Apple’s Shazam is getting a big update on Wear OS smartwatches

Good news for Wear OS smartwatch users: Apple-owned Shazam has received an update that’s pretty significant. Now the app functions independently on your smartwatch without the need to communicate with your phone.

Many Android smartwatches, such as the Pixel Watch, Pixel Watch 2, Galaxy Watch 5, Galaxy Watch 6, and others, run Wear OS.

As noted by 9to5Google, the Shazam app has been enhanced to recognize songs directly on your smartwatch without needing the companion app on your phone. This means that even if you haven’t installed the app on your Android phone, it will still function independently on your smartwatch.

Victoria song from On the edge was among the first to test this feature. She downloaded the Shazam app directly on her OnePlus Watch 2. She did this without installing it on the paired Pixel 8 Pro phone. Song reported that it worked smoothly, identifying several K-pop songs in just a second or two. However, she noted that her test was conducted in a quiet office, suggesting that noisy environments may present more challenges.

Save some of it and use it later on Wear OS

The update includes another smart feature: if you’re offline, when you hear a song you can’t recognize, your watch will record a clip of the song and save it. It will then wait until you have an internet connection again to identify the song for you.

This feature is especially useful if your watch does not have a cellular connection. Whether you didn’t think you needed this feature when you purchased it, or such a feature wasn’t available for your model, it ensures that you can identify songs even when you’re offline.

Another addition is that songs you’ve identified using Shazam will now instantly sync between your devices in real-time. But first you have to log in. If you’re not using the Google account option, be sure to open the Shazam app on your Android phone first to make sure everything works smoothly.

A new way to use Shazam on Wear OS

There is a change in the way you use the app when you open it. Previously, it would start listening immediately after launch. Now the Shazam icon appears and you need to tap on it to start identifying the song. Once finished, it shows the song title, artist and background image. This works in a similar way to Apple’s smartwatches, such as the Apple Watch Ultra 2.

Version 14.18 of Shazam for Wear OS is now available in the Play Store.