As much of an AI skeptic as I am, Android’s “Circle to Search” is a useful implementation of the technology. By holding down the home button or navigation bar, you can circle anything on your display to start an internet search for it. Now it seems the feature is being expanded beyond solely visual elements on your smartphone, to include audio as well: So long as you have a compatible device, you can use Circle to Search to both discover music playing on your phone, as well as identify a song playing around you—including a tune you sing or hum yourself.
The feature was first discovered in testing by Android Authority: The site found a feature called “Audio search” during an APK teardown back in June, and was able to get it working last week. As of now, it appears to only be rolling out to Samsung Galaxy S24 phones, but Android Authority believes it will soon hit all smartphones that support Circle to Search.
Using Circle to Search for identifying music
First, pull up Circle to Search: If you use gesture navigation, hold the navigation bar. If not, hold the home button. Once Circle to Search is up and running, you should see a pop-up informing you about the new feature. Either way, you’ll find a new music icon appear in the bottom-right corner of the display. Tap this, and your phone will start listening, complete with a message that says, “Play, sing or hum a song…”
Since the feature uses your phone’s microphone to analyze music, you can let audio play from your phone to identify a mystery song, or let it listen to audio in the space you’re currently in. If you have a song stuck in your head, sing or hum it, and Circle to Search can try to identify the track.
While certainly a convenient feature, it’s far from the first option for identifying music in the wild. Programs like Shazam have been around for years, and you’ve been able to sing or hum to the Google app to search for music for some time as well. Still, if you’re going to be searching for other things with Circle to Search, why not audio as well?
