We've been able to guess the title of a song playing around us for a while, but now there's a new option in a feature that might surprise you.
As ZDNet reports, Google's Circle to Search, a new Google Lens-like feature, is gradually gaining the ability to identify songs without using an app like Shazam.
The surprising change from Circle to Search was discovered by a Redditor after a recent update to the Google app. Based on the comments and our own testing, it appears that song identification is being rolled out gradually, like most Google updates.
It was suggested that the feature would arrive before the Pixel launch event earlier this month, but Google made no announcements during its Made by Google presentation.
Circle to Search launched with the Google Pixel 8 lineup in 2023, but gained momentum when a version appeared on Samsung's flagship S24 series earlier this year. The search feature lets you circle an item on your screen. Anything within the circle will be tagged for purchase, knowledge, translation, or text copying.
Google Assistant already has a song ID feature, so we imagine Circle to Search uses that tool to find songs. And Pixel devices have had Now Playing for a while, which offers similar results. The Pixel version lets you set your lock screen to identify songs.
After updating your device, here's how to see if you have a song ID in your version of Circle to Search. Press the home button or navigation bar to open Circle to Search. When the search bar opens, you'll see a music note icon.
Like Shazam or Google Assistant, a “listening” window appears while searching for a song. The song title and artist name are then displayed.
Apparently, you can also sing or hum a song on your phone and Circle to Search will try to find a song from it as well. How effective this feature is really depends on how much of that earworm you actually remember.
Google has not officially announced this feature. We have reached out to them for more details and will update you as soon as the company responds.