Got a song stuck in your head? YouTube's experimental hum-to-search feature could be the answer

Ever had that feeling when a song is stuck in your head but you just can't seem to figure it out? If the answer is yes, then YouTube is working on a solution as the video streaming platform is experimenting with a feature that is designed to assist users in finding songs by just humming them or recording a snippet of that tune.

According to YouTube’s support page, this new functionality, currently being tested with a select group of users, enables individuals to bypass traditional text-based search and find songs using their vocals.

How It Works

• Ensure YouTube is up-to-date, then open the app on your Android device.
• In the search bar, tap the microphone icon for voice search.
• Toggle to the newly intoduced 'song search' option.
• Humm or play a short song part (3+ sec).
• Let the app process the audio untill it finds the song
• If successful, the app will display related results including "official music content, user-generated videos, and/or Shorts."

While other apps like Shazam offer similar song-identification features, YouTube's advantage lies in its extensive collection of both official and user-generated content, granting it a broader range of searchable songs.


Google's search engine itself has had a humming-to-search feature since 2020, but YouTube's version appears to be more streamlined and efficient, requiring only a short audio sample for identification, compared to Google's 10 to 15 seconds.

The experiment feature that builds upon Google's existing technology, leverages machine learning models to recognize the unique 'fingerprint' or signature melody of a song from a user's hum or recording. Despite the similarities, YouTube's version has a speed advantage.

The song search capability is currently restricted to a small fraction of Android users. If the feature proves successful during testing, it’s likely to be rolled out more widely, benefiting a broader user base.