How to use Now Playing on your Pixel
With Now Playing, your Pixel can identify the music you hear around you. It’s important to note that this isn’t available on the first Pixel (2016); only the Pixel 4 and later have music search, which allows users to search for a song if the phone can’t identify it. This does mean your Pixel device is essentially “always listening,” which is a privacy concern for some. However, Google makes it clear that it recognizes music using a song database stored on your Pixel phone. The automatic recognition process never sends audio or background conversations to Google, as it uses “privacy-preserving analytics.” In any case, follow these steps to start knowing every song as soon as they’re played.
On your Pixel device, open the App Drawer and navigate to Settings.Scroll down to Sound and vibration. Tap on Now Playing.In this menu, toggle the switch next to Identify songs playing nearby.
There you have it. For those that have a Pixel with an always-on display, including the Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6a, Pixel 7, and Pixel 7 Pro, the name of the song and artist will pop up at the bottom of the lock screen. That means you can just glance at your phone without unlocking it to know what song is being played. What’s more, in the Now Playing menu, you can tap on Now Playing history to view all the songs your Pixel has picked up. Plus, you can tap the “heart” icon to add to your list of favorites. You can also add the music search button on the lock screen, which lets you look up songs that are playing that your Pixel doesn’t recognize. It’s an incredibly handy feature to have, especially when someone asks “What’s the name of that song?” and you always have the answer.
