Google is preparing to update the Pixel’s Now Playing feature with a new “Enhance Now Playing” option. This upgrade is part of version 13 of Android System Intelligence for Pixel 9 devices.
The new feature will add album artwork to songs identified by Now Playing. Currently, the history list only shows a generic music note icon alongside song names and artists. It’s unclear if the artwork will apply to all past entries or just new ones.
“Enhance Now Playing” will also use Google Search to identify songs that your device doesn’t recognize. This will rely on a short, privacy-preserving digital audio fingerprint sent to Google.
Google assures users that this process won’t send audio or conversations, and it won’t trigger mic indicators or appear on the Privacy dashboard.
The update also renames the app shortcut from “Now Playing history” to “Now Playing,” simplifying its appearance. The icon for the shortcut has been tweaked, with the square for artwork now featuring more rounded corners.
Although this preference is not live in the Settings app yet, Google is expected to roll it out via a server-side update. These changes aim to enhance the Pixel’s background music recognition capabilities while maintaining user privacy.
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