New “Music Memories” features lets you see exactly where you were when you found your newest favourite song.

Apple’s iOS 18.2 update brings a unique feature to Music Recognition, a tool powered by (now Apple-acquired) Shazam, that not only recognises songs but now records the exact location where each song was heard. This new capability, called “Musical Memories,” was first discovered by Macworld. When enabled, users can view a history of songs identified along with the places where they were first encountered, adding a personal touch to each song. It’s worth noting that users do not need the Shazam app downloaded in order to access this feature.

Macworld explained:

“iOS 18.2 lets the Music Recognition applet geotag songs based on where users discover them. When a user taps and holds on the dedicated Music Recognition Control Center toggle, and then clicks History for the first time, a new splash screen appears. The page highlights existing features, such as song history and support for iCloud sync, and adds a new feature called Musical Memories.”

“Once you allow location access, it will automatically enable a geotagging feature that will tag songs with location data. So, going forward, when you discover songs through the Music Recognition tool, it’ll attach your location to the song history so you’ll be able to place the song in a specific place to remember where you were when you heard it.”

Sharing its discovery, Macworld also noted that this feature only works at the individual song level. In other words, you can’t get an overview on a map that displays the songs you’ve discovered and where you discovered them. However, who’s to say that won’t come in the future?

This updated feature is exciting for both music fans and independent artists alike. Artists can potentially gain insight into where their songs are being discovered. This tool might offer a new way to understand fan engagement, as location-tagged song recognition could highlight popular places where music discovery occurs.

For music fans, this update provides the option of reliving the moment you found your new favourite song. It also helps you pinpoint places, like bars or coffee shops, that play great music you keep connecting with.