One of the most loved special tools in Google Pixel tools is the background song recognition feature called Now Playing, which was first introduced in 2017. New information suggests that Google is planning to move the tool to its own app to make it easier to access.
According to code strings spotted by 9to5Google in the latest version of Android’s System Intelligence, it looks like Google is preparing to offer it through its own downloadable app on the Play Store.
The site spotted wording in the latest version B.21 that says, “Now Playing has a new home. Your settings, song history, and other features can be found in a dedicated app.” Google has yet to officially comment on the changes.
Other codes point to a notification to download the service from the Play Store to access these features. Moving the feature to a dedicated app may make it more obvious for users to find and enable it independently.
However, this does not necessarily mean that it will become a tool that anyone can download on their Android device.
Android Authority further researched the latest version and found that Google is rolling out the feature with device-level testing. If it persists, it could be a sign that Google plans to keep the feature exclusive to Pixel products.
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If so, it’s unclear why Google is making this choice, but it could be to give its Pixel phones a unique edge over the competition. The brand does this with select features, such as its Recorder app, which uses AI features to create audio transcriptions and summaries.
Song recognition apps are nothing new. Alternatives like Shazam are more commonly used. Google’s tool has the unique advantage of working in the background to suggest a song’s title and artist before manually requesting it.
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