Shazam identifies a song by creating a unique digital fingerprint to match what you’re hearing with one of the millions of songs in the Shazam database. You can use Shazam with iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch, as well as Android and Wear OS devices.
Identify music with Shazam
- Open the Shazam app on your device.
- Tap or click the Shazam button
to identify what’s playing around you. When Shazam identifies the song, it’s saved to your Shazam Library.
After you identify a song, you can connect to Apple Music and other music services to listen to your Shazam.
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. If a song can’t be identified, it will disappear from your pending Shazams.
Use Auto Shazam
To have Shazam automatically identify what’s playing around you, press and hold the Shazam button . When Auto Shazam is on, Shazam matches what you’re hearing with songs in the Shazam database—even when you switch to another app. Shazam never saves or stores what it hears.
You can then find the Shazams identified with Auto Shazam in your Library, grouped together by date.
To turn off Auto Shazam, tap or click the Shazam button.
More ways to identify music
- On iPhone or iPad, say "Hey Siri,” then ask what the song is.
- On Android, use “Ok Google,” then ask what the song is.
- On iPhone, add the Shazam widget to identify music from the Today View.
- Use Shazam on your Apple Watch or Wear OS device to Shazam tracks
- To identify music from the menu bar of your Mac, get Shazam for Mac from the Mac App Store.
See your previous Shazams
After Shazam identifies a song, the song is saved in your Shazam Library:
- On iPhone, iPad, and Android devices, swipe to the Library or tap the Library button
to see your previous Shazams. - On Mac, recent Shazams appear below the Shazam button.
- On Apple Watch, recent Shazams appear below the Shazam button, and are also saved to your Shazam library on the paired iPhone.
- To access all your previous Shazams, create a Shazam account. You can then see your Shazams at shazam.com/myshazam and on other devices that you sign in to.
Change your settings
In the Shazam app for iOS or Android, go to the Library, then tap the gear icon 
. There, you can adjust Shazam settings:
- Control Notifications from Shazam.
- To have Shazam automatically start listening when the app is opened, turn on "Shazam on app start."
- On Android, you can control Pop-Up Shazam.
Microphone settings on iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
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 and 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.
Learn more
- You can create a Shazam account to keep track of all your Shazams and view them on www.shazam.com/myshazam.
- In addition to Apple Music, you can connect Shazam to other services like Snapchat and Spotify.
- Learn about Shazam's Terms & Conditions
- Learn about Shazam and privacy