Spotify has introduced a new feature that allows music fans to search for songs using lyrics.
Using the iOS or Android app, you can now type lyrics into the search bar, and Spotify will bring up a list of potentially matching songs. Tracks that correspond with the lyrics you’ve typed in come with a ‘Lyrics match’ tag.
It’s a handy feature, and anyone who has ever had a tune stuck in their head will know how annoying it is when you’re unable to recall the name of the song.
However, searching with lyrics is a feature that Apple Music has had since 2018 – and it’s not the only feature Spotify has poached from its biggest rival.
Earlier this year, Spotify began rolling out real-time lyrics provided by Musicxmatch, which can be found by swiping up on a track as you listen, allowing you to sing along – again, Apple was first to bring this feature to its streaming service.
The battle of the streaming services
Despite nicking some of Apple Music’s ideas, Spotify is still the most popular music streaming service by a large margin.
As of April 2020, Spotify boasted 130 million subscribers, while estimates put Apple Music’s subscriber numbers at 68 million at the end of 2019.
It’s possible that Apple could close the gap in 2021, with the launch of its new subscription service, Apple One.
Combining some of Apple’s biggest products into one package, the service was announced at Apple’s 2020 event and includes iCloud, Apple Music, Apple TV Plus, Apple Arcade, Apple News Plus and Apple’s newest service, Apple Fitness Plus, which offers daily workouts and advanced fitness tracking.