macOS Sonoma 14.2 lets you recognize songs and view a history of identified songs in your Mac’s Control Center without using the dedicated app.
The update brings a new Music Recognition section to the Control Center settings where you can turn Shazam’s Control Center and menu bar integration on and off.
Previously, you had to install Shazam’s macOS app with a menu bar shortcut and manually enable it in order to recognize songs and view past history.
Well, This functionality is now built directly into macOS Sonoma 14.2, so you don’t need to download the dedicated Shazam Mac app. Apple is currently testing macOS 14.2 so be patient until the update releases publicly in a few weeks before you’re able to check out the newly-added Music Recogniton section.
macOS Sonoma 14.2 brings Shazam to the Control Center
The Music Recognition feature with deep Shazam integration in the Control Center has been available on the iPhone and iPad for several years. With macOS Sonoma 14.2, Shazam is now integrated directly into the bowels of the operating system.
Shazam is also available via Siri on the HomePod, Apple Watch and other devices. Apple acquired Shazam in December 2017.
How to add Shazam to your Mac’s Control Center
You can add Shazam to the macOS Control Center and menu bar in the Music Recognition section within your Control Center settings.
- Click the Apple menu and choose System Settings.
- Select Control Center in the System Settings sidebar.
- Scroll halfway down and slide the switches next to Show in Menu Bar and Show in Control Center in the Music Recognition section to the ON position.
With the Control Center toggle enabled, click the Control Center icon in the menu bar, then select Music Recognition at the bottom to bring up a history of any songs you’ve previously identified through Shazam’s. At the top of the menu, you’ll see a Music Recognition icon that resembles Shazam’s logo.
How to use Shazam from the Mac’s Control Center
To identify a song playing on your Mac, click this icon so that it turns blue, indicating a listening session in progress. After a few moments, Shazam will display the song title. Click the album art to open any listed tune in Apple’s Music app.
To open a song in Shazam on the web, click its title. To delete an entry, click the trash bin icon and choose Delete Song to confirm the operation. Doing so will only delete the song from your Shazam history across all devices with the Music Recognition option enabled in the iCloud sync settings.
For further information about Shazam integration across the iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch, consult a support document on Apple’s website.