Google is adding a new hum feature to its search tools today that lets you hum (or whistle or sing) the annoying song that’s inside your head and then use machine learning techniques to try to identify it.
The new feature is available today in the Google app for iOS and Android or in the Google Assistant. Just ask Google “What’s that song?” Or tap the newly added “Search for a song” button and then hum your catchy tune. Google will then show you the results based on the likelihood of a match. After that, you can tap the results to listen to them (just like any other title you’ve looked up Google Search).
According to Google, the feature works using their machine learning models to “convert the audio into a number-based sequence that represents the melody of the song,” which can then be compared to existing songs. The company says it trains these models on “a variety of sources, including people singing, whistling, or humming, as well as studio recordings,” removing things like instruments and vocal quality to focus only on that numerical sequence. Hence, the search hum feature should work whether you are deaf or perfectly pitched.
The new search buzz feature is available today in English for iOS and in more than 20 languages for Android. More will be added in the future.
