Top 3 iPhone Music ID Apps Menu Lifewire Tech for Humans Newsletter! Search Close GO Mobile Phones > iPhone & iOS

Top 3 iPhone Music ID Apps

Quickly identify songs you overhear

By Mark Harris Mark Harris Writer University of Wolverhampton Mark Harris is a former writer for Lifewire who wrote about the digital music scene and streaming music services in an easy to understand, no-nonsense manner. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on September 13, 2021 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email iPhone & iOS Switching from Android Have you ever heard a great song on the TV or radio and wished you knew the name of it or the artist so you could track it down? Most of us have. Music ID apps help you identify that tune and also link to where you can stream or purchase it.

Music ID vs Music Discovery

Most music apps for the iPhone rely on streaming or cached (downloaded) songs and audio. Some apps provide ways to discover similar music based on your tastes and search behavior. This is music discovery. A music ID app can identify the songs you are listening to through some form of online database. One method uses your iPhone's built-in microphone to "listen" to a song and pull a sample from it. The app then attempts to identify it by comparing the sample's audio fingerprint against the online database. Well-known databases include Gracenote MusicID and Shazam. Other apps work by matching lyrics to identify songs. These rely on you typing in a few lyrics, which are then matched using an online lyrics database. The list of music ID apps below highlights some of the best music ID apps available to download on your iPhone. 01 of 03

Shazam

What We Like Very good at identifying songs. Seamless compatibility with Apple Music and additional content. What We Don't Like Can't hum or sing song to identify. Somewhat basic. Shazam is one of the most popular apps used to identify unknown songs and music tracks. It works by using the iPhone's built-in microphone, which is ideal if you want to find out the name of a tune playing nearby. The Shazam app is free to download and gives you unlimited tagging with information such as track name, artist, and lyrics. There's also an upgraded version of the app called Shazam Encore. This one is ad-free and offers more functionality. Download For: iOS Android 02 of 03

SoundHound

What We Like Fast results and discovery options. Sing or hum along to identify a song. What We Don't Like Hit or miss accuracy when humming or singing. SoundHound works in a similar way to Shazam. It uses the microphone on your iPhone to sample part of a song and then identify it. With SoundHound, you can also find out the name of a track by using your voice. You can either hum or sing into the microphone. This comes in handy when you can't hold your iPhone up to a sound source, or you missed catching a sample of it. The free version of SoundHound is ad-supported (like Shazam) and gives you an unlimited number of music IDs. Download For: iOS Android 03 of 03

MusicID

What We Like Lots of information about identified artists. What We Don't Like Somewhat buggy. Hit or miss accuracy. MusicID uses two methods to identify unknown songs. You can either use your phone's built-in microphone to grab the audio fingerprint of a song or type a portion of the song's lyrics. This makes the app more flexible in your search for the name of a song, provided the song has lyrics. You can also use the MusicID app to watch YouTube music videos, look up artist biographies, see similar-sounding tracks, and add geotags​ to recognized songs. Download For: iOS Android Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire Websites That Identify Unknown Songs 14 Best Places to Listen to Free Music Online How to Identify Songs in YouTube Videos 14 Best Places to Get Free Music Downloads Legally The 9 Best Free Music Streaming Apps for iOS and Android (2022) The 7 Best Music Editors of 2022 How to Shazam a Song That's Already on Your Phone The 11 Best Internet Radio Stations of 2022 The 8 Best Plant Identification Apps of 2022 The Top 10 Streaming Music Apps for the iPad The 9 Best Free Widgets for Android The 12 Best Apple Watch Apps of 2022 How to Add Music to a Facebook Story Play Music on the iPhone Without Touching the Screen How to Make a Playlist on Your iPad The 5 Best Free MP3 Tag Editors Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies