The recent update of the free iPhone and iPod touch app, Shazam, includes a feature for continuously recognizing popular songs and TV shows it hears.

Shazam has always been a nifty iOS app that users pull out when they want to quickly get the name of a song playing on the radio, or get more information about currently playing TV show. After the app is launched, all users need to do is press the recognition button and it will listen to the audio coming from a nearby speaker. It use the audio capture to search for content in the Shazam database.

Well, if pressing the recognition button is a hassle, you can now enable the Auto button, and Shazam will continually listen for popular music and TV shows around you. In auto mode, a red bar appears at the top of screen, which means you can leave, not quit, the app and it will continue to listen for and recognize new content it hears in the background.

Shazam auto

The listed tracks and show titles get listed in the Tags panel, where the linked content on the iTunes Store is available for social network sharing, preview and downloading.

Shazam tags

For some non-popular content, you may still have to tap the recognition button in order to for Shazam to locate what it hears.

The recent update also includes the ability to share tags with friends on the WhatsApps, Pinterest boards, and in iOS Messages. The app will also record the location of your device while using it, but you can disable that feature in the settings.

Source: TUAW