Shazam Music Recognition now syncs to Apple Music or Spotify Playlists

Shazam now seamlessly syncs identified songs to Apple Music by automatically adding them to a "My Shazam Tracks" playlist, including, as of early 2025, songs recognized via Control Center and Siri. By enabling iCloud sync in the Shazam app settings, all identified music is centralized and accessible across your Apple devices.

Apple has released an update for its Shazam app, enhancing its integration with both Apple Music and Spotify. The latest version now ensures that songs identified using the Music Recognition feature in the Control Center are automatically added to the "My Shazam Tracks" playlist in these music streaming services.

Previously, only tracks identified directly within the Shazam app were synced to this playlist. With this update, recognitions made via Control Center, Siri, and Shortcuts are also included, providing a more seamless experience for users who utilize these methods to identify music.

To ensure all previously discovered songs are synced, users are advised to toggle the "Sync your songs" option off and then back on within the Shazam app settings. This action will re-sync all past identifications to the connected music service. Additionally, enabling iCloud sync in Shazam Settings will keep the Shazam history safe and synchronized across devices.

Shazam is available for free on the App Store, and users can download or update to the latest version to take advantage of these new features.

Apple’s Shazam Acquisition and Its Impact

Apple acquired Shazam in 2018 for approximately $400 million, integrating its powerful music recognition technology into the Apple ecosystem. At the time, Shazam was one of the most popular music discovery apps, with over a billion downloads. The acquisition was part of Apple’s strategy to enhance Apple Music by offering users seamless track identification and direct streaming capabilities.

Since then, Apple has steadily improved Shazam's features, including deeper integration with Siri and Apple Music, offline song recognition, and the ability to identify songs playing through headphones. The latest update further reinforces Apple’s commitment to making Shazam a core part of its music ecosystem, while still allowing interoperability with rival services like Spotify.

Despite concerns over Apple’s competitive advantage post-acquisition, the European Commission approved the deal, stating that it would not harm competition in the streaming industry. Over the years, Apple has leveraged Shazam’s data and AI-driven music identification to enhance music recommendations within Apple Music, providing a more intuitive listening experience.

The improved syncing capabilities introduced in this update indicate Apple’s continued investment in Shazam as a key component of its music and audio recognition ecosystem.