Shazam may be heading to smartwatches next

Shazam may be heading to smartwatches next

Shazam is actively working to expand its reach beyond smartphones and into smartwatches.

The company’s CMO Patricia Parra told Adweek that they are in talks with a number of smartwatch manufacturers and that their goal is for technology to develop so that eventually the consumer won’t need to touch an app to get the information he wants. 

Rich Riley, talking to CNBC at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, said that the company is focusing on iOS and Android given their pervasiveness, this means that Android Wear and the new Apple Watch may get a Shazam app soon, or at least a mobile app that is able to interact with the watch. 

Potentially, from May onwards the new Pebble Time watch could also be a very interesting option for Shazam since it includes a microphone which - if the quality is good enough - could be used to pick up what track is playing in the background without ever taking the phone out of your pocket. 

Still, don’t expect for smartwatches to be able to listen in at all times and tell you what music is playing in the background without an initial request from your part. This would completely drain the battery life of any device and so - thankfully one might add - we’re years away from Shazam being able to monitor everything you hear at any given time from your wrist. 

The arrival of the Apple Watch has certainly  increased the focus on wrist-based apps. Apple is undoubtedly working closely with a handful of developers to make sure at least some apps are available and working flawlessly at next week’s official unveiling that should see the company disclose more characteristics of the watch including battery life and the official release date. 

 

(Andrea Leonelli)