YouTube is testing an innovative search feature for Android users, letting them find songs by humming or recording melodies. This experiment aims to enhance user experience by identifying songs without lyrics or manual typing in the app.
YouTube is testing a “search-by-song” function using sound recognition, as per its official support page.
For the fortunate users granted access to this experimental feature, a new option will surface on the YouTube app. This option allows users to seamlessly transition from traditional voice searches to the newly introduced song search feature. After activating this innovative tool, users can hum, sing, or record a segment of the song they’re seeking to identify.
The technology then processes the audio input, deciphering the melodic pattern, and subsequently matching it with the corresponding song. Following this rapid identification process, users are presented with a variety of pertinent YouTube videos that showcase the identified song. This selection encompasses an array of content, ranging from official music videos to user-generated uploads and Shorts.
It’s important to note that this captivating search-by-song capability is currently accessible only to a select group of Android users, as it is still in the early phases of testing.
Interestingly, this concept isn’t entirely novel within the technological sphere. Back in 2020, Google, YouTube’s parent company, introduced a similar “hum-to-search” feature for its Google app and Google Assistant. This functionality empowered users to hum or sing a snippet of a song, enabling Google’s advanced technology to recognize the song based solely on the audio input.
YouTube’s experimental feature advances music discovery, blurring tech and human creativity. In testing, it could transform how users engage with music, providing a more immersive song search.