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Can't figure out the title of a song? YouTube will let users hum the tune to search

By Aubrey Shane Lim Published Aug 26, 2023 11:33 am

Have you ever had those days when a tune is stuck in your head, yet you can’t seem to remember the lyrics? Well, YouTube is currently working on an experiment to fix that issue!

The video streaming platform announced on its community support page that it is testing out a new feature where users can search for a song after humming or recording its tune for around three seconds.   

“Once the song is identified, you’ll be sent to relevant official music content, user-generated videos, and/or Shorts featuring the searched song in the YouTube app,” the update stated.  

Currently, the experiment is being rolled out to select Android users around the world. These select few have the ability to test out the feature before YouTube officially releases the service for public use.  

“If you’re in the experiment, you can toggle from YouTube voice search to the new song search feature, and hum or record the song you’re searching for 3+ seconds in order for the song to be identified,” the update says. 

Google launched a similar service in 2020, where users can click or press the microphone icon on its app to search for a song by humming its tune. However, the Google service requires users to hum for 10 to 15 seconds before identifying the tune.  

Apple’s Shazam app has a similar feature, however, the service can only recognize a tune from a recorded clip rather than the user’s hum.   

Meanwhile, the YouTube update also noted other experiments and features that are currently being worked on, such as adding Q&A stickers for YouTube shorts on mobile phones and the creation of a “For you” section on the channel’s homepage.