By Jim Karpen
Updated 06/03/2026
Ever listen to the radio and wonder what band recorded it, or the name of the song? Siri can help! In the past, you could ask Siri to identify music playing on your device; now, you can ask Siri to identify any ambient music. And, conveniently, Siri makes it easy to purchase the song or album.
Why You'll Love This Tip
- Use the Shazam music recognition app via Siri to recognize music hands-free.
- Say, "Hey Siri, what song is this?" and get an answer almost every time.
- Purchase the song Siri recognized from Apple Music to add it to your library.
How to Use "Hey Siri, What's This Song?" For iPhone & iPad
System Requirements
This tip was tested on an iPhone 17 Pro running iOS 26.4. Find out how to update to the latest version of iOS.
Be sure Siri is set up before trying these steps, or this tip won't work.
Also: A lot of people want to know how to find a song by humming. I tried humming a couple of songs while using the "Hey Siri, what song is that?" feature, but the songs weren't recognized. Let me know in the comments if you have better luck!
When you hear a song you want identified, you can ask, "Hey Siri, what song is this?", "Siri, what song is playing?", or "Hey Siri, who sings this song?" Siri responds with "Hang on, let me listen...." Then, Siri uses the Shazam music recognition app to find the artist and song title, as well as an image from the album cover, and the option to purchase the song from Apple Music.
- After you ask Siri what song is playing, you'll see the Rainbow circle indicating Siri is listening, and "Hang on, let me listen..." (or "Listening..." or something similar) at the bottom of the screen.
![Siri says it's listening]()
- Next, you'll see the Shazam icon and "Listening... " at the top of the screen.
![siri listening to identify song]( "siri listening to identify song")
- If Siri was able to recognize your song, you'll see the title, artist(s), and an Apple Music icon at the top of the page. Tap the Apple Music icon to purchase the song.
![siri identifies song]( "siri identifies song")
Now you know how to use the "Hey Siri, what song is this?" feature to identify music. Be sure to check out our free Tip of the Day for more great Siri tutorials.
More On: Identifying Music & Siri
- How to Add Shazam to Control Center
- Use Siri on Apple Watch to Navigate Apps
- Turn On Siri by Raising iPhone to Ear
Top image credit: Chingraph / Shutterstock.com
Discover your iPhone's hidden features
Get a daily tip (with screenshots and clear instructions) so you can master your iPhone in just one minute a day.
