Summary
- The Google app’s song search tool, a popular alternative to Pixel’s “Now Playing,” is poised to receive a significant upgrade: a dedicated search history.
- Currently, identified songs within the Google app are fleeting, relying on general Google Search history for retrieval—a cumbersome process. Code found in the latest beta version suggests this is about to change.
- The upcoming history feature, potentially mirroring the functionality of Pixel’s “Now Playing” history, will likely provide details like artist, track title, album art, and timestamps for past song searches, making music discovery and rediscovery much easier.
Android devices offer several ways for you to find the exact song that’s stuck in your head. At the most basic level, there are apps like Shazam and SoundHound that can get the job done. Then there’s the 2017-released Now Playing feature that’s exclusive to Pixel devices. You can also search for songs, or hum/whistle a tune using the Google app’s dedicated music identifier — which is now available as a dedicated shortcut within the Google app widget.
Although Now Playing is the most seamless of the bunch, those without a Pixel device often rely on the Google app’s alternative, considering that it already comes preinstalled on all Android phones.
Related
The Google Search widget just got a handy new feature, but you have to enable it first
Life’s too short for extra taps
For reference, you can now head to the Google app widget’s customization settings and choose from eight different shortcuts to be highlighted on the widget. This includes the app’s song search shortcut, allowing you to begin your search directly from your device’s home screen.
Now, in a bid to make the tool all the more useful, the Google app is borrowing one key feature from Pixel’s Now Playing — song search history.
The Google app’s song search tool offers accurate results, but they’re fleeting. Currently, the tool uses Google Search to highlight identified results, and although you can technically go back in your search history to find the songs you’ve previously identified, this isn’t a very seamless procedure.
According to the folks over at Android Authority, this might soon change. Code spotted in Google app beta 16.5.33.sa.arm64 suggests that the song search tool might soon have its own dedicated history section, and it might function similarly to the Now Playing history.
Discover, and then rediscover
<item type=”id” name=”soundsearch_history_item_artist” />
<item type=”id” name=”soundsearch_history_item_details_container” />
<item type=”id” name=”soundsearch_history_item_image” />
<item type=”id” name=”soundsearch_history_item_time” />
<item type=”id” name=”soundsearch_history_item_track” />
<item type=”id” name=”soundsearch_history_title” />
As highlighted in the screenshots above, the option to view your ‘Recent song searches’ will appear as a tiny icon on the top right of the search screen. The feature isn’t active yet, so it’s not entirely clear how the results will be laid down. Now Playing, for reference, highlights the day, date, and time when a specific song was identified, alongside options to add music to your favorites list, the track’s/album’s cover, and one to play it on your preferred music streaming application.
Considering that the code found in the Google app’s beta build references artist, details_container, item_image, item_time, and more, it’s safe to say that the tool’s history section might resemble Now Playing, at least when it comes to functionality. It’s release timeline, on the other hand, is uncertain.
