Find out what song is playing with Shazam on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro

Use the Shazam app, Shazam Music Recognition in Control Center, Siri, and more to help you discover new music.

Use the Shazam app

Use the Shazam app to identify songs. You can then find your previous Shazams in My Music in the Shazam app. And if you change or lose a device, you can still access your previous Shazams because they've been backed up to iCloud. 

Identify a song

  1. Open the Shazam app on your device.
  2. Tap or click the Shazam button .

You can switch to other apps while Shazam tries to identify a song. When Shazam identifies the song, you get a notification. The Shazam app on iPhone or iPad can identify songs playing on your device even when you're using headphones.

Once Shazam has identified a song on iPhone, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro, tap the play button to preview. If you have an Apple Music subscription, you can listen to whole songs in Shazam. You can also connect Shazam to other music streaming services that Shazam supports.

If you don’t have an internet connection, the app still creates a unique digital fingerprint to match against the Shazam database the next time your device is connected to the internet.

Identify songs automatically

Shazam can automatically identify what’s playing around you with Auto Shazam.

  1. To turn on Auto Shazam, touch and hold (or double-click on Mac) the Shazam button .
  2. To turn off Auto Shazam, tap (or click on Mac) the Shazam button.
  3. To have Shazam automatically start listening when you open the app on iPhone, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro, swipe up to My Music from the main Shazam screen, tap the Settings button , then turn on “Shazam on app start.”

On iPhone, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro, songs identified with Auto Shazam are grouped together by date in My Music.

Find previous Shazams

  • On iPhone or iPad, swipe up on the main Shazam screen to access My Music. To delete a Shazam, tap the More button  next to that Shazam, then tap “Remove from My Music.”
  • On Mac, recent Shazams appear below the Shazam button.
  • On Apple Watch, recent Shazams appear below the Shazam button and are also saved to My Music on the paired iPhone.

Use Shazam Music Recognition in Control Center

You can identify songs from Control Center on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, using Shazam Music Recognition. Shazam Music Recognition can identify songs playing on your device even when you're using headphones.

  1. Add Shazam Music Recognition to Control Center:
    • On iPhone or iPad, go to Settings  > Control Center, then tap the Add button  next to Music Recognition.
    • On Mac, choose Apple menu  > System Settings, click Control Center in the sidebar, then turn on Show in Control Center under Music Recognition. To add Shazam Music Recognition to the menu bar, turn on Show in Menu Bar.
  2. To identify songs, open Control Center, then tap or click Shazam Music Recognition .
  3. To find previous Shazams in the History View: 
    • In Control Center on iPhone or iPad, touch and hold Shazam Music Recognition .
    • On Mac, click Shazam Music Recognition  in Control Center (or in the menu bar if you added it) to see a list of previous Shazams.
  4. For more information on songs and artists you've identified, including upcoming concert dates, videos, and more, click or tap a previous song in the History View.

If you have the Shazam app on your iPhone, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro, songs you’ve identified with Shazam Music Recognition and Siri also appear in My Music in the Shazam app. Songs also appear in the History View in Shazam Music Recognition on all your devices and are also backed up to iCloud.

Sync Shazam Music Recognition with iCloud

If the songs you’ve identified using Shazam Music Recognition don't appear in My Music in the Shazam app, make sure Shazam Music Recognition is synced with your iCloud account. 

  1. On iPhone or iPad, make sure you've updated Shazam to the latest version.
  2. Make sure you have two-factor authentication set up for your Apple ID.
  3. Open your device's settings:
    • On iPhone, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro, go to Settings > your name, tap iCloud, then tap Show all under Apps Using iCloud.
    • On Mac, choose Apple menu  > System Settings, click Apple ID, click iCloud, then click Show More Apps under Apps Using iCloud.
  4. Turn on Shazam Music Recognition.
  5. On iPhone, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro, turn on Shazam.

When you sync Shazam Music Recognition in Control Center with iCloud, these Shazams are also backed up to iCloud. But your Shazams will no longer be available in your account at shazam.com. And because Shazam will no longer be storing your data, you won’t be able to get copy of your Shazam data from Shazam.com.

Use Siri and other ways to identify music

  • On iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, HomePod, Mac, or Apple Vision Pro, say “Hey Siri,” then ask what the song is. Songs identified with Siri appear in My Music in the Shazam app and are backed up in iCloud.
  • On iPhone or iPad, add the Shazam widget to identify music in the Today View.
  • Use Shazam on your Apple Watch.
  • Use the Shazam It action to add music recognition to your Shortcuts.

Back up your Shazams in iCloud

Your Shazams are automatically backed up to iCloud as long as you’re signed in with your Apple ID, you've turned on iCloud for Shazam, and you've synced Shazam Music Recognition with iCloud. When you back up your Shazams, you won't lose them if something happens to your device. You can also access your Shazams on your other devices when you sign in with the same Apple ID. 

If you choose not to back up your Shazams in iCloud, they’re still saved on your device. You can back up your Shazams to iCloud at any time unless you restored your device back to its factory settings or you get a new device.

Songs identified using the Shazam app for Mac don't appear across your devices and are not backed up to iCloud, but are saved locally to your Mac.

Buy songs that you've identified with Shazam

  1. In Shazam, tap the More button  next to the song that you want to buy, then tap Buy on iTunes.
  2. In the iTunes Store, tap the price next to the song to buy it.
  3. Sign in with your Apple ID and password to complete the purchase. Need help?
  4. To find the music that you purchased, open the Apple Music app and tap the Library tab.
  5. To download music to listen to offline, tap the Download button .

If you don't see the Buy on iTunes button, you still might be able to purchase the song. Visit the iTunes Store to check.

Change microphone settings for Shazam on iPhone or iPad

Shazam needs access to the microphone on your device to hear what you're listening to. On iPhone or iPad, open Settings, scroll down to the installed apps, tap Shazam, then turn on Microphone. If you don’t see an option for Microphone, you might have restrictions turned on for Privacy settings.

Get help

Still need help? Contact Apple Support

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