Ask HN: Is iOS Shazam always listening?

#1

Post by dokalanyi » Fri, Jul 17, 2015, 4:28 PM UTC

Is it possible for an app to always listen to the mic on iOS, or is it a coincidence that just now as I was watching Pitch Perfect 2, Snoop Dog joined shazam? Moreover Shazam never sends me notifications, and I doubt my music preference would lead me to Snoop Dog. Image: http://imgur.com/xpldqLU

Re: Ask HN: Is iOS Shazam always listening?

#2

Post by gfosco » Fri, Jul 17, 2015, 4:30 PM UTC

This is not possible at all on iOS, just a coincidence.

Re: Ask HN: Is iOS Shazam always listening?

#3

Post by halotrope » Fri, Jul 17, 2015, 5:11 PM UTC

Since Siri is now incorporating Shazam it might be possible. Otherwise the iOS watchdog would kill the listening App the sooner the later so it would not be possible without use of private API/Support from Apple. Also keep in mind that when recording apps in iOS get the red indicator bar on top of the app. Much more likely that you have been ML'd

Re: Ask HN: Is iOS Shazam always listening?

#4

Post by sfsylvester » Sat, Jul 18, 2015, 12:59 PM UTC

Similar thing happened to me. Calvin Harris and Armin Van Buuren happen to come up on the office SONOS. And then Shazam thinks it's prudent to notify me that they've both joined as part of their new feature.

But ultimately, Shazam works on treating the individual fingerprints of songs then running transformations. So even if it was possible on iOS, which it isn't', they wouldn't be storing individual voices etc.