About a week ago, Google began testing an audio identification function for Circle to Search, giving users a way to look up unknown songs playing on their phone. It was initially assumed the update wouldn’t come out for some time – October at the latest – but, the tech giant seemingly decided the feature didn’t need any further testing and has begun rolling it out.
A user on the OneUI subreddit encountered Song Search (as they called it) on their Galaxy S23 after installing version 15.32.37.28 of the Google app. They posted several screenshots of the tool in action, and from the looks of it, not much has changed from the demo. Upon activating Circle to Search, you’ll see a new button with a music note icon at the bottom, and tapping it starts the music identification process.
Song Search is quite capable because it can identify what’s playing on the phone and songs that are playing externally on another device. You can even hum or sing into the microphone, and it’ll pick up the tune, assuming you’re a good enough singer. Music results appear on a results page within Google Search.
Thanks to the update, Circle to Search effectively replaces third-party identification apps like Shazam, although it still has a place on smartphones. Google’s tool doesn’t provide direct lyrics or tell you about upcoming concerts. You still have to look that information up yourself on the search engine. And as far as we can tell, the software doesn’t save results in a library.
Availability
Something to keep in mind is that the patch may not be available to you just yet. Multiple commenters in the Reddit thread claim they have Google app version 15.32.37.28 on their device, however they don’t have access to Song Search. It’s most likely those users have the feature already and need to wait for a server-side activation.
Right now, it seems the company is rolling it out in waves, so owners will simply have to wait until it arrives. There is no word on whether there are plans to expand the update to other smartphones, although we did reach out to Google to ask and will update this story if we hear back.
There is potentially more coming to Circle to Search later in the year as well. Android Authority dove into the files of a recent Google app beta and discovered hints suggesting Pixel Screenshots may become a part of CTS. If you don’t know, Pixel Screenshots is an app that lets you save and organize screenshots you take on your phone. It’s similar to Microsoft Recall, although it is a safer version.
Be sure to check out TechRadar’s list of the best Galaxy phones for 2024.