If you’ve got a song stuck in your head but can’t remember the name of it, Google has a solution now. Its new Hum to Search feature lets you sing, whistle or hum a tune into Google to identify the earworm. Here’s how to use it.
This new Google song search tool is available on iOS and Android and uses machine learning to identify the tune you’re massacring.
“An easy way to explain it is that a song’s melody is like its fingerprint: They each have their own unique identity,” The Google Blog says. “We’ve built machine learning models that can match your hum, whistle or singing to the right ‘fingerprint’.”
It’s also really easy to use. I tested it with both humming and singing and for the most part it worked. I admittedly had more success with singing though. Apologies to my partner for having to endure those tests.
Successful song searches for me included Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen, The Fine Print by Stupendium and Boss Bitch by Doja Cat. I have impeccable taste.
At the time of writing it doesn’t seem to work with Google search within a browser. But let me know if you’ve managed to do this.
It’s also worth noting that this new search function is only available in English on iOS and in 20 different languages on Android. According to the Google Blog it will be expanding into more languages in the future.
Google Hum to Search Song Tool
So how do you actually get it to work?
- Go to the Google App, Google Search Widget or bring up Google Assistant
- Tap the Microphone button
- Either say ‘what is this song’ or tap the ‘search a song’ button
- Or if you’re using Google Assistant just say “hey Google, what’s this song?”
- Start humming, singing or whistling the tune
- Once you stop spewing sound from your mouth it will start searching.
- If successful the correct song will pop up as a search result
