GOOGLE will now let you hum to find a song right inside the YouTube Music app.
Better still, there’s another way to try the trick even if you don’t use YouTube Music.
It’s thanks to a feature called Hum to Search.
You’ll be able to simply hum into your smartphone’s microphone – and YouTube Music will (hopefully) tell you exactly what song you were thinking of.
And as you’ll be a YouTube Music subscriber if you’re using this, it should let you play the song – as long as it’s part of the app’s library.
The feature is rolling out right now to the Android version of the app, but there’s hope for iPhone owners too.
Fans of the app say they’ve spotted the feature in the iOS version, but it’s not widely available just yet.
HOW TO TRY YOUTUBE MUSIC HUM FEATURE
First, make sure that your YouTube Music app is updated to the latest version.
Then go to the home page and tap on the search icon.
If you’ve got the feature, you should see a small waveform icon just next to the microphone (which itself is beside the search bar).
Tap it and the app will ask you to play, sing, or hum a song that you’re thinking of.
Do it and you should get a results page that shows you songs that fit your tune.
The feature’s success will naturally depend on how closely you can replicate the actual song.
But given it uses machine learning to identify the track, there is a bit of leeway – you don’t need to be a classically trained singer, or hummer?
NO YOUTUBE MUSIC? TRY IT ON GOOGLE
If you don’t use YouTube Music – or can’t see the feature yet – then there’s a version inside the Google app that offers roughly the same experience.
YouTube Premium – the full list of perks
According to Google, a $13.99-a-month YouTube Premium membership gets you…
Unlimited ad-free videos: Immerse yourself in more of your favourite videos without waiting for ads. Find helpful how-to’s, try new recipes or work out with your favourite creators – all without any interruptions.
Enjoy videos offline: Watch any time, anywhere – download videos and watch them whenever, wherever, without the need for mobile data or Wi-Fi.
Background play: Keep watching – whether the screen’s off or you’re using other apps, you can continue playing your videos in the background with zero interruptions.
An app made just for music: With YouTube Premium, you get uninterrupted access to stream all that you want on the YouTube Music app. Listen to the world’s largest music catalogue with over 100 million songs, ad free – enjoy personalised mixes, playlists to fit every mood, chart-toppers from around the world and more, all without ads.
It’s been out for a few years too, so it should be available on your phone.
Just download the Google app from your Google Play Store or Apple App Store.
Then tap on the search bar and press the microphone button.
Now choose the button on the screen that says “search a song” and start humming.
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If you do it right, you should see a list of songs that fit the bill.
“After you’re finished humming, our machine learning algorithm helps identify potential song matches,” Google explained.
“And don’t worry, you don’t need perfect pitch to use this feature.
“We’ll show you the most likely options based on the tune.
“Then you can select the best match and explore information on the song and artist, view any accompanying music videos or listen to the song on your favorite music app, find the lyrics, read analysis and even check out other recordings of the song when available.”