Circle to Search on Galaxy phones can now search for music – here’s how
About a week ago, Google began testing an audio identification feature for Circle to Search, allowing users to look up unfamiliar songs playing on their phones. The update was initially expected to arrive some time later – by October at the latest – but the tech giant decided the feature didn’t require further testing and has begun rolling it out.
A user on the OneUI subreddit Song Search (as they called it) on their Galaxy S23 after installing version 15.32. 37. 28 of the Google app. They posted several screenshots of the tool in action, and from the looks of it, not much has changed from the demo. After enabling Circle to Search, you’ll notice a new button with a musical note icon at the bottom, and tapping on it will initiate the music identification process.
Song Search is quite capable as it can identify what is playing on the phone and songs that are playing externally on another device. You can even hum or sing into the microphone and it will pick up the melody, assuming you are a good singer. Music results will appear on a results page within Google Search.
The update effectively replaces Circle to Search with third-party identification apps like Shazam, though it still has a place on smartphones. Google’s tool doesn’t provide direct lyrics or tell you about upcoming concerts; you still have to look that information up in the search engine yourself. And as far as we can tell, the software doesn’t store results in a library.
Availability
Please note that the patch may not be available to you yet. Multiple commenters in the Reddit thread claim to have Google app version 15.32. 37. 28 on their devices, but they can’t access Song Search. It’s more likely that those users already have the feature and will have to wait for server-side activation.
At the moment, it appears the company is rolling it out in waves, so owners will just have to wait until it arrives. There’s no word on whether there are plans to expand the update to other smartphones, though we’ve reached out to Google to ask and will update this story if we hear back.
Circle to Search may offer even more later this year. Android Authority dug into the files of a recent beta version of a Google app and found hints that Pixel Screenshots could become part of CTS. In case you don’t know, Pixel Screenshots is an app that lets you save and organize screenshots you take on your phone. It’s similar to Microsoft Recall, albeit a more secure version.
Also check out TechRadar’s list of the best Galaxy phones for 2024.
