Apple is working on a song identification feature for its upcoming iOS 8, according to Bloomberg. The Cupertino-based company is partnering with Shazam to bake the technology into Siri, its voice-activated search feature.
Song recognition apps like Shazam and SoundHound use the smartphone's microphone to listen the song being played, which is then searched against a database to provide related information like lyrics and purchase links. Of course, if a tie-up materializes, purchase links will likely be limited to iTunes.
The feature will be integrated into the software, which means that there'd be no need to download Shazam separately. Instead you'd be able to ask Siri something like "what song is playing" in order to fetch its details.
Shazam already boasts more than 90 million monthly active users and is contemplating an IPO. A deal with Apple would give the company a much welcomed boost nonetheless.
The news comes just a month after Google added a similar feature for its voice-powered search tool Google Now.
Apple is also planning to launch iTunes Radio, a Pandora competitor it introduced last year, as a stand-alone app on the forthcoming iOS 8. These features could be unveiled at Apple's annual developer conference that kicks off on June 2 in San Francisco.