Google will soon let you identify a song using Circle to search

Circle to Search, Google’s artificial intelligence (AI)-powered visual search feature, may be getting a new music search feature. According to a new leak, a new music search icon has been spotted testing on a Samsung Galaxy S23 series handset. The feature is said to be able to detect a song playing on-screen and perform a Google search for it. However, it’s unclear if the feature is currently available to beta testers or if it will be rolled out broadly.

Circle to Search may get a music search function

A Reddit after by user u/SamsungAmateur sheds light on a new feature spotted on Circle to Search, which allows users to search for a song that is currently playing on the screen. While the user found it on the Galaxy S23 series smartphone, it is unclear if other devices and other smartphone series from Samsung will also get it.

Circle-to-Search music search function
Photo credit: Reddit/SamsungAmateur

Thanks to multiple screenshots of the feature shared by the user, we have a clear picture of how it works. A new icon appears next to the floating Google Search action button. It contains a music note in purple and the icon is placed next to the translation icon.

In another screenshot, it appears that the user tapped the button and the text “Play, sing, or hum a song…” appeared on the screen. In the example, a music video on YouTube was playing. In a subsequent screenshot, it appears that the feature correctly identified the artist and name of the song and performed a Google search for it. Gadgets 360 was unable to confirm the feature’s existence in the latest version of the Google app on a device with the Circle to Search feature enabled.

The feature asks the user to play, sing, or hum the song, according to one of the screenshots. Since Circle to Search is a visual lookup feature, the addition of singing or humming to identify a song would mean the addition of new functionality. This raises some doubts as to whether the singing or humming detection functionality is real. Notably, other users in the Reddit post claimed that they haven’t seen the feature on devices like the Galaxy S24 Ultra.

That’s why it’s worth approaching the leaked details about this feature with a healthy dose of skepticism. Google has yet to make an official announcement about the feature, which — if real — could eventually roll out to users.