Google Reportedly Developing Audio Memory Feature for Pixel to Track Conversations, Music History

Highlights

• Audio Memory reportedly expands upon on the existing Now Playing feature
• Users may be able to track ambient audio and device-played media history
• Code strings suggest data may be sent to cloud if local matching fails

Google is said to be developing a new feature for Pixel that may allow users to keep track of both music and spoken interactions throughout the day. According to a report, the feature, dubbed Audio Memory, builds upon the existing Now Playing music recognition tool on Pixel phones. Discovered during an APK teardown, several strings hint towards the expansion of Pixel's existing music recognition capabilities, while others hint at features that help store information about important conversations.

How Google Pixel's Audio Memory Feature Might Work

Android Authority reported the in-development Audio Memory feature, which was discovered during an APK teardown of the version C4 of Android System Intelligence for the Pixel 10. It is internally referred to by the codename "blueflax", which is the name of a species of wildflower.

The most notable aspect of the feature is reportedly a user-facing description that states Audio Memory can "keep track of what you hear throughout your day, from music around you to your important conversations." While the company has yet to reveal any details, the phrasing suggests it may extend beyond traditional music recognition capabilities.

A splash screen during the onboarding process describes it as a feature that can help users track both ambient audio and content played directly on their device. Various strings found within the application reference music-related functionality.

In one instance, it may be able to "find out what's playing around you". Meanwhile, another one reportedly states that information about songs playing nearby will continue to appear on the lock screen. The code also includes the phrase "Music on your device", alongside a description that says "Info about songs you play or hear in other apps displays in your music history."

This suggests Google's Audio Memory feature may reportedly be able to maintain a centralised record of songs identified from both ambient surroundings and apps running on the phone. Users will also likely decide which apps can leverage the feature to identify music.

With Audio Memory, Google also appears to be emphasising privacy. Several other code strings state that music recognition will "automatically identify music using a song database on your device." If a track cannot be identified locally, a "short digital fingerprint" may be sent to Google to securely search the cloud for a match. Another string mentions that "background conversations and audio are never sent to Google."

While the feature was discovered during an APK teardown, the publication managed to activate it and try out a limited number of early interface screens. However, it has yet to be released for public access. While code references suggest its development may be underway, not all features discovered in an APK teardown make it to the release stage in a future stable version of the app.