93 ProblemsWhy Next is instant: one album, one stream
An album or news edition plays as one continuous stream; tracks are places in it.
When you start an album or the news, the app plays it as one continuous stream: an introduction, then the song, then the next introduction, and so on. The tracks are positions in that stream, not separate files.
Next jumps to where the next song starts, past its introduction, so it’s instant. Previous restarts the track if you’re more than 3 seconds in, otherwise goes back one. The progress bar shows only the current track.
That’s why skipping is instant, even from headphone or steering-wheel buttons: the app just moves to another point in a stream it already has.
Downloaded albums play from the phone and behave the same way. The Tracks list shows where you are and lets you jump to any track.