Music-recognition service Shazam now features Popular Segments, a data-driven feature that reveals exactly which part of a song resonates most with listeners all over the world, according to an Apple website update Thursday.
Shazam Popular Segments reveals songs’ most iconic moments
Apple’s new Shazam app feature, Popular Segments, highlights the precise moments within tracks that prompted the most identification requests during the previous week. When users view Popular Segments on Shazam’s website, they’ll see an interactive graph displaying relative segment popularity throughout a song’s duration, according to the iPhone giant. And users get the ability to hover over specific time markers to identify the exact moments that captured listeners’ attention.
Popular Segments is part of Shazam’s continued evolution from a simple song identification tool, which Apple acquired in 2018, into a platform that offers deeper insights into music discovery and listening trends. By revealing which moments drive the most song searches, the feature bridges the gap between passive listening and active engagement, offering a window into the collective musical consciousness of Shazam’s global user base.
For example, if a song’s chorus at the 30- to 35-second mark generated significantly more Shazam tags than other sections, Popular Segments would display that spike in activity. It can show users and artists alike which musical moments are proving most memorable or shareable.
Available for chart-topping tracks
Popular Segments is currently available for top-performing tracks that rank on Shazam’s global and regional charts. The feature bases its data on actual Shazam tag volume. It provides authentic insights into listening behavior rather than predicted analytics. This means the feature reflects real-world discovery patterns as people encounter songs in cafés, stores, on social media platforms or through streaming services.
According to Apple, Popular Segments offers valuable insights for both casual listeners curious about what makes their favorite songs tick, and for artists seeking to understand which elements of their compositions are connecting most powerfully with audiences. Musicians and producers can use this data to inform creative decisions, understand listener engagement patterns and identify the hooks that drive song discovery.
Shazam Popular Segments: Web-first launch
The feature launched Thursday on Shazam.com, accessible through both desktop and mobile browsers.
Apple’s announcement did not specify whether Popular Segments would eventually make its way to the dedicated Shazam apps for iPhone and iPad. But the web-first approach allows the company to test and refine the feature before potential mobile integration.
Shazam’s evolution under Apple
Since Apple acquired Shazam in 2018, the music identification service has seen steady integration with Apple’s ecosystem while maintaining its standalone functionality. The service now powers the Recognize Music control available in Control Center across iPhone, iPad and Mac devices. And it works with Siri voice commands. Shazam’s deep integration with Apple Music allows users to add identified songs directly to their libraries and playlists.
Last month, the Shazam app for iPhone received a visual refresh featuring a new “Liquid Glass” design that modernized the app’s interface while maintaining its signature simplicity. The new Popular Segments feature should excite users interested in exploring what makes their favorite chart-topping tracks truly unforgettable.
David Snow, an expert on Apple hardware and software, writes on a variety of technological and cultural topics for Cult of Mac. They include Apple news, technology buying guides, and features about computer setups and Apple TV shows and movies.
With 30 years of experience covering technology and other subjects, he has written and edited for numerous print and online publications, including CMP Media, TechTV.com, CNET, Wired News, Red Herring magazine, Law.com, The National Law Journal and Law Technology News magazine. Among other roles, he served as executive editor of the Law.com network of websites and editorial director, technology, for ALM Media.
Snow graduated with a B.A. from Syracuse University with majors in magazine journalism and psychology. While there, he worked as a reporter for The Daily Orange newspaper and associate editor of Equal Time magazine.
Founder of the blog At the Waterline, he can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) via @atthewaterline and on Mastodon via @dsnow.
