Summary
- Since November, Pixel users experienced problems with the Now Playing feature, including disappearing history, malfunctioning manual search, and an unstable magnifying tool, leading to frustration and reliance on alternative apps like Shazam.
- After several user reports, Google has finally announced a fix for the Now Playing bugs, stating it will be rolled out in an upcoming release, potentially with the March 2025 Pixel Feature Drop.
- Despite the bugs, Google has recently enhanced Now Playing with album artwork in December and added default music player support, allowing users to directly play identified songs on their preferred streaming services.
Finding a song that’s stuck in your head is a seamless process, provided you have a smartphone at your disposal. Applications like Shazam and SoundHound have long been considered reliable, while Google’s own solution via the Google app offers easy song identification, even via hums.
The most seamless of the bunch, one that doesn’t require you to manually search for songs, is Pixel’s Now Playing tool. The feature runs in the background and automatically detects tracks playing in your surroundings, storing them within the Now Playing history for you to check back on later.
Related
Have a song stuck in your head? Here’s how to find its title by using Google
Set the earworm free with help from Google
Since November last year, however, Now Playing’s functionality has been patchy. We reported on the feature’s diminished functionality last year, when its manual search magnifying tool went missing for many. Users who were still seeing the magnifying glass icon reported it swaying to the left of their screens. On and off, there have also been issues with disappearing Now Playing history.
Elsewhere, users have also reported issues with the manual song search tool being unable to identify music, with the tool saying “nothing is playing.”
Relief is in sight
Over three months later, Google finally seems to have addressed the issues, with a fix reportedly coming out soon, as pointed out by Android Authority. In an IssueTracker reply, a Google personnel wrote “Thank you for reporting this issue. We have a fix rolling out in an upcoming release.”
The exact timing of the fix remains unclear, and it could very well be that the patch arrives with the March 2025 Pixel Feature Drop, following the improvements Google introduced with the December Pixel Feature Drop. For those unaware, Google finally flipped the switch on album artwork in December, providing you with visual cues for identified songs in your Now Playing history.
Additionally, the tech giant also unlocked access to a huge Now Playing usability upgrade in the form of default music player support. Now, tapping a song highlighted in your Now Playing history will automatically play it on the streaming service of your choice, including the likes of YouTube Music, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, etc. You need to, however, assign a default player first.
Related
Google Pixel’s Now Playing finally lets you choose a default music player
Album art for Now Playing history is rolling out too