Today, the Shazam apps for iOS and Android are getting a big update that could completely change how you use the sound ID service. Don’t worry, you’ll still be able to Shazam songs on the fly as before, but now you’ll also be able to browse and play music the way you do in other music services as well.
Shazam is one of the most popular apps in the world because its core functionality, telling you what song is playing almost instantly, is so universally useful. It’s expanded its reach in recent years to listen to TV shows and ads as well. Still, for the most part it remains the app you open when you want t figure something out, and not a default app you open all the time.
The new built-in music player and related music discovery features are aimed at getting you to use the app more often. Now, if you link up your Rdio or Spotify account, you’ll be able to listen to your tagged songs from within the app, as well as to other music that’s trending or otherwise featured by the service. And yes, you’ll need to be a paying subscriber to Rdio or Spotify for this to work. Previously, you could only listen to snippets from within the app. Note: Spotify integration won’t hit Android right away, but it’s coming.
In a particularly handy feature, music you tag using Shazam will automatically be added to a Shazam playlist. Shazam will also now have a newsfeed featuring music recommendations you might like, as well as updates about what your friends are listening to.
Throughout the app, you’ll be able to simply pick a list of songs, say Trending songs for example, and simply play them all. From there, you can like or dislike with left and right swipes like Tinder. This data will then be used to suggest better music to you down the line.
This all sounds great, and the automatic playlist of songs you’ve tagged is a godsend. The concern would be that Shazam’s gloriously simple experience would get cluttered. But as long as tagging a song in a flash before it ends still works, I’m cool. [iTunes App Store]