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Shazam: Latest iOS update brings Twitter previews, faster tagging, and more

Trevor Mogg
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Shazam App Phone
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Shazam, the hugely popular music- and media-recognition app, has just rolled out another update for iOS users.

Version 6.2.1 brings with it a neat feature for Twitter users that allows your followers to listen to a preview of a tweeted track from within the microblogging app via Shazam’s Twitter card.

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Also, Shazam promises that iOS users with older devices like the iPhone 4 and 3G will notice “much faster” media recognition with the update, meaning you’ll be able to spend less time waving your hand at a speaker inside a store to discover a song and more time tweeting it, sharing it on Facebook, reading its lyrics, watching it on YouTube, reading artist info, reading the album review, or any of the other stuff you can do through the app.

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The update says it’s tweaked the app to help it work better in “difficult” environments, such as in locations where there’s a load of background noise going on.

Finally, Explore charts have been enhanced to reveal popular tracks from the past week.

Below is the full list of changes as it appears in iTunes:

  • Much faster recognition, especially on the iPhone 4 and 3GS.
  • Better recognition in difficult environments.
  • Now when you tweet, your followers can play previews right in Twitter through our Twitter Card.
  • Explore charts are more dynamic, showing you what’s hot in the last seven days.
  • New TV experiences (US only).

Shazam launched in London in 1999 though it really took off with the arrival of the iPhone in 2007. The company said in February its user base had reached 300 million, with more than 95 million of those located in the US.

In July the company received funding to the tune of $40 million from Carlos Slim, a telecom boss and one of the richest people in the world. It’s believed Shazam will use the money to expand the element of its service that allows users to pull up information on TV shows and ads, a feature introduced last year. (Here are our thoughts on Shazam’s bright future.)

The free, ad-supported app is available across multiple platforms, though users can do away with the ads by switching to Shazam Encore for $7.

Shazam in iTunes

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Trevor Mogg
Trevor Mogg
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