How do I use SoundHound on Android?

What is SoundHound?

SoundHound is a music recognition app that allows users to identify songs playing around them. Some key features of SoundHound include:

Song Identification – SoundHound can identify songs by listening to a short audio clip hummed, sung, or played by the user. Its advanced music recognition technology can identify songs quickly and accurately.
Lyrics Display – SoundHound provides real-time lyrics synced to the identified song, allowing users to view the words and sing along.

Music Discovery – The app recommends related artists and songs based on identified content to help users discover new music.
Playback Control – Users can control playback of identified songs within the SoundHound app and add them to playlists.
Offline Mode – SoundHound’s offline mode allows song identification without an internet connection.

In summary, SoundHound is a robust music recognition platform that makes discovering, identifying, and interacting with music easier than ever.

Installing SoundHound

To get started using SoundHound on your Android device, you’ll first need to download the app from the Google Play store. You can find it by searching for “SoundHound” in the Play store app or by visiting https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.melodis.midomiMusicIdentifier.freemium&hl=en_US&gl=US.

Once you’ve located the app, tap “Install” to download it to your device. The app is free to download and use with some additional in-app purchases available.

SoundHound requires a few permissions in order to function properly, including access to your device’s microphone to identify music and storage access to save identified songs. Make sure to allow these permissions when prompted after installing the app.

The app download is around 18MB in size. It requires Android 4.1 or later to run smoothly. Make sure your device meets these requirements before installing.

Setting Up SoundHound

Setting up SoundHound involves creating an account, connecting the app to music services, and granting permissions. To get started:

1. Open the SoundHound app and tap “Sign Up” to create a free account. You’ll need to enter your email address and choose a password (Smart Answering eGuide, Part 1: Getting Started).

2. Once signed in, go to the settings menu and select “Music Services” to connect SoundHound to streaming platforms like Spotify, Pandora, and Apple Music. This allows you to add identified songs to playlists. Tap on the services you use and log in to link accounts (Soundhound Android App Tutorial and Review – YouTube).

3. Under settings, check that SoundHound has permission to access the microphone, contacts, storage, and phone. Granting microphone access allows SoundHound to listen and identify music. The other permissions improve features and functionality (Hound is Ready, Anytime!).

Once signed up, connected to music services, and with permissions enabled, SoundHound is ready to identify music playing around you.

Using SoundHound to Identify Music

The main feature of SoundHound is its ability to listen to music playing around you and instantly identify the song title, artist, and album. To use this feature:

Open the SoundHound app and allow it to access your device’s microphone when prompted.

Hold your phone near the music source so the microphone can clearly pick up the song.
Tap the big orange button in the app to activate listening mode.
After a few seconds of listening, SoundHound will display the details of the identified song, including the track title, artist, album, and release year (SoundHound Music App).

SoundHound can identify songs playing on the radio, TV, streaming services, at a venue, or directly from a speaker. As long as the microphone can pick up a clear sample, SoundHound’s advanced audio fingerprinting technology can match it against its extensive music database to return song information.

Viewing Lyrics

After SoundHound identifies a song, the app displays the Lyrics tab which shows the full lyrics synchronized in real-time with the music playback. This allows users to view the lyrics and sing along as the song is playing. The tab scrolls automatically to highlight the current line of the song.

According to SoundHound’s blog, the new lyrics feature “provides lyrics in real time to users who want to read the words or sing along” (Sing Along to Your Favorite Songs with Lyrics in SoundHound).

Having synced lyrics makes it easier and more engaging for users to sing or read along. It enhances the music recognition and playback capabilities of SoundHound.

Adding Identified Songs

One of the key features of SoundHound is the ability to save songs you’ve identified for later listening and discovery. There are a few ways to add identified songs to your SoundHound account:

You can save identified songs to your history in the app so you can easily find them again later. Just tap the “Save” button on any identified song. These will be added to your history and song profile pages in the app (1).

Another option is adding identified songs to custom playlists. Tap the “Add to playlist” option on any song to select an existing playlist or create a new one. This makes it easy to organize and listen to songs you discovered with SoundHound (2).

You can also buy or download identified songs directly from SoundHound. Just tap the “Buy” or “Download” button on a song to be taken to partner music services for purchase and download options. Purchased songs can be played right within the SoundHound app (3).

With these save and add features, SoundHound makes it simple to keep track of and listen to any music you discover while using the app.

Controlling Playback

Once SoundHound identifies a song, you have several options to control the playback directly within the app:¹

To play or pause the identified song, simply tap the play/pause button in the bottom center of the screen. This allows you to start and stop the music playback as needed.

You can also skip forward or backward in the track by tapping the skip buttons on either side of the play/pause button. This makes it easy to jump to the next song or replay a section you enjoyed.

To adjust the volume, drag the volume slider to the left or right. The volume level is displayed as you move the slider for precise control. You can mute the volume by dragging the slider all the way to the left.

With these simple playback controls directly within the SoundHound app, you can listen to your identified songs without needing to switch to another music player. Just tap to play, pause, skip, or adjust volume for seamless music enjoyment.

Using Offline Mode

One of the key features of SoundHound is the ability to identify songs even when you don’t have an internet connection. This is accomplished through offline recognition packs that you can download to your device.

However, there are some limitations with offline mode:

The offline recognition database has a limited number of songs. Popular and mainstream music is likely to be recognized, but more obscure tracks may not work.
Offline mode relies on downloading packs to your device which take up storage space. The standard pack is around 100MB.

The recognition algorithms are not as robust compared to online mode. Accuracy will be lower in offline mode.

To download a recognition pack for offline mode:

Open the SoundHound app and go to Settings.

Tap on “Offline Recognition Packs”.
Choose the pack you want to install – the Standard Pack is recommended.
Tap “Download” and wait for the pack to be installed. This may take several minutes depending on your connection.

Once the pack is downloaded, you’ll be able to identify music through SoundHound without an internet connection. Just make sure to manually update the packs periodically to keep the offline database current.

Additional Features

SoundHound offers other features beyond music identification.

You can set alarm clocks that wake you up with songs that you choose. This lets you pick the perfect song to start your day off right. To set an alarm, navigate to the Alarms tab and tap the plus icon.

SoundHound also provides reminders tied to songs. You can set a reminder to go off when a certain song plays. To use this feature, tap the bell icon next to an identified song.

The app includes access to artist info and bios from SoundHound and Wikipedia. Tap on an identified artist to view details about their background and discography.

With a SoundHound subscription, you can take your music experience even further with unlimited offline recognition, unlimited lyric access, and other premium perks.

Troubleshooting Issues

If SoundHound isn’t working properly, here are some solutions for common problems:

Music Not Identifying

If SoundHound is failing to identify the music you play, first make sure you have the necessary permissions enabled in your phone’s settings for SoundHound to listen and analyze the audio. You may also want to check SoundHound’s FAQs for additional tips on getting songs to identify properly like ensuring there is minimal background noise.

App Crashes or Freezes

Try force stopping the SoundHound app, clearing its cache and data, and reinstalling the latest version of the app from the Play Store. If issues persist, contact SoundHound support.

Contacting Customer Support

If troubleshooting does not resolve your issues with SoundHound, you can contact their customer support for additional help. Check SoundHound’s support site and submit a request or email [email protected].