You’ve probably been there before: there’s a song stuck in your head and you can’t remember the words, or you hear a song that you want to remember but don’t know the name. Fortunately, it’s never been easier to identify music around you if you have an Android phone.
All but one of these features is tied to Google, but each one works differently, and one even works without you having to unlock your phone and works offline.
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Here’s a look at six different ways you can use your Android phone to find out the name of a song.
1. Circle to Search
If you use three-button navigation, hold the center button (the squircle) to open Gemini (formerly Google Assistant). You’ll see a search bar, a microphone button, a translate button, and a music note.
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Tap the music note, and a pulsing sound wave interface will pop up, encouraging you to “Play, sing, or hum a song.” A list of songs will appear in Google Search along with a percentage match.
2. Gemini
Open the Gemini app and tap “Search a song.” If you don’t see the button, you can tap the microphone and ask, “What’s this song?” A pulsing orb will appear along with a message that asks you to “Play, sing, or hum a song.” Even though the interface is different, this approach leads to the same Google Search results with a percentage match.
3. Google app
Open the Google app, tap the microphone, and you’ll see a button at the bottom labeled “Search a song.” The result is the same interface as in the Gemini option, but this technique is a convenient way to access the feature if you don’t have the Gemini app.
4. Now Playing on Pixel
If you have a Pixel phone, you probably already have a feature called Now Playing built in. When this feature is on, it automatically identifies songs that are playing nearby and displays the name at the bottom of your screen. You can even set this feature to work on your phone’s lock screen. Head to Sound & vibration > Now Playing to make sure the feature is on.
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There’s also a “Now Playing history” section in those settings that shows you a list of songs that played around you so you can go back later and check. One of the biggest advantages of this method is that it works even if you’re offline.
5. Song search quick tile
Scroll through your quick setting tiles, and you’ll see options like hotspot, flashlight, data saver, and focus mode. You can add one called “Song search” to the list, which lets you access the feature in a couple of swipes. This step leads to the Circle to Search interface.
6. Third-party apps
If you want to avoid the Google ecosystem entirely, you can use a third-party Android app like Shazam or SoundHound. You can even use the Shazam website if you don’t want to download another app.
How well do song identification features work?
I tried all of these methods, and each one worked in virtually the same way. I threw several popular and obscure songs at each tool, and every song was identified correctly. There were some struggles with instrumental songs, but when I compared what I played to what the features thought I played, the songs were often very similar, with the same chord progressions.
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My test wasn’t as successful for the tools that let you hum a song. Maybe I have sub-par humming ability, but I couldn’t get any song identification feature to come close to recognizing any tune that I hummed.
While almost all of these methods are Google-centric features, it’s good to have plenty of choices so you can pick the one that’s most convenient for you. Whether you’re humming, singing, or catching a few notes, there’s a good chance your Android phone can help you out.