YouTube Will Finally Allow You To Search For Songs By Humming Its Tune

YouTube is testing a new feature for Android devices that aims to improve song identification by humming. This development puts YouTube in direct competition with Apple’s music recognition app, Shazam.

Currently in the experimentation phase, YouTube’s song-searching capability allows users to identify songs on the platform by humming, singing, or recording a short segment of the tune. A select group of Android users have access to this feature, which can be activated through a switch from the standard voice search on the YouTube app.

“If you’re in the experiment, you can toggle from YouTube voice search to the new song search feature, and hum or record the song you’re searching for 3+ seconds in order for the song to be identified,” the company said in a blog post.

Users granted access can hum, sing, or record a snippet of the song, lasting at least three seconds, and YouTube’s algorithm will recognize the melody and provide relevant video results associated with the searched song.

These videos may include official music videos, user-generated content, or Shorts. It’s important to note that this feature is currently limited to a small number of Android users. However, if the feedback is positive and it gains wider availability, it could greatly benefit music enthusiasts who use YouTube as their go-to platform for exploring and discovering songs.

This experiment by YouTube follows a similar move made by its parent company, Google, in 2020. Google introduced a comparable functionality on its own platforms, such as the Google app, Google Search widget, and Google Assistant.

However, Google’s version requires users to hum, whistle, or sing for a longer duration of 10 to 15 seconds in order to accurately identify the song. Overall, YouTube’s innovative song-searching feature has the potential to revolutionize how users explore and find music on the platform, offering an alternative method of song identification beyond traditional search methods.