Google's Circle to Search can identify songs on Android now. Here's how it works

If you’ve ever wanted to know the name of a song playing nearby, there are several apps that will tell you a song’s title and artist with the tap of a button. There’s a new way coming, though, and it may be the easiest yet – Google’s Circle to Search.

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Circle to Search, which lets you draw a circle on your screen to search for something, debuted on the Google Pixel 8 series last year and expanded to other Android devices shortly after. The tool lets you quickly see where to purchase an item, identify landmarks, translate signs, easily copy text, and now, identify songs.

With Circle to Search song identification, you don’t have to open a third-party app like Shazam or SoundHound. Instead, you can tap your phone’s home screen to start the process.

The expansion of Circle to Search was first spotted on Reddit, where a Galaxy S23 user noticed it after a recent update. Other Samsung device users chimed in to say they saw the feature too, but it was absent for many, meaning this is a gradual rollout.

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Here’s how to use Circle to Search to identify a song once it rolls out to your device. Long press the home button or navigation bar like always to open the feature. When the search bar appears, tap the music note icon. A “listening” overlay will pop up and the song name and artist will appear. The tool doesn’t just work with actual songs, though, as you can even sing the song yourself or hum it to get an answer.

Google Pixel devices have had Now Playing, a similar feature, for several years now. Pixel’s version, though, allows you to set your lock screen to identify songs, so you don’t even have to pick up your device to identify a song.

If you’re not seeing song identification on your Circle to Search, you should soon, as it’s eventually headed to all users.