Apple’s Shazam app turns 20 today, and as of this week, it has officially surpassed 70 billion song recognitions and more than 225 million global monthly users.
To mark the occasion, Apple says that “Shazam invites fans to take a trip down memory lane with a special playlist comprised of the most Shazamed song of each calendar year for the past 20 years.” It features everything from Train’s “Hey, Soul Sister” to Sia’s “Cheap Thrills.” You can listen now exclusively on Apple Music. Here’s the history of Shazam:
- August 2002: Shazam launches as a text message service based in the UK. At the time, users could identify songs by dialing “2580” on their phone and holding it up as a song played. They were then sent an SMS message telling them the song title and the name of the artist.
- July 2008: Shazam launches on the brand-new App Store. Shazam later launched its Android version in October 2008.
- April 2015: Shazam becomes available on the first Apple Watch.
- September 2018: Shazam joins the Apple family.
- June 2021: Shazam surpasses 1 billion Shazams per month.
- May 2022: Shazam surpasses 2 billion lifetime installs.
- August 2022: Shazam celebrates 20 years of music discovery and hits 70 billion all-time Shazams.
