Apple-owned Shazam prepares to remove Facebook sign-in for syncing from Android app

Back in 2017, Apple acquired music recognition app Shazam and removed advertising, as well as third-party SDKs, from the service. The company now looks to be taking that a step further by removing the ability to sign in with Facebook on Shazam for Android.

About APK Insight: In this “APK Insight” post, we’ve decompiled the latest version of an application that Google uploaded to the Play Store. When we decompile these files (called APKs, in the case of Android apps), we’re able to see various lines of code within that hint at possible future features. Keep in mind that Google may or may not ever ship these features, and our interpretation of what they are may be imperfect. We’ll try to enable those that are closer to being finished, however, to show you how they’ll look in the case that they do ship. With that in mind, read on.

You’ve always been able to use Shazam without creating an account. However, sign-in lets you sync identified songs to the cloud and provides a complete history of recognized tunes on any device. At the moment, Facebook or email login is available, with the latter type just requiring you to tap a link sent to your mail app.

The past few versions of Shazam for Android reveal that the Apple-owned company is working on removing support for Facebook sign-ins.

<string name="signed_up_using_facebook">Signed up using Facebook?</string>

<string name="shazam_accounts_created_with_facebook_not_supported">Shazam accounts created with Facebook are no longer supported. Create a new account to back up your music.</string>

This change is not yet live with the latest app updates for Android (10.37.0) or iOS. Once it is, users that “Signed up using Facebook” will be prompted with a dialog message that warns how “Shazam accounts created with Facebook are no longer supported.”

Users are advised to first “Import Shazams from your old account to this device.” That looks to involve signing in with Facebook if you haven’t already. Afterwards, you’re asked to “Create a new account to back up your music.”

<string name="old_shazams_imported_create_new_account">Your old account Shazams have been imported. Create a new account to back up your music.</string>

A string in an earlier version of the app suggested that users could “sign in with Google,” but there are currently no references to that. On iOS, Shazam could possibly implement “Sign in with Apple,” while “Sign in with Google” would fit Android.

<string name="facebook_accounts_not_supported">Facebook accounts are no longer supported. Please sign in with Google or Email to back up your Shazams.</string>

Shazam’s work to remove the social network’s sign-in system comes as the Facebook SDK last week was again responsible for crashing a number of iOS apps. Shazam’s work dates back several weeks, so it’s likely not related. Nevertheless, it signals a move towards Shazam becoming even more of an Apple product. Unlike Dark Sky, the app remains available on Android and will likely continue to do so given Apple Music’s presence on the platform.