Shazam App is Now Ad-Free Following Apple Acquisition - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Shazam App is Now Ad-Free Following Apple Acquisition

by

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
95 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
95 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
95 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)
95 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
95 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)
fede777 Avatar
95 months ago
What's the point of Shazam Encore now? They still offer it at 2.99
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.4 Adds Two New Features to CarPlay

Tuesday March 24, 2026 1:55 pm PDT by
iOS 26.4 was released today, and it includes a couple of new features for CarPlay: an Ambient Music widget and support for voice-based chatbot apps. To update your iPhone 11 or newer to iOS 26.4, open the Settings app and tap on General → Software Update. CarPlay will automatically offer the new features so long as the iPhone connected to your vehicle is running iOS 26.4 or later....
Apple Business hero

Apple Unveils 'Apple Business' All-in-One Platform

Tuesday March 24, 2026 8:53 am PDT by
Apple today announced Apple Business, a new all-in-one platform that unifies device management, productivity tools, and customer outreach features. The service is designed to be a consolidated replacement for several of Apple's existing business-focused offerings, including Apple Business Essentials, Apple Business Manager, and Apple Business Connect. It provides organizations with a single...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 3, AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Tuesday March 24, 2026 12:31 pm PDT by
Apple today released new firmware for the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and the AirPods 4. The firmware has a version number of 8B39, up from 8B34 on the AirPods Pro 3, 8B28 on the AirPods Pro 2, and 8B21 on the AirPods 4. There is no word on what's included in the firmware, but Apple has a support document with limited notes. Most updates are limited to bug fixes and performance...