Ryan Haines / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Pixel phones, from the Pixel 6 to the Pixel 9 series, are facing significant issues with the “Now Playing” feature, which is failing to recognize songs as it did before.
- Reddit and Google community forums are flooded with complaints about the feature not working, even after the release of an update aimed at improving it.
- Users have suggested clearing the cache for Android System Intelligence as a potential fix, but many are still frustrated with the persistent issues.
One of the best features of Pixel phones is their ability to identify music playing nearby and display the song title and artist name on the lock screen. Known as “Now Playing,” the feature has been a fan favorite ever since Google introduced it on the Pixel 2, helping users instantly recognize songs they hear in restaurants, cars, or other public spaces. However, it seems Now Playing is experiencing significant issues across Pixel devices, with its functionality severely impaired for months.
What’s the problem?
Reddit users are reporting that their Pixel phones are no longer able to recognize music when the Now Playing feature is enabled. Complaints, spanning several months, highlight issues across devices ranging from the Pixel 6 to the latest Pixel 9 series. In fact, many users have resorted to disabling the feature altogether due to its lack of functionality.
One Reddit user shared, “With my Pixel 6, it was fantastic. It would recognize nearly every song, whether automatically or manually. But now, it hardly works at all.” This user described a four-hour drive during which their Pixel only recognized two songs playing in the car.
Another user commented, “Horrendously bad compared to earlier versions.”
We can also confirm that Now Playing isn’t functioning properly on our Pixel 8 Pro. In a test with 10 songs played on a nearby phone, the Pixel 8 Pro, with Now Playing enabled, was only able to recognize one song. Even manually hitting the search icon shows up a “No Music Found” prompt despite popular tracks blaring in the background.
Is Now Playing working properly on your Pixel phone?
13 votes
Numerous threads on Reddit and Google’s community forums echo similar frustrations with Now Playing. The issue was first raised on Google’s Issue Tracker last year, but recent comments from a few days ago show that users continue to face significant problems with the feature.
In an attempt to address the issue, Google released an update to Android System Intelligence last month, promising “bug fixes and improvements to Pixel Now Playing Album Art feature.” While this update raised hopes that Now Playing would start functioning as it did before, many users are still experiencing issues with the feature.
Is there a workaround?
Multiple users have reported that they first started experiencing issues with Now Playing after updating their Pixel phones to Android 15. However, the update doesn’t seem to be the definitive culprit. Obviously uninstalling Android 15 just to make Now Playing function isn’t a viable solution. One would rather not use the feature than give up on all the other benefits that come with the latest Android update.
However, some folks seem to have had some luck with a workaround. One user recommends clearing the cache for Android System Intelligence to try to fix the problem. To do this, head to Settings > Apps > All Apps > Android System Intelligence on your Pixel phone. Select the app and tap on Storage & cache, followed by Clear cache.
Other than the above method, which didn’t work for us but might work for you, there’s no other way to temporarily fix Now Playing on your Pixel phone. Google will have to look into the issue more deeply and roll out an update to implement a fix evenly across its devices. Until then, you can try alternative music recognition apps like Shazam to identify songs playing near you.
