How to Identify Songs Playing Using iPhone

How to Identify Songs Playing Using iPhone. These are the Best Ways to Identify Songs Playing Around You Using Your iPhone.

Ever heard a song in a cafe, on the radio, or in a video and wished you could find out what it was immediately?

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Your iPhone has several built-in ways to identify music quickly. There is no need to scramble for your phone and type lyrics into Google. Here are the fastest methods.

Best Ways to Find What Song Is Playing Using iPhone.

(Tested on iOS 18.4.1 with iPhone 16 Pro Max Titanium Black 256GB – Global Model A3296 – MYWV3ZD/A)

1. Use the Action Button (Fastest Method for iPhone 16 Pro Max)

If you have an iPhone 16 Pro Max, the Action Button can be set up for instant song recognition:

1. Go to Settings > Action Button.
2. Scroll and select Shazam.
3. Now, just press and hold the Action Button when a song is playing.
4. Your iPhone will listen and display the song info in seconds.

Why it’s great: No need to open apps—just one button press and you’re done.

2. Use the Built-in Shazam in Control Center

Your iPhone actually has Shazam built into Control Center, and many people don’t even realize it:

1. Open Settings > Control Center.
2. Scroll down and tap the + next to Music Recognition.
3. Now, swipe down from the top-right (or up from the bottom on older iPhones) to open Control Center.
4. Tap the Shazam icon (the waveform symbol).
5. Your iPhone will listen and show the song name and artist.

Bonus: It saves your history, so you can check later in the Shazam app.

3. Ask Siri “What Song Is This?”

If you prefer voice commands, just activate Siri and say:

• “What song is this?”
• “Name this song.”

Siri will listen and display the song info using Shazam in the background.

Downside: In loud environments, Siri might struggle to hear you clearly.

4. Use the Shazam App (Most Detailed Results)

If you want more features (like saving songs to playlists), the Shazam app is still the best:

1. Download Shazam from the App Store (if you don’t have it).
2. Open the app and tap the big blue button to identify a song.
3. The app will show the song title, artist, and album.
4. You can save it to your Shazam history or link Spotify/Apple Music to auto-save songs.

Pro Tip: If you link Spotify, all your Shazams go straight to a “My Shazam Tracks” playlist.

Which Method Should You Use?

• Fastest? → Action Button (iPhone 16 Pro Max).
• No app needed? → Control Center Shazam.
• Hands-free? → Ask Siri.
• Most features? → Shazam App.

How to Find Your Shazam History

All your identified songs (even from Control Center or Siri) are saved in the Shazam app:

1. Open the Shazam app.
2. Tap Library at the bottom.
3. Here, you’ll see every song you’ve ever identified.

Final Thoughts

Now you know four different ways to find songs on your iPhone. Whether you prefer the Action Button, Control Center, Siri, or the Shazam app, you’ll never have to wonder “What’s this song?” again.

Which method do you use most? Let me know in the comments!