Skip to Content

iOS 12 Beta Lets Apple Music Subscribers Search for Some Songs Using Lyric Phrases

by

A Reddit user has discovered that the first beta of iOS 12 includes a Music app feature that allows Apple Music subscribers to search for songs using lyric phrases.

As the image below shows, using the search phrase "Loving you isn't the right thing to do" – the first lines of Fleetwood Mac's "Go Your Own Way" – successfully returns the relevant song, and quotes the lyrical phrase in the single's entry in the results.

apple music search lyrics ios 12 beta 1
MacRumors can confirm that the lyric search does work, but seemingly not yet for all songs with lyrics in the Apple Music archive. Several beta testers on Reddit also chimed in to confirm the feature. As Reddit user abrb3192 notes:

It definitely works. Had a line in my head for weeks and no idea where it came from. Searched "6 gear speed" and it brought back the song Strip That Down by Liam Payne. It's not my cup of tea (the song) but at least I finally have context to the transmission reference.

Assuming the feature makes the final release of iOS 12, Apple Music subscribers should be able to discover songs for which they don't know the name, but only know a select lyric that they can recall hearing as part of a song.

In Apple Music in iOS 11, scrolling down on the "Now Playing" window brings up an option to show song lyrics on most Apple Music songs. Lyrics are not available for all songs, especially new releases, so that might be the reason for the hit and miss results in the iOS 12 beta.

Related Forum: iOS 12

Top Rated Comments

Jeremy1026 Avatar
101 months ago
That's actually very nice, better search is needed. Could this be because they purchased Shazam (even though they already had the lyrics)?
Highly doubtful. Having the lyrics is the key to matching a song by typed lyrics. Not the songs musical fingerprint.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
101 months ago
What if I have a desiiiiiiiigner song stuck in my head .. AHAAA bet they didn’t think of that did they ?


That’s it . I’m switiching to blackberry
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mac-lover3 Avatar
101 months ago
That's actually very nice, better search is needed. Could this be because they purchased Shazam (even though they already had the lyrics)?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
whyamihere Avatar
101 months ago
This is excellent. I just hope asking Siri to play a song by quoting lyrics works too!
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Multicolored Low Cost A18 Pro MacBook Feature

Apple Accidentally Leaks 'MacBook Neo'

Tuesday March 3, 2026 7:00 am PST by
Apple appears to have prematurely revealed the name of its rumored lower-cost MacBook model, which is expected to be announced this Wednesday. A regulatory document for a "MacBook Neo" (Model A3404) has appeared on Apple's website. Unfortunately, there are no further details or images available yet. While the PDF file does not contain the "MacBook Neo" name, it briefly appeared in a link...
MacBook Neo Feature Pastel 1

Apple Announces $599 'MacBook Neo' With A18 Pro Chip

Wednesday March 4, 2026 6:15 am PST by
Apple today announced the "MacBook Neo," an all-new kind of low-cost Mac featuring the A18 Pro chip for $599. The MacBook Neo is the first Mac to be powered by an iPhone chip; the A18 Pro debuted in 2024's iPhone 16 Pro models. Apple says it is up to 50% faster for everyday tasks than the bestselling PC with the latest shipping Intel Core Ultra 5, up to 3x faster for on-device AI workloads,...
imac video apple feature

Apple Unveils Two New Products

Monday March 2, 2026 7:49 am PST by
Apple today introduced two new devices, including the iPhone 17e and an updated iPad Air. iPhone 17e features the same overall design as the iPhone 16e, but it gains Apple's A19 chip, MagSafe for magnetic wireless charging and magnetic accessories, Apple's second-generation C1X modem for faster 5G, and a doubled 256GB of base storage. In the U.S., the iPhone 17e starts at $599, just like the ...