Shazam for iPhone brings offline mode

Media identification service Shazam (soon to be Apple-owned) today updated its iPhone and iPad app in App Store, implementing a brand new offline mode which allows users to keep Shazaming even when they’re not connected to the Internet.

UPDATE: As commenters pointed out, offline caching isn’t a new feature. What is new, however, is the ability for the app to issue notifications for recognized songs, even when the app isn’t running.

You can try this feature by updating your copy of Shazam for iPhone to version 11.6 or newer.

Next, put your device in Airplane Mode, launch the app and tap the big blue button to identify the currently playing song. As soon as you’re back online, the app will name the song automatically and you’ll be notified immediately, even it you don’t have the Shazam app open.

This does not let Shazam actually identify songs when you’re offline, like a machine learning-powered music identification service built into Google’s Pixel phones—the app still needs to access servers to upload and analyze song snippets saved while you were offline.

If you have a Shazam account, use it to log in to the app and have your Shazams automatically saved, synchronized between your devices and backed up so you’ll never lose them.

Shazam is being acquired by Apple for a reported $400 million.

“Apple Music and Shazam are a natural fit, sharing a passion for music discovery and delivering great music experiences to our users,” Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr said, adding that the Cupertino company has “exciting plans in store” for the popular app.

Shazam is used by hundreds of millions of people around the world across multiple platforms.

Shazam is a free download from App Store.