Google Assistant adds support for song identification

Google Assistant is getting its own song recognition software. The technology was first available on the Pixel smartphones last month, but it is now rolling out to all other Android mobile devices. Asking “what song is this” will now yield an info card with the tune’s title, artist, and some of the lyrics. It also has links to YouTube and Google Play Music to listen to the entire track.

Shazam, the standard-setter in audio identification, is still available as a third-party app on Android smartphones. However, it’s possible that Google wanted to develop its own alternative in-house, particularly after Shazam entered a partnership to be more tightly integrated with Apple iOS in 2014.

Anna Washenko