New in OS X: Get MacRumors Push Notifications on your Mac

Resubscribe Now Close

Apple Working With Shazam on Song Identification Capabilities for iOS 8

Wednesday April 16, 2014 5:44 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Apple is working on a song identification feature as a new addition to iOS 8, reports Bloomberg. The company has plans to partner with music discovery service Shazam to offer users a way to discover a song that is playing on the radio or from another source, such as a TV, using a small music clip.
The company is planning to unveil a song-discovery feature in an update of its iOS mobile software that will let users identify a song and its artist using an iPhone or iPad, said two people with knowledge of the product, who asked not to be identified because the feature isn't public. Apple is partnering with Shazam Entertainment Ltd., whose technology can quickly spot what's playing by collecting sound from a phone's microphone and matching it against a song database.
Along with Shazam, several other apps, including SoundHound, offer music and media identification capabilities. The apps use the iPhone's microphone to listen to short sound clips, matching songs against a database and providing additional information like lyrics and purchase links.

shazam
The existing Shazam for iOS app

Shazam is also capable of recognizing television shows and other media, so it is possible Apple's iOS identification feature could offer similar capabilities. According to Bloomberg, the feature will be directly integrated into iOS and will not need to be downloaded as a standalone app. It will function with Siri, allowing users to ask what song is playing.
The song-identification feature will be integrated into the mobile software in the same way that Twitter's service is currently incorporated, meaning consumers don’t need to separately download it. Among the ways it can be used will be through Apple's voice-activated search feature, Siri. An iPhone user will be able to say something like "what song is playing," to find out the tune’s details, one person said.
Earlier this month, it was reported that Apple has plans to revamp its iTunes music store in order to boost flagging digital music sales. The company is said to be considering iTunes for Android and an on-demand streaming music service similar to Spotify. A song identification feature could be released as part of the same iTunes overhaul, and it's also possible that high resolution song downloads are in the works.

Apple traditionally previews its operating system updates during its annual Worldwide Developers Conference and iOS 8 is expected to make its initial debut on June 2, during the 2014 conference.

[ 109 comments ]


Top Rated Comments

(View all)

Avatar
newagemac
70 months ago

Nice feature...but hope there is more with iOS8.


Nope, this is the only feature.
Rating: 23 Votes
Avatar
newagemac
70 months ago
Shazam was one of the very first apps I downloaded for my first iPhone, the 3G. At the time, it was pretty amazing showing what smartphones were capable of doing with good apps. Been hooked on the App Store ever since. The cool thing about Shazam is 6 years later, I still find it useful. I don't use it much but when needed, it always does the job and still brings a smile to my face just like those early days.
Rating: 16 Votes
Avatar
Dreamer2go
70 months ago

Who cares about Shazam?! Give us Spotify!!


I care about Shazam, and it's a great app for helping me identify songs I don't know. I buy it afterwards on iTunes. Win Win!
Rating: 15 Votes
Avatar
justinthesommer
70 months ago
So my watch will be able to tell me what song is on the radio in the future?
Rating: 8 Votes
Avatar
C DM
70 months ago
SoundHound is pretty good too, but I guess Apple likely has its reasons for going with Shazam.
Rating: 8 Votes
Avatar
Slix
70 months ago
I'd prefer Soundhound... But either way, if Siri can detect what song is playing (even without having to first ask!) that'd be really useful.
Rating: 8 Votes
Avatar
goobot
70 months ago

Who cares about Shazam?! Give us Spotify!!


Here you go https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/spotify-music/id324684580?mt=8
Rating: 7 Votes
Avatar
BillyMatt87
70 months ago
How about a better stock music app in iOS 8 first and foremost?
Rating: 6 Votes
Avatar
KALLT
70 months ago
I’d rather see more APIs that allow apps to finally integrate with Siri and other apps. To me it sounds ridiculous that Apple is once again cherry-picking a service for some enhanced integration, while setting competitors aside. It’s the same thing with social networks, where I can use Twitter or Facebook, but not Google+ or any other social network. The OS should become more flexible.
Rating: 6 Votes
Avatar
steve23094
70 months ago
Darn. I really wish they would concentrate on fixing iTunes Match first, before introducing another broken song recognition feature.
Rating: 6 Votes

[ Read All Comments ]