Music recognition has become an essential part of our daily lives, with Shazam leading the way in identifying songs playing in our surroundings. The Shazam app can identify songs in seconds by analyzing audio patterns and matching them against its vast database of over 1 billion songs per month. Its simple interface allows users to tap a button and discover music instantly.
The technology works seamlessly across multiple devices, including iPhones, iPads, Macs, and now through browser extensions. Users can identify songs playing through their device’s speakers or even through headphones, making it easier than ever to discover new music and artists.
The service integrates with popular music platforms like Apple Music, offering users up to 2 months of free service to explore their discovered tracks. Shazam stores a history of identified songs, creating a personalized collection of music discoveries that users can revisit anytime.
How to Use Shazam on iPhone
Shazam is built right into your iPhone, making it easier than ever to identify songs in just a few taps—or even hands-free. Whether you’re watching a movie, sitting in a coffee shop, or listening to a song on the radio, Shazam can tell you exactly what’s playing and even link you straight to Apple Music or other streaming services. Here’s how to get started.
Use Shazam Through Control Center
The fastest way to identify a song is directly from the Control Center. Here’s how to set it up and use it:
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Scroll down and tap Control Center.
- Find Music Recognition in the list and tap the green plus (+) button to add it.
- Close Settings.
Whenever you hear a song you want to identify:
- Swipe down from the top-right corner of your screen (or swipe up if you have an older iPhone with a Home button).
- Tap the Shazam button (it looks like a blue icon with a white “S”).
- In seconds, you’ll get a notification with the song title and artist.
This method works whether you’re listening through your phone speakers or earbuds, or if the music is playing nearby.
Ask Siri to Identify a Song
You don’t even need to tap anything. Siri can handle song identification for you completely hands-free.
Just say:
“Hey Siri, what song is this?”
Siri will listen for a few seconds and then display the song title, artist, and an Apple Music link if it’s available. You can immediately add it to your library or playlist.
Siri’s Shazam integration works anywhere you can activate Siri—whether your phone is locked or you’re using AirPods.
Use the Shazam App for More Features
While Control Center and Siri make it easy, the Shazam app gives you additional features and a better overall experience. Here’s what you can do with the app installed:
1. Auto Shazam
- Long-press the Shazam button inside the app to turn on Auto Shazam.
- Shazam will keep listening in the background, automatically identifying any song it hears.
- Great for parties, road trips, or concerts where you want to catch every track.
2. View Shazam History
- The app keeps a log of every song you’ve identified.
- Tap Library in the app to view your past Shazams.
- Sync with iCloud to keep your history backed up across devices.
3. Preview and Add Songs to Apple Music or Spotify
- After identifying a song, you can preview it right in Shazam.
- Tap Open in Apple Music or Spotify to stream the full track or add it to a playlist.
4. Offline Shazaming
- No signal? No problem.
- Shazam works offline, too. It listens and saves a digital fingerprint of the song, then identifies it as soon as you’re back online.
Use Shazam With Apple Music and Spotify
By default, Shazam integrates seamlessly with Apple Music, but you can also link it to Spotify. Here’s how:
For Apple Music:
- After identifying a song, tap Open in Apple Music.
- You can stream the track, view the album, or add it to your Apple Music playlists.
- If you subscribe to Apple Music, Shazam can automatically add identified songs to a custom playlist in your library.
For Spotify:
- Open the Shazam app.
- Go to Library > Settings (the gear icon).
- Tap Connect next to Spotify.
- Log in to your Spotify account and authorize access.
Now, you can open songs directly in Spotify or add them to your playlists from Shazam.
How to Identify Songs Playing on Your iPhone Itself
One of the coolest features is identifying songs that are playing on your iPhone—whether it’s a YouTube video, TikTok, or Instagram Reel.
Here’s how:
- Play the song or video on your iPhone (with sound coming through the speakers or headphones).
- Open Control Center and tap the Shazam Music Recognition button.
- Shazam listens to the internal audio and identifies the track, even if you’re using AirPods.
This works because Shazam can access system audio directly in iOS 14.2 and later. You don’t need to put the sound on speaker or near another microphone. It’s seamless.
Find and Manage Your Shazam History
You might Shazam a song in the moment and forget about it later. Fortunately, iOS keeps track of all your identifications.
View History From Control Center:
- Long-press the Shazam button in Control Center.
- A list of your recent tracks appears instantly.
View Full History in the Shazam App:
- Open the app.
- Tap Library.
- All your identified songs are listed, and you can replay, share, or open them in your favorite music app.
Sync Shazam History to iCloud:
- Go to Settings > iCloud.
- Make sure Shazam is turned on.
- Your history will sync across all your Apple devices.
Explore Shazam Charts and Discover New Music
Shazam isn’t just about identifying music—you can discover new songs, too.
- In the Shazam app, go to Charts.
- Browse the top Shazamed songs in your region or globally.
- Explore playlists curated from the most popular tracks users are discovering around the world.
You can also find playlists of trending Shazam tracks on Apple Music or Spotify.
Add Shazam Widget to Your Home Screen
For lightning-fast song recognition, you can add Shazam to your Home Screen:
- Long-press on your iPhone’s home screen.
- Tap the plus (+) button to open the widget gallery.
- Search for Shazam and choose your preferred widget style.
- Tap Add Widget.
Now you can Shazam a song directly from your home screen with a single tap.
Key Takeaways
- Shazam identifies songs instantly with a single tap using advanced audio recognition technology
- The app works across multiple devices and platforms, including through web browsers
- Users can save their music discoveries and connect with streaming services for immediate playback
Understanding Shazam’s Core Functionality
With Shazam built into your iPhone, you have an incredible tool for identifying songs anytime, anywhere. Whether you’re using Control Center, Siri, or the dedicated app, you can quickly find out what’s playing and save it for later. Link it to your favorite music service, keep your history synced with iCloud, and never miss out on discovering a new favorite track.
Shazam uses audio fingerprinting technology to identify songs quickly and accurately from short audio samples, while offering seamless integration with popular music platforms and extensive artist discovery features.
Music Identification and Recognition
Shazam creates unique digital signatures from audio samples captured through a device’s microphone. These signatures contain specific data points that represent the song’s distinctive characteristics.
The app matches these signatures against its database of millions of songs in seconds. This process works with various audio sources, including radio, TV, and live venues.
Key Features:
- Offline mode for storing unidentified songs
- Auto Shazam for continuous background listening
- Quick access through Control Center on iOS devices
The app maintains high accuracy rates for studio recordings but may face challenges with live performances due to variations from original recordings.
Platform Integration and Compatibility
Shazam works across multiple devices and operating systems, including iOS, Android, and Apple Watch. The app syncs identified songs across all connected devices.
Device Support:
- iPhone and iPad
- Android smartphones and tablets
- Apple Watch
- Apple Vision Pro
The app integrates directly with major streaming services:
- Apple Music
- Spotify
- Other regional music platforms
Users can instantly play identified songs through their preferred streaming service or add them to personal playlists.
Discovering and Engaging with Artists and Playlists
Shazam provides detailed artist information and song lyrics through Musixmatch integration. Users can explore artist profiles, upcoming concerts, and related music recommendations.
The app creates personalized playlists based on identification history. These playlists update automatically and can be shared across streaming platforms.
Discovery Features:
- Similar artist suggestions
- Music video links
- Concert ticket information
- Charts and trending tracks
Users can follow favorite artists to receive notifications about new releases and local performances.
Frequently Asked Questions
Music identification services let users instantly discover songs playing around them through smartphone apps, voice assistants, and built-in features across different platforms and devices.
How can I identify a song using the Shazam app on my iPhone?
Open the Shazam app and tap the large Shazam button in the center of the screen. Hold the phone near the music source.
The app will listen for a few seconds and display the song title, artist, and album information if a match is found.
Users can enable Auto Shazam by long-pressing the Shazam button. This feature continuously identifies songs in the background.
What are the alternatives to Shazam for identifying songs online for free?
SoundHound offers music identification with the added ability to find songs by humming or singing.
Google’s music recognition feature works through the search app and widget.
Musicxmatch identifies songs while displaying synchronized lyrics.
How does one get Google to recognize a song playing nearby?
Tap the microphone icon in the Google Search app or widget.
Select the “Search a song” button and let Google listen to the music.
The search results will display the song details with links to streaming services and additional information.
Are there any music identification services integrated into Android devices similar to Shazam?
Google Pixel devices include Now Playing, which identifies songs automatically in the background.
Samsung phones feature built-in music recognition through Bixby.
Many Android phones include Google Assistant, which can identify songs through voice commands.
How to use Shazam to identify music playing around you without the app?
Access Shazam through the Control Center on iOS devices by adding the Shazam shortcut.
Use Snapchat’s built-in Shazam integration by pressing and holding the camera screen while music plays.
Visit the Shazam website to identify songs through a web browser.
Can I identify a song without installing any apps and if so, how?
Type “what song is this” into Google Search and use the microphone feature.
Ask Siri or Google Assistant “what song is playing” on compatible devices.
Use a web browser to access online music recognition services like Midomi or AHA Music.
