stop()
             isUsingCrossfade = false
         }
+        // Zero the vis buffer so stale frames from the previous song don't render
+        // while the new song is loading. The new loadOfflineVisualizer() call will
+        // repopulate it once analysis finishes.
+        offlineVisBuffer = VisFrameBuffer.empty
         #endif
         stopEngine()
         stopAVPlayer()
         NotificationCenter.default.removeObserver(self, name: .AVPlayerItemDidPlayToEndTime, object: nil)
+        // Zero audio levels immediately — prevents the Canvas from painting stale
+        // FFT/vis data during track transitions (the "lifted bars" bug).
+        setLevels(Array(repeating: 0, count: _audioLevels.count))
     }
     
     func stop() {

Shared/Storage/WidgetSharedState.swift

@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ import Foundation
 struct WidgetQueueItem: Codable, Equatable {
     let title: String
     let artist: String
+    let coverArtData: Data?   // small JPEG thumbnail (~40×40 → ~2KB each)
 }
 
 /// Commands the widget can send to the main app.

Widget/NowPlayingWidget.swift

@@ -179,5 +179,6 @@ struct NowPlayingWidget: Widget {
         .configurationDisplayName("Now Playing")
         .description("Control playback and see what's playing.")
         .supportedFamilies([.systemSmall, .systemMedium, .systemLarge])
+        .contentMarginsDisabled()
     }
 }

Widget/NowPlayingWidgetViews.swift

@@ -541,15 +541,23 @@ struct LargeContent: View {
                 .foregroundStyle(.white.opacity(0.3))
                 .frame(width: 14, alignment: .center)
 
-            // Mini art placeholder (no per-track art data in widget)
-            RoundedRectangle(cornerRadius: 5, style: .continuous)
-                .fill(colors.accent.opacity(0.2))
-                .frame(width: 32, height: 32)
-                .overlay(
-                    Image(systemName: "music.note")
-                        .font(.system(size: 11, weight: .light))
-                        .foregroundStyle(.white.opacity(0.2))
-                )
+            // Mini cover art — real data from queue, fallback to accent placeholder
+            Group {
+                if let data = item.coverArtData, let img = UIImage(data: data) {
+                    Image(uiImage: img)
+                        .resizable()
+                        .aspectRatio(contentMode: .fill)
+                } else {
+                    ZStack {
+                        colors.accent.opacity(0.2)
+                        Image(systemName: "music.note")
+                            .font(.system(size: 11, weight: .light))
+                            .foregroundStyle(.white.opacity(0.2))
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+            .frame(width: 32, height: 32)
+            .clipShape(RoundedRectangle(cornerRadius: 5, style: .continuous))
 
             VStack(alignment: .leading, spacing: 1) {
                 Text(item.title)
@@ -587,17 +595,6 @@ struct LargeContent: View {
             }
             .frame(maxWidth: .infinity, alignment: .leading)
             .padding(.leading, 2)
-        } else if !entry.isPlaying {
-            HStack(spacing: 4) {
-                Text("⏸")
-                    .font(.system(size: 10))
-                    .foregroundStyle(.white.opacity(0.4))
-                Text("Paused")
-                    .font(.system(size: 10, weight: .medium))
-                    .foregroundStyle(colors.accent.opacity(0.7))
-            }
-            .frame(maxWidth: .infinity, alignment: .leading)
-            .padding(.leading, 2)
         }
     }
 }

iOS/Data/WidgetBridge.swift

@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ final class WidgetBridge {
         duration: TimeInterval,
         coverArtId: String?,
         coverArtImage: UIImage?,
-        queue: [(title: String, artist: String)],
+        queue: [(title: String, artist: String, coverData: Data?)],
         waveformSamples: [Float]? = nil,
         crossfadeAt: TimeInterval? = nil
     ) {
@@ -91,7 +91,9 @@ final class WidgetBridge {
             cachedSecondaryHex = secondary
         }
 
-        let queueItems = queue.prefix(3).map { WidgetQueueItem(title: $0.title, artist: $0.artist) }
+        let queueItems = queue.prefix(3).map {
+            WidgetQueueItem(title: $0.title, artist: $0.artist, coverArtData: $0.coverData)
+        }
 
         state.pushState(
             title: title,

iOS/Views/Companion/CompanionAPIService.swift

@@ -263,7 +263,7 @@ actor CompanionAPIService {
     /// Call once on app launch to populate SmartDJCache.bulkImport().
     func fetchAllProfiles() async throws -> [String: SmartDJProfile] {
         let base = try baseURL()
-        let url = base.appendingPathComponent("smart-dj/profiles/export")
+        let url = URL(string: "\(base)/smart-dj/profiles/export")!
         let (data, response) = try await session.data(from: url)
         try validateResponse(response)
         
@@ -382,7 +382,7 @@ actor CompanionAPIService {
         guard !paths.isEmpty else { return [:] }
         
         let base = try baseURL()
-        var components = URLComponents(url: base.appendingPathComponent("smart-dj/bulk-profiles"), resolvingAgainstBaseURL: false)!
+        var components = URLComponents(string: "\(base)/smart-dj/bulk-profiles")!
         components.queryItems = [URLQueryItem(name: "paths", value: paths.joined(separator: ","))]
         
         guard let url = components.url else { throw CompanionError.invalidURL }
@@ -417,7 +417,7 @@ actor CompanionAPIService {
     /// Fetch lyrics from LRCLIB via companion API (exact match by artist/title/duration).
     func fetchLyricsFromLRCLIB(artist: String, title: String, duration: Double) async throws -> LyricsResponse {
         let base = try baseURL()
-        var components = URLComponents(url: base.appendingPathComponent("lyrics/fetch"), resolvingAgainstBaseURL: false)!
+        var components = URLComponents(string: "\(base)/lyrics/fetch")!
         components.queryItems = [
             URLQueryItem(name: "artist", value: artist),
             URLQueryItem(name: "title", value: title),
@@ -432,7 +432,7 @@ actor CompanionAPIService {
     /// Search LRCLIB for lyrics matching a query.
     func searchLyrics(query: String) async throws -> [LRCLIBResult] {
         let base = try baseURL()
-        var components = URLComponents(url: base.appendingPathComponent("lyrics/search"), resolvingAgainstBaseURL: false)!
+        var components = URLComponents(string: "\(base)/lyrics/search")!
         components.queryItems = [URLQueryItem(name: "q", value: query)]
         guard let url = components.url else { throw CompanionError.invalidURL }
         let (data, response) = try await session.data(from: url)
@@ -443,7 +443,7 @@ actor CompanionAPIService {
     /// Embed LRC lyrics into an audio file via Companion API.
     func embedLyrics(relativePath: String, lrcContent: String) async throws {
         let base = try baseURL()
-        let url = base.appendingPathComponent("lyrics/embed")
+        let url = URL(string: "\(base)/lyrics/embed")!
         var request = URLRequest(url: url)
         request.httpMethod = "POST"
         

iOS/Views/Companion/SmartCrossfadeManager.swift

@@ -86,6 +86,8 @@ class SmartCrossfadeManager: ObservableObject {
     var needsNextTrack: (() -> Void)?
     var timeUpdate: ((TimeInterval, TimeInterval) -> Void)?
     var visualizerHandoff: ((AVPlayer) -> Void)?
+    /// Fires at crossfade midpoint — AudioPlayer updates currentSong, artwork, colors.
+    var songHandoff: ((Song) -> Void)?
     
     private init() {
         isEnabled = UserDefaults.standard.bool(forKey: "smart_crossfade_enabled")
@@ -342,10 +344,10 @@ class SmartCrossfadeManager: ObservableObject {
         timeObserver = activePlayer.addPeriodicTimeObserver(forInterval: interval, queue: .main) { [weak self] time in
             guard let self else { return }
             
-            // During crossfade past midpoint, report from the INCOMING player
-            // so the seek bar shows the new track's position, not -0:00
+            // During crossfade, report from the INCOMING player immediately.
+            // The user hears the new song fading in — seek bar should match.
             let reportPlayer: AVPlayer
-            if self.isCrossfading && self.didHandoffVisualizer {
+            if self.isCrossfading {
                 reportPlayer = self.standbyPlayer
             } else {
                 reportPlayer = self.activePlayer
@@ -444,6 +446,11 @@ class SmartCrossfadeManager: ObservableObject {
         if progress >= 0.5 && !didHandoffVisualizer {
             didHandoffVisualizer = true
             visualizerHandoff?(standbyPlayer)
+            // Transition metadata/artwork/colors at the midpoint so the UI
+            // reflects the incoming song while the audio is still fading.
+            if let incoming = pendingNextSong {
+                songHandoff?(incoming)
+            }
         }
         
         if progress >= 1.0 {

iOS/Views/Lyrics/LyricsManager.swift

@@ -180,59 +180,63 @@ final class LyricsManager: ObservableObject {
     // MARK: - Private: Fetch Pipeline
     
     private func fetchLyrics(artist: String, title: String, path: String?, duration: Double) async {
-        // 1. Try Companion API /lyrics/get (checks embedded + .lrc + cache)
+        let service = LyricsService.shared
+        
+        // 1. On-device: read embedded lyrics from downloaded file
+        if let songId = currentSongId {
+            if let response = await service.readEmbedded(songId: songId) {
+                if let synced = response.syncedLyrics, !synced.isEmpty {
+                    let lines = LRCParser.parse(synced)
+                    let data = LyricsData(lines: lines, source: "embedded", hasSynced: true)
+                    await MainActor.run { self.currentLyrics = data; self.isLoading = false }
+                    LyricsCache.shared.store(data, artist: artist, title: title)
+                    DebugLogger.shared.log("Lyrics: embedded in local file (\(lines.count) lines)", category: "Lyrics")
+                    return
+                } else if let plain = response.plainLyrics, !plain.isEmpty {
+                    await MainActor.run { self.importPlain(plain, source: "embedded"); self.isLoading = false }
+                    DebugLogger.shared.log("Lyrics: plain text embedded in local file", category: "Lyrics")
+                    return
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        
+        // 2. LRCLIB direct from iOS (no companion needed)
+        do {
+            let response = try await service.fetch(artist: artist, title: title, duration: duration)
+            if let synced = response.syncedLyrics, !synced.isEmpty {
+                let lines = LRCParser.parse(synced)
+                let data = LyricsData(lines: lines, source: "lrclib", hasSynced: true)
+                await MainActor.run { self.currentLyrics = data; self.isLoading = false }
+                LyricsCache.shared.store(data, artist: artist, title: title)
+                DebugLogger.shared.log("Lyrics: LRCLIB direct (synced, \(lines.count) lines)", category: "Lyrics")
+                return
+            } else if let plain = response.plainLyrics, !plain.isEmpty {
+                await MainActor.run { self.importPlain(plain, source: "lrclib"); self.isLoading = false }
+                DebugLogger.shared.log("Lyrics: LRCLIB direct (plain text)", category: "Lyrics")
+                return
+            }
+        } catch {
+            DebugLogger.shared.log("Lyrics: LRCLIB direct failed: \(error.localizedDescription)", category: "Lyrics")
+        }
+        
+        // 3. Companion API fallback (reads server-side embedded tags + .lrc sidecars)
         if CompanionSettings.shared.isEnabled, let path = path {
             do {
                 let api = CompanionAPIService.shared
                 let response = try await api.fetchLyricsForPath(relativePath: path)
                 if let synced = response.syncedLyrics, !synced.isEmpty {
                     let lines = LRCParser.parse(synced)
-                    let data = LyricsData(lines: lines, source: response.source ?? "embedded", hasSynced: true)
-                    await MainActor.run {
-                        self.currentLyrics = data
-                        self.isLoading = false
-                    }
+                    let data = LyricsData(lines: lines, source: response.source ?? "companion", hasSynced: true)
+                    await MainActor.run { self.currentLyrics = data; self.isLoading = false }
                     LyricsCache.shared.store(data, artist: artist, title: title)
-                    DebugLogger.shared.log("Lyrics: found via companion (\(response.source ?? "?"), \(lines.count) lines)", category: "Lyrics")
+                    DebugLogger.shared.log("Lyrics: companion fallback (\(response.source ?? "?"), \(lines.count) lines)", category: "Lyrics")
                     return
                 } else if let plain = response.plainLyrics, !plain.isEmpty {
-                    await MainActor.run {
-                        self.importPlain(plain, source: response.source ?? "embedded")
-                        self.isLoading = false
-                    }
-                    DebugLogger.shared.log("Lyrics: plain text via companion (\(response.source ?? "?"))", category: "Lyrics")
+                    await MainActor.run { self.importPlain(plain, source: response.source ?? "companion"); self.isLoading = false }
                     return
                 }
             } catch {
-                DebugLogger.shared.log("Lyrics: companion fetch failed: \(error.localizedDescription)", category: "Lyrics")
-            }
-        }
-        
-        // 2. Try LRCLIB via Companion API
-        if CompanionSettings.shared.isEnabled {
-            do {
-                let api = CompanionAPIService.shared
-                let response = try await api.fetchLyricsFromLRCLIB(artist: artist, title: title, duration: duration)
-                if let synced = response.syncedLyrics, !synced.isEmpty {
-                    let lines = LRCParser.parse(synced)
-                    let data = LyricsData(lines: lines, source: "lrclib", hasSynced: true)
-                    await MainActor.run {
-                        self.currentLyrics = data
-                        self.isLoading = false
-                    }
-                    LyricsCache.shared.store(data, artist: artist, title: title)
-                    DebugLogger.shared.log("Lyrics: found on LRCLIB (synced, \(lines.count) lines)", category: "Lyrics")
-                    return
-                } else if let plain = response.plainLyrics, !plain.isEmpty {
-                    await MainActor.run {
-                        self.importPlain(plain, source: "lrclib")
-                        self.isLoading = false
-                    }
-                    DebugLogger.shared.log("Lyrics: found on LRCLIB (plain text)", category: "Lyrics")
-                    return
-                }
-            } catch {
-                DebugLogger.shared.log("Lyrics: LRCLIB fetch failed: \(error.localizedDescription)", category: "Lyrics")
+                DebugLogger.shared.log("Lyrics: companion fallback failed: \(error.localizedDescription)", category: "Lyrics")
             }
         }
         

iOS/Views/Lyrics/LyricsSearchSheet.swift

@@ -188,8 +188,7 @@ struct LyricsSearchSheet: View {
         
         Task {
             do {
-                let api = CompanionAPIService.shared
-                let fetched = try await api.searchLyrics(query: query)
+                let fetched = try await LyricsService.shared.search(query: query)
                 await MainActor.run {
                     results = fetched
                     isSearching = false

iOS/Views/Lyrics/LyricsService.swift

@@ -0,0 +1,178 @@
+import Foundation
+import AVFoundation
+
+// ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+// LyricsService.swift
+// iOS-native lyrics fetching — no Companion API dependency.
+//
+// Priority:
+//   1. Local cache (previously fetched)
+//   2. Embedded lyrics in downloaded file (AVAsset metadata)
+//   3. LRCLIB direct (free public API, no auth)
+//   4. Companion API fallback (for server-side embedded tags)
+//
+// LRCLIB API: https://lrclib.net/api
+//   GET /search?q=...         → [LRCLIBResult]
+//   GET /get?artist_name=...&track_name=...&duration=... → LRCLIBResult
+// ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+final class LyricsService {
+    static let shared = LyricsService()
+    
+    private let lrclibBase = "https://lrclib.net/api"
+    private let session: URLSession
+    
+    private init() {
+        let config = URLSessionConfiguration.default
+        config.timeoutIntervalForRequest = 10
+        config.timeoutIntervalForResource = 15
+        session = URLSession(configuration: config)
+    }
+    
+    // MARK: - Search LRCLIB (direct)
+    
+    /// Search LRCLIB for lyrics matching a free-text query.
+    /// Returns an array of matches with synced/plain lyrics included.
+    func search(query: String) async throws -> [LRCLIBResult] {
+        guard var components = URLComponents(string: "\(lrclibBase)/search") else {
+            throw LyricsServiceError.invalidURL
+        }
+        components.queryItems = [URLQueryItem(name: "q", value: query)]
+        guard let url = components.url else { throw LyricsServiceError.invalidURL }
+        
+        let (data, response) = try await session.data(from: url)
+        guard let http = response as? HTTPURLResponse, http.statusCode == 200 else {
+            throw LyricsServiceError.httpError((response as? HTTPURLResponse)?.statusCode ?? 0)
+        }
+        
+        // LRCLIB returns slightly different field names than our model
+        let raw = try JSONDecoder().decode([LRCLIBRawResult].self, from: data)
+        return raw.map { $0.toLRCLIBResult() }
+    }
+    
+    // MARK: - Fetch from LRCLIB (exact match)
+    
+    /// Exact-match fetch from LRCLIB by artist + title + duration.
+    func fetch(artist: String, title: String, duration: Double) async throws -> LyricsResponse {
+        guard var components = URLComponents(string: "\(lrclibBase)/get") else {
+            throw LyricsServiceError.invalidURL
+        }
+        var items = [
+            URLQueryItem(name: "artist_name", value: artist),
+            URLQueryItem(name: "track_name", value: title),
+        ]
+        if duration > 0 {
+            items.append(URLQueryItem(name: "duration", value: String(Int(duration))))
+        }
+        components.queryItems = items
+        guard let url = components.url else { throw LyricsServiceError.invalidURL }
+        
+        let (data, response) = try await session.data(from: url)
+        guard let http = response as? HTTPURLResponse else {
+            throw LyricsServiceError.httpError(0)
+        }
+        
+        if http.statusCode == 404 {
+            return LyricsResponse(syncedLyrics: nil, plainLyrics: nil, source: "lrclib", cached: false, found: false)
+        }
+        guard http.statusCode == 200 else {
+            throw LyricsServiceError.httpError(http.statusCode)
+        }
+        
+        let raw = try JSONDecoder().decode(LRCLIBRawResult.self, from: data)
+        return LyricsResponse(
+            syncedLyrics: raw.syncedLyrics,
+            plainLyrics: raw.plainLyrics,
+            source: "lrclib",
+            cached: false,
+            found: raw.syncedLyrics != nil || raw.plainLyrics != nil
+        )
+    }
+    
+    // MARK: - Read Embedded Lyrics (on-device)
+    
+    /// Read lyrics embedded in a local audio file's metadata tags.
+    /// Works for downloaded songs — checks USLT (MP3), LYRICS (FLAC), ©lyr (M4A).
+    func readEmbedded(songId: String) async -> LyricsResponse? {
+        guard let localURL = OfflineManager.shared.localURL(for: songId) else { return nil }
+        
+        let asset = AVURLAsset(url: localURL)
+        var lyricsText: String?
+        
+        do {
+            // Modern async API (iOS 16+)
+            let commonItems = try await asset.load(.commonMetadata)
+            for item in commonItems {
+                if item.commonKey == .commonKeyTitle { continue }
+                if let key = item.commonKey?.rawValue, key.lowercased().contains("lyric") {
+                    lyricsText = try await item.load(.stringValue)
+                }
+            }
+            
+            if lyricsText == nil {
+                let allItems = try await asset.load(.metadata)
+                for item in allItems {
+                    if let key = item.identifier?.rawValue.lowercased(),
+                       (key.contains("lyric") || key.contains("uslt") || key.contains("©lyr")) {
+                        lyricsText = try await item.load(.stringValue)
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        } catch {
+            return nil
+        }
+        
+        guard let text = lyricsText, !text.isEmpty else { return nil }
+        
+        let hasTimes = text.contains("[") && text.range(of: #"\[\d{1,2}:\d{2}"#, options: .regularExpression) != nil
+        
+        return LyricsResponse(
+            syncedLyrics: hasTimes ? text : nil,
+            plainLyrics: hasTimes ? nil : text,
+            source: "embedded",
+            cached: false,
+            found: true
+        )
+    }
+}
+
+// MARK: - Errors
+
+enum LyricsServiceError: LocalizedError {
+    case invalidURL
+    case httpError(Int)
+    
+    var errorDescription: String? {
+        switch self {
+        case .invalidURL: return "Invalid lyrics URL"
+        case .httpError(let code): return "Lyrics request failed (HTTP \(code))"
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+// MARK: - LRCLIB Raw Response (matches their actual API format)
+
+/// LRCLIB's native response format — field names differ from our app model.
+private struct LRCLIBRawResult: Codable {
+    let id: Int?
+    let trackName: String?
+    let artistName: String?
+    let albumName: String?
+    let duration: Double?
+    let syncedLyrics: String?
+    let plainLyrics: String?
+    
+    func toLRCLIBResult() -> LRCLIBResult {
+        LRCLIBResult(
+            id: id,
+            trackName: trackName ?? "",
+            artistName: artistName ?? "",
+            albumName: albumName,
+            duration: duration ?? 0,
+            hasSynced: syncedLyrics != nil,
+            hasPlain: plainLyrics != nil,
+            syncedLyrics: syncedLyrics,
+            plainLyrics: plainLyrics
+        )
+    }
+}