YouTube is venturing into innovative territory, unveiling a test on Android devices that pinpoints songs when users hum them. This move is viewed as an advancement over Apple’s Shazam music recognition software.
The feature, currently under examination on the Android iteration of YouTube, extends the ability for users to discern a song on the platform via humming, singing, or recording. Once in the YouTube voice search, users shift to this novel song search function, engaging in a hum or singing session for a minimum of three seconds. The song is then recognized, propelling users to pertinent YouTube videos related to the hummed song.
As of now, only a fraction of Android users have access to this experimental feature. However, with the ubiquity of YouTube for song searches, this capability, if widely released, has the potential to resonate with a vast user base.
The concept might not be entirely new for some. Last year, Google, YouTube’s parent entity, introduced a similar feature across Google Assistant, the Google Search widget, and the Google app, allowing users to hum or sing to pinpoint songs. The difference is the duration of humming, with Google necessitating 10-15 seconds.
Underlying both these features is machine learning, adept at aligning a user’s hum to a song’s unique “fingerprint” or melody, as Google articulated. This same technology powers YouTube’s recent test, as confirmed by the company to TechCrunch.
While other applications like SoundHound and MusixMatch offer analogous humming-based song identification, their popularity lags behind juggernauts YouTube and Google. Yet, for the avid music enthusiast, exploring these alternatives is worth a shot.
YouTube’s experiment aligns with the tech industry’s evolving intersection of artificial intelligence and user experience. If successful, this feature could revolutionize how we interact with music platforms. The synergy between Google’s established technology and YouTube’s vast music database can provide users with a seamless and intuitive way to identify and enjoy their favorite tunes.