A beginner’s guide to Shazam

Using Shazam to identify music

Unlike most apps these days, you don’t actually need to create an account to be able to use Shazam. Simply download it from the app store and you’re good to start using it straight away.

When you open the app, you’ll be greeted by a button in the middle of your screen. To start identifying music, all you need to do is tap this button. Shazam listens to what’s playing and automatically lets you know what the song is, who it’s by, and how many other people have used Shazam on that same piece of music.

Shazam works best when you put your phone close to the audio source, but it does still work when you’re out and about. This means that’s it’s easy to whip open the app whilst you’re shopping and find out which tune is blasting through at Topshop, then listen to it again later.

Using other fun features

Shazam doesn’t just stop at letting you know what a song is. Once you’ve found out that pivotal information, a series of options at the top of the screen allow you to read the lyrics, watch the music video, see other songs by the same artist, and even discover a related section that compiles a list of similar songs that you might enjoy.

You can also post the song to a variety of social media sites, such as Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter, so you can share your latest finds with your friends and family.

If you like the music you found enough to purchase it, the app even gives the option to buy it through iTunes, automatically taking you to the album or single on the iTunes store.

Linking Shazam to Spotify

If you have a Spotify account, Shazam allows you to link your accounts to make listening to the new song you just found even easier.

When you use the app to identify a piece of music, it automatically saves in your Shazam history, enabling you to go back and check what it was whenever you want. When your Shazam is linked to your Spotify, it instantly creates you a playlist titled My Shazam Tracks, and sends all of your recently discovered music there without you having to lift a finger.

If you want to add it to a more specific playlist, simply use the ‘Add To’ button to browse all of your current Spotify favourites and scroll until you find the one you want.