Apple recently released the macOS Sonoma 14.2 Beta 2 update, and it brings a handy feature that melophiles will love. With the update, users can now discover music using Shazam through a Control Center widget on their Mac.
Thanks to Apple’s acquisition of Shazam in 2017, the sensation of discovering new music is just a tap away on iPhone. While you can always download and use the Shazam app from the Mac menu bar, or ask Siri to identify the song for you, Shazam is now integrated into the operating system by default with macOS 14.2 Beta 2. You now have the option to add the Shazam widget to the menu bar and Control Center by default.
If you’re someone who uses this functionality often, here’s how to bring Shazam to your Mac’s menu bar and Control Center.
- Go to your Mac’s System Settings and click Control Center in the left sidebar.
- Here, scroll down to the Music Recognition section and enable the “Show in Control Center” and “Show in Menu Bar” options.
Any time you want to know the name of a music track playing in your background, simply open the Control Center on your Mac and click the Shazam (Music Recognition) icon. You can do the same with the menu bar icon.
Additionally, because Shazam is built into macOS Sonoma by default, you can click the menu bar icon to view your previously identified song history. Once the list of previously identified songs appears, clicking the album cover will automatically open the song in the Music app.
If you are a macOS Sonoma beta tester, you can easily download the latest update via Settings and get started with this feature. We expect Apple to release the global version of the update later this month.
