Mechanism to handle interrupted playback experience for media items in playlists

A system comprising:

• a memory;
• and
• a processor, coupled to the memory, to perform operations comprising:
• in response to receiving a request from a user device for a playlist, identifying a plurality of media items from the playlist, wherein the plurality of media items are accessible for streaming to the user device when determined to be available for playback on the user device;
• causing the user device to display the playlist comprising the plurality of media items;
• in response to receiving a user selection of a first media item from the displayed playlist, determining whether the first media item is available for the playback on the user device;
• in response to determining that the first media item is available for playback on the user device, playing the first media item on the user device;
• in response to determining that playback of the first media item is completed or is about to be completed, determining whether a second media item from the playlist is available for playback on the user device;
• in response to determining that the second media item is available for playback on the user device, determining, based on a configuration, to play the second media item on the user device;
• in response to determining that playback of the second media item is completed or is about to be completed, determining whether a third media item from the playlist is available for playback on the user device;
• and
• in response to determining that the third media item is not available for the playback on the user device:
• identifying a fourth media item that is available for playback instead of the third media item, and causing the user device to display information identifying the fourth media item with a timer indication of when playback of the fourth media item is to begin, and to begin streaming the fourth media item from a remote location at a time corresponding to the timer indication.

A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions, which when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

• in response to receiving a request from a user device for a playlist, identifying a plurality of media items from the playlist, wherein the plurality of media items are accessible for streaming to the user device when determined to be available for playback on the user device;
• causing the user device to display the playlist comprising the plurality of media items;
• in response to receiving a user selection of a first media item from the displayed playlist, determining whether the first media item is available for the playback on the user device;
• in response to determining that the first media item is available for playback on the user device, playing the first media item on the user device;
• in response to determining that playback of the first media item is completed or is about to be completed, determining whether a second media item from the playlist is available for playback on the user device;
• in response to determining that the second media item is available for playback on the user device, determining, based on a configuration, to play the second media item on the user device;
• in response to determining that playback of the second media item is completed or is about to be completed, determining whether a third media item from the playlist is available for playback on the user device;
• and
• in response to determining that the third media item is not available for the playback on the user device:
• identifying a fourth media item that is available for playback instead of the third media item, and causing the user device to display information identifying the fourth media item with a timer indication of when playback of the fourth media item is to begin, and to begin streaming the fourth media item from a remote location at a time corresponding to the timer indication.