By Chethan Rao
Publication Date: 2026-04-10 13:11:00
The Google Pixel-exclusive Now Playing feature underwent a significant overhaul last month. While it became a standalone app, it didn’t support manually identifying songs via the “Tap to see what’s playing” shortcut on the lock screen.
While the updated Now Playing app already has a lock screen corner shortcut and a dedicated Quick Settings tile, the absence of this manual option didn’t go unnoticed. Thankfully, a report over the weekend suggested that Google may bring this shortcut back.
It now appears that Google has quietly begun rolling out this option to Pixel users, with the “Tap to see what’s playing” shortcut appearing more widely. According to 9to5Google, this addition is making its way to Pixel phones as part of the version B.23 update of Android System Intelligence. It appears to be live on my Pixel phone as well, with the feature working as intended.
Hitting the “Tap to see what’s playing” button on the lock screen activates the “Identifying song…” indicator,…