How do I use the built-in music recognition on iphone?

On an iPhone running iOS 14 or later, you can add a music recognition button to Control Center. Go to Settings > Control Center, scroll down, and tap the "+" next to "Music Recognition." Now, whenever music is playing nearby, swipe down from the top-right corner of your screen to open Control Center and tap the music note icon (it looks like a Shazam logo). Your phone will listen and display the song title within a few seconds.

How do I download shazam (iphone or android)?

Open the App Store (iPhone) or Google Play Store (Android) and search for "Shazam." Download and open the app — it is free. When music is playing nearby, tap the large round Shazam button in the center of the screen. The app will listen for a few seconds and then display the song name, artist, and album artwork. Tap the result to see lyrics, find the song on Spotify or Apple Music, or add it to a playlist.

How do I use soundhound for humming?

Download SoundHound from the App Store or Google Play — it is free. Open the app and tap the large orange button. You can play music near the phone for identification, or try humming or singing a melody for songs you cannot quite remember. SoundHound will attempt to match what it hears against its music database. This feature works best with clear humming and a recognizable melody.

How do I use siri or google assistant?

Both phone assistants can identify music too. On iPhone, activate Siri (say "Hey Siri" or press the side button) and ask "What song is this?" — Siri will listen and look it up. On Android, say "Hey Google, what song is this?" and Google Assistant will do the same. Neither requires a separate app download.

TekSure — Free Tech Help for Beginners & Seniors

We have all had that moment — a song comes on in a store, a restaurant, or a TV commercial, and you think "I love this song — what is it?" Trying to remember song lyrics or hum it to someone later rarely works well. Fortunately, your smartphone can identify almost any song in seconds — by listening for a few moments.

The two most popular music identification apps are Shazam and SoundHound. Both are free and work on iPhones and Android phones. You hold your phone near the music source, tap one button, and the app listens for a few seconds before telling you the song title, artist, and album.

Shazam is owned by Apple and is the most widely used music identification app in the world. It has a database of over 11 million songs and can identify music from almost any source — radio, TV, a live performance, or someone else's speaker.

SoundHound has one unique advantage: you can hum or sing a melody and it will try to identify the song even if no recording is playing. This is helpful when you have a tune stuck in your head but cannot remember any words.

If you have an iPhone running iOS 14 or later, you also have music recognition built directly into the Control Center — powered by Shazam — so you may not even need to download a separate app.

These apps respect your privacy: they only listen when you actively tap the identify button, not continuously in the background.

How to Find Out What Song Is Playing

Use the built-in music recognition on iPhone

Download Shazam (iPhone or Android)

Use SoundHound for humming

Use Siri or Google Assistant

Still have questions?

Official Resources

Still stuck? No problem.

Related Guides