Shazam’s latest update added a feature you may be surprised to learn wasn’t already present: the ability to identify music through your headphones.
The way it works, according to the patch notes on the App Store, is you first launch the app whenever you find a song on YouTube, TikTok, or wherever. Tap the headphone icon on-screen to tell Shazam a pair of headphones are connected and to begin listening. From here, you can go to the video with the mysterious song and the app will pick it up – hopefully. 9To5Mac states the tool works on “almost any… app you can think of”, alluding to the possibility that Shazam may have some blind spots. Once you’re done, you can find the name of the song on the app’s interface.
It doesn’t matter what kind of headphones you use. The patch notes confirm the feature will work through wired and wireless devices alike. Nor does there appear to be any hardware restrictions either. You won’t need to own a pair of AirPods to gain access. It works with third-party brands.
Additionally, Shazam will continue to work normally even if a pair of headphones are connected. The feature won’t interrupt or prevent the app from listening to songs playing in your immediate vicinity.
We should also mention that the headphone listening upgrade is also available to Android users. The app’s listing page on the Google Play Store has been updated to now include a line mentioning the new functionality.
Possible macOS expansion
It’s not a major upgrade as you can see, but it does introduce a new level of utility to the app. You should now have an easier time finding out the names of songs you stumble across on social media.
It’s unknown if this function will roll out to Shazam on macOS. According to the Mac App Store listing, the last time Shazam on Mac saw a patch was August 11, 2022, so it’s been a while. We think this version is overdue for an update. So we reached out to Apple asking if there are plans to expand the headphone listening feature to its other rendition of Shazam. This story will be updated at a later time.
Until then, check out TechRadar’s list of the best headphones for 2024.