How to use Shazam on your iPhone without downloading the app

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Apple introduced a number of new items when it released the new version of its operating system in 2020. The ability to add a song's identification to your Control Center was added. You don't have to download the app to use it. You can access this feature from your lock screen with a couple of easy steps.

When we got our first phones, we were made to feel cool by the song identification app. You could tell your friends what song was playing at the bar by opening an app and sticking your phone in the air. The acquisition of Shazam by Apple made the app ad-free for everyone, and it also included its eerily good song-identification feature right into the app.

When you need to identify a song on the radio before it ends, you don't need to unlock your phone to access Shazam, which is very helpful. It will work for songs in your headphones. If you're running the latest version of the software, you can use these steps to impress your friends.

Control Center should be on your lock screen.

• Go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode (or Touch ID)
• Scroll down to “Allow access when locked” and make sure that Control Center is toggled on

You can also add Shazam to your Control Center.

• Go to Settings > Control Center
• Scroll down to “More Controls” and tap the green plus icon next to Music Recognition to add it to the “Included Controls” list above
• Change its position in the Control Center by moving it up or down the list (tap and hold the three bars to the right of the icon)

The Control Center has a Shazam icon. To access it from the lock screen, you can either use Face ID or Touch ID. The icon will light up and pulse when you tap it. You will get a notification in a few moments with the song and artist or a message that no result was found.

If you don't have your hands free, you can use Shazam, but it will blow your cover if you are trying to act like you know what song is playing. If you want to use this feature without your phone being unlocked, you need to follow the steps above. Say "Hey Siri, what song is playing?" or something to that effect. She will respond that she is listening and you will get a notification when the song has been identified.

You can get an archive of the songs you've identified and the ability to capture audio while you're offline, if you download the Shazam app. If you want to avoid adding another app to your life, you can use the best feature within the app.