Facebook to without having to type or say a word.
On Wednesday, May 21, the website announced a new audio recognition system that will be integrated into its mobile app in the coming weeks. The app will use a smartphone’s microphone to listen to what songs, TV shows, or movies a user is listening to or watching. The feature will identify sounds — much like the popular Shazam app — and then let users share them on their timeline.
When you have the feature enabled, a small icon will appear on your screen when you try to post something new. You can then choose to share something or ignore the feature.
If you choose to share the song you’re currently listening to, for example, your friends will see a 30-second preview of the song you’re listening to, along with a link to Rdio, Spotify, or Deezer. For TV shows, the audio recognition system will be able to post the episode and time of the show so your friends know.
As The Verge notes, it is not known whether Facebook's new feature will surpass Shazam's ability to identify songs through ambient noise.
We'll probably find out soon, as Facebook says it will roll out the new feature – for Android and iOS devices in the United States – in the coming weeks.
