Shazam adds visual detection to its app

The music recognition app Shazam can now also recognize images. The company announced this on Thursday. When users point their camera at images with the Shazam logo in the Shazam app, they will automatically be taken to a page with additional content.

The Shazam app now has a camera icon on the main screen. By pressing it, the app can scan QR codes, but also images, after which the user ends up on a page with more information. This is not possible with every random image; the Shazam logo indicates when users can use the app. The feature is primarily intended for interactive advertising. Shazam gives an example of a poster of the movie Tomorrowland. By scanning it, the user arrives at a page with a trailer of the film.

Shazam was first released as a service in 1999. Today, the service is especially popular for its apps on various platforms, which are used by more than 100 million people every month. The service recognizes a music track within ten seconds on the basis of an acoustic fingerprint. This is compared with a central database. Since 2012, the app can also recognize certain TV shows.

Rumors have been circulating for some time about the arrival of the new features. With the update, Shazam is trying to broaden its offerings. The digital assistants of Apple, Microsoft and Google can now also recognize music. Apple’s Siri uses Shazam’s technology for this, but Google Now and Microsoft Cortana have their own algorithm.