Two and a half months after Apple announced the completion of its Shazam acquisition, the music recognition iOS app is now completely ad-free [Direct Link]. Previously, Shazam would present users with various border advertisements throughout the app, similar to most other ad-supported iOS apps, but as long as you are on version 12.5.1 you will no longer see any ads in Shazam.

shazam ad free
The app still opens on the main "tap to Shazam" screen, where you can discover a song by allowing Shazam to listen to it. To the left of the main screen is the "My Shazam" area, where the app keeps a list of all the songs you have Shazamed recently. To the right of the main screen is Shazam's "Discover" tab with artist, song, and playlist recommendations, user posts, friend Shazams, and more.

Shazam finally going ad-free comes one year after Apple first announced its plans to acquire Shazam back in December 2017. At the time, Apple said, "Apple Music and Shazam are a natural fit," and that the two companies "have exciting plans in store." In September 2018, Apple completed the acquisition and said that the Shazam app would become ad-free soon.

In October 2018, Shazam began informing its users about the Apple acquisition and aligning its data privacy policies with those of Apple. Shazam has been built into Siri since iOS 8 and there are connections with Apple Music in the Shazam app, and Apple is expected to further integrate the music recognition service with its products down the line.

Top Rated Comments

Sovon Halder Avatar
81 months ago
I’m asking, “What does Shazam do that ‘Hey Siri, what’s this song?’ doesn’t do?”

What’s the point of another app? What am I missing?
You are missing these...

* The app is faster. Siri uses Shazam results anyways. With the app you don't have to ask Siri in front of other people which is embarrassing sometimes and in a crowded places, this helps a lot. And also the results are stored in playlist unlike Siri results.
* You can customise settings with the app, playlist and all that directly goes to apple music playlist automatically which is awesome. Play one song while listening for the next all without jumping between apps, unlike Siri.
* The discovery tab is pretty damn useful. Good recommendations there. Some 7-8 cards with good stuff.

[doublepost=1545061473][/doublepost]
What's the point of Shazam Encore now? They still offer it at 2.99
I'd also like to know this.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AnthonyG6 Avatar
81 months ago
I’m asking, “What does Shazam do that ‘Hey Siri, what’s this song?’ doesn’t do?”

What’s the point of another app? What am I missing?
Apart from being more discreet than Siri, the other reason I use Shazam over Siri and it is a key feature for me; is when my iPhone is connected to the car's bluetooth and a song is playing on the radio, asking Siri is not an option because as soon as you invoke Siri, the radio stops playing. In this case only Shazam will do.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Juicy Box Avatar
81 months ago
I’m asking, “What does Shazam do that ‘Hey Siri, what’s this song?’ doesn’t do?”

What’s the point of another app? What am I missing?
I’m not sure if Siri can do this, but I can use the Shazam app to look through my old shazamed songs.

I use the history feature a lot. You can also get lyrics instantly, I use that a lot too.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BeatCrazy Avatar
81 months ago
Why does anyone with iOS have any need for Shazam? What’s the point?
Sometimes I don't feel like shouting at Siri to ask her something. A simple tap within the Shazam app will suffice.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
n-evo Avatar
81 months ago
I’m asking, “What does Shazam do that ‘Hey Siri, what’s this song?’ doesn’t do?”

What’s the point of another app? What am I missing?
[LIST=1]
* Because talking to Siri isn't always the best of options when you're standing in a bar or club with loud music on and you want to know the song.
* Some prefer a GUI over Siri. As far as I know there's no way to trigger music recognition in iOS without Siri. As such you need the app.
* Many people downloaded (or bought) Shazam (Encore) years before Siri even existed.
* Not everyone owns an iPhone and as such don't have Siri
* A more visual list without having to dig around the iTunes Store

I'm sure there are some more.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
friednoodles Avatar
81 months ago
They'll use it to encourage more people to sign up to Apple Music.

But as long as its core functionality of recognising songs remains, that's all that matters to me. I'd prefer to eventually see promotion of Apple Music than seeing other random ads.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Coming Next Week With These New Features for Your iPhone

Friday February 14, 2025 6:18 am PST by
The first iOS 18.4 beta for iPhones should be just around the corner, and the update is expected to include many new features and changes. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects the iOS 18.4 beta to be released by next week. Below, we outline what to expect from iOS 18.4 so far. Apple Intelligence for Siri Siri is expected to get several enhancements powered by Apple Intelligence on iOS...
iPhone 17 Roundup Feature 2

iPhone Design to Change 'Significantly' This Year

Monday February 17, 2025 7:09 am PST by
Apple is set to "significantly change" the iPhone's design language later this year, according to a Weibo leaker. In a new post, the user known "Digital Chat Station" said that the iPhone's design is "starting to change significantly" this year. The "iPhone 17 Air" reportedly features a "horizontal, bar-shaped" design on the rear, likely referring to an elongated camera bump. On the other...
apple launch feb 2025 alt

What to Expect From the 'Apple Launch' Next Week

Thursday February 13, 2025 11:48 am PST by
Apple has yet to announce any new devices this year, but that could change starting next week. Apple CEO Tim Cook today said to "get ready" for a "launch" on Wednesday, February 19. "Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," said Cook, in a social media post. The post includes an #AppleLaunch hashtag, along with a short video featuring an animated Apple logo inside of a circle....
Apple Maps 2024

Apple Maps Might Start Showing Ads

Sunday February 16, 2025 7:22 am PST by
Apple is "exploring" the idea of showing search ads in the Apple Maps app, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Back in 2022, Gurman said software engineering was "already underway" to display ads in the Apple Maps app, but Apple did not move forward with the idea at the time. Today, he said Apple is "giving this notion more thought" again. This time around, he said Apple has yet to...
Tim Cook Apple Park

10+ Announcements Apple Could Have Rolled Into a February Event

Saturday February 15, 2025 8:00 am PST by
Apple appears to have enough upcoming product announcements to justify a full event this month, yet all signs indicate these reveals will be handled through a series of press releases instead. There are a multitude of rumors from reliable sources about specific announcements in the coming weeks, so here's everything that Apple could have feasibly included in a hypothetical February event: ...
iPhone 17 Pro Render Front Page Tech

iPhone 17 Pro With All-New Camera Bar Design Allegedly Revealed

Thursday February 13, 2025 5:49 pm PST by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro will feature three rear cameras arranged in a familiar triangular layout, but the cameras will be housed in an all-new rectangular camera bar with rounded corners, according to YouTube channel Front Page Tech. iPhone 17 Pro camera design render created by Asher for Front Page Tech In a video uploaded today, Front Page Tech host Jon Prosser said the camera ...
m2 pro mac mini

Apple is Now Selling a Refurbished Mac Mini for Just $319 (!)

Saturday February 15, 2025 9:58 am PST by
A few days ago, we reported that Apple's refurbished Mac mini pricing had a problem, and it appears that Apple has taken note. Apple was offering a refurbished Mac mini with the M2 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage for $559, which was $50 more than a refurbished Mac mini with the M4 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. All other key specifications were equal. That's no longer...
iPhone SE 4 Thumb 1

Apple's Next iPhone SE Launching on Wednesday - Here's What We Know

Friday February 14, 2025 4:04 pm PST by
Apple CEO Tim Cook teased an Apple announcement that's coming on Wednesday, February 19, and it's looking like that mystery announcement will be the next-generation iPhone SE. We've been hearing about the iPhone SE 4 for quite some time now, and we essentially know everything to expect. If you want a sneak peek at what's coming, read on. Naming Apple first introduced the iPhone SE in...