YouTube currently testing Shazam-like song recognising feature

Google's new experimental feature allows you to just hum a song and YouTube will search for it for you. To those unaware, YouTube tests features with select users before it rolls them out to everyone.

Currently, the popular online video-sharing platform is testing an AI upgrade that can automatically summarise YouTube videos. Aside from this, YouTube is prepping to add the ability to search for songs just by humming or by recording them.

Notably, this works like Shazam, an app that can identify music, movies, ads, and TV shows based on a short sample played. Unsurprisingly, YouTube's experimental feature is currently available to select users who use YouTube on Android.

A much-awaited feature headed to YouTube

YouTube shared a post about its latest experiments on its support page. Among other changes, the word on the street is that the platform is also prepping to introduce a three-strike policy for those who use ad blockers. The support page also sheds light on the experimental feature that will allow people to search for songs on YouTube without breaking a sweat.

All you need to do is to hum a tune or record a song that's currently being played for more than three seconds. However, the folks at 91mobiles suggest humming a tune isn't likely to work most of the time. After identifying the song, YouTube will share relevant official music content, Shorts that have used the same song, and other user-generated videos.

Android users can check whether they have this feature by toggling the voice search button to use the experimental song search feature. It is still unclear whether YouTube will release a stable version of this feature. Nevertheless, the platform is likely to roll out this feature since it is useful for 2.7 billion YouTube users globally.

It is worth noting that the song recognition feature isn't new. Apps like Shazam and SoundHound already offer this feature. Moreover, this feature has been integrated natively on iPhones since Apple acquired Shazam. You can open the song directly on Apple Music. It will be interesting to see whether the same option will be available on YouTube Music.

Other experimental features

Other features that are currently being tested on YouTube include a redesign that will make it harder to skip ads. Apparently, YouTube is planning to reduce the size of the "Skip Ads" button. Notably, the current Skip Ads button has a rectangular appearance.

While the newly redesigned button is considerably smaller, it aligns with YouTube's new aesthetic. According to a report by GizmoChina, this seemingly minor change is not just a visual tweak but carries strategic implications.