Shazam is a popular music app that is often used to identify audio that's not on your phone. If you've ever used Shazam then you'll know that it uses your device's built-in microphone to sample external sound. This could be a song in a TV commercial, music playing in a bar, or even live audio in a public place.

But, is there a way to use it for digital music that has already been downloaded to your portable?

If for example you have files on your phone that are mashups or mixtapes, then you probably won't know the name of every single song that is played. Song metadata can go some way in providing basic identification on the audio file, but if there's a mix of songs then it won't give you all the information you need.

Most people assume that Shazam is only useful for identifying music from external sound sources. However, the app can also be used to listen to music playing on your portable. As long as your device keeps the microphone active while you play a song you should be able to use Shazam.

To find out how to do this, follow the tutorial below.

Using Shazam to Identify a Song Playing on Your Device

If you haven't got this free app installed, then download it for your particular operating system. Here are some direct download links for your convenience:

• iOS version of Shazam
• Shazam for Android
• Shazam on Windows Phone

 

1. Launch the Shazam app. This needs to be running in the background before you start playing any music.

1. Now you'll need to run your favorite music playing app on your device. Select the unknown track you want Shazam to listen to and start playing it.
2. Swap back to the Shazam app and tap on the capture button. After a few seconds you should see a result. As soon as this happens the information will be added to your Shazam tags list.
3. If you've got an audio file that contains several songs, then you can simply tap on the capture button every time a new song starts to play.
4. After you have finished playing all the unknown songs on your phone, you can view a list of the tracks that were identified by tapping on the Tags menu in the app. Selecting one in the list will give you the option to buy the track from the iTunes Store, but you can also stream the whole song by using Spotify, Rdio or Deezer.

Tips

• If you have problems identifying songs, then try increasing the volume on your device. Sometimes Shazam won't be able to hear a song playing if the microphone doesn't pick up the sound.
• Another way to solve the problem of Shazam not hearing songs correctly is to use earbuds or headphones. Once connected, hold the earbuds right next your device's microphone to see if that solves the issue. You may have to play around with the volume to get the correct level.
• If you choose to stream identified tracks using Spotify, Rdio or Deezer then you will need the relevant apps installed on your device.