Shazam is Apple’s free music recognition app. It listens to a song playing nearby, creates a digital fingerprint of the audio and matches it against a catalog of millions of tracks. It then shows the title, artist and related content. Shazam runs on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple Vision Pro and Android devices, with recognition also available on HomePod and the web.
Ways to start a recognition
In the app, a tap on the large Shazam button starts listening. The result opens on a track screen that also lists the artist’s top songs or upcoming concerts. Holding the button turns on Auto Shazam. It keeps identifying music while the user switches apps or the screen is locked. On Android, it can stop after one result or run continuously.
Users do not need to open Shazam every time. On iPhone and iPad, a Music Recognition control in Control Center or a question to Siri such as “What song is this?” returns the result as a notification. Android offers a Quick Settings tile and a floating Pop-up Shazam button that shows the song and a lyrics preview over other apps. Widgets and the Shortcuts app add further entry points.
With headphones connected to an iPhone or iPad, Shazam can identify the music heard through them as well as music around the device. This requires an internet connection. Without a connection, the app stores the recognition request and completes it once the device is back online. It then adds the song to the library and sends a notification if notifications are enabled.
Mac, Apple Watch and the web
On a Mac, the Shazam app sits in the menu bar and lists identified songs below its icon. Users can trigger it with a keyboard shortcut. On Apple Watch, compatible models can detect music automatically and show results in a Smart Stack widget.
The browser extension identifies music playing in a tab rather than listening through the microphone. The shazam.com site uses the microphone and shows the matched song with lyrics, a video and concert dates where available. It does not save songs found on the website to the app.
The Shazam library and syncing
Identified songs collect in the Shazam library. On Apple devices signed in to the same Apple Account, iCloud Sync keeps one history across iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Vision Pro, including songs found through Control Center or Siri. On Android the library is tied to an email or Google account sign-in.
Shazam can also copy every identified song to a “My Shazam Tracks” playlist in either Apple Music or Spotify, but not both at once. Individual songs open in Apple Music, Apple Music Classical, Spotify, Deezer or other installed music apps.
Listening, lyrics and videos
Shazam plays previews; full songs inside the app require an Apple Music subscription. Time-synced lyrics scroll with the track right after Shazam identifies a song. Users can open lyrics for earlier songs later from the song’s page. Music videos come from Apple Music or YouTube; not every song has them.
Charts, recommendations and concerts
Shazam Charts rank the songs people identify, filtered by country, city or genre, with a Viral chart of the week’s fastest-growing tracks. Radio Spins shows the songs most played on the radio. A “You May Also Like” section on each song, and Playlists For You on Android, suggest music based on the user’s identifications.
The Concerts tab lists upcoming shows filtered by location, date or taste. A saved concert triggers a reminder before the show, and a Tickets button links to the ticket provider’s site when ticketing links exist. Concert features are not available in every region.
