SoundHound

App review by Carla Thornton, Common Sense Media
SoundHound Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 13+

ID tunes instantly -- with iffy lyrics.

iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android, Kindle Fire Music
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Parents say

age 16+

Based on 2 reviews

Kids say

age 13+

Based on 3 reviews

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  • SoundHound App: Screenshot #1
  • SoundHound App: Screenshot #2
  • SoundHound App: Screenshot #3

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this app.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this SoundHound is a music app identifies songs it hears through the iPhone's mic and displays the name and artist along with a link to the iTunes store. The app also returns lyrics, which can contain profanity, sexual themes, or drug references.

Community Reviews

GeekMom4
GeekMom4 Adult
November 1, 2011
age 18+

unrestricted access to internet - great app but not safe for kids

This is a wonderful app but without proper safeguards its just not for children. It allows full access to an unfiltered internet browser through the lyric search. Regardless of whether or not you have turned off Safari or paid for a internet safety browser, this opens the door to an entirely different unrestricted browser. When I contacted the developer, their email stated the following: Thank you for being a part of the SoundHound community. We certainly respect that parents want to let their children use our app whilst simultaneously having control over the content. Though we do not currently have a way to alter these settings, I have forwarded your feature request to our team. Don't worry, your request will not be ignored. We take user feedback and suggestions very seriously and are always working hard to keep our application the best music discovery app on the market.
MontysMom
MontysMom Adult
January 20, 2011
age 14+

Perfect for olde kids because there is no way to control content!

See all 2 parent reviews

What’s It About?

Kids can search and discover new music using SoundHound. With one tap, SoundHound identifies a song kids they are listening to. And for fun, kids can sing or hum a tune, and the app will do a “singing search” to find the song and artist. Search results are comprehensive, giving information about the song and artist including albums, iTunes links for purchase, YouTube videos, an artist page, etc. And if you want to listen to your own playlists, SoundHound integrates with your iPod and provides the lyrics to your tracks.

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Is It Any Good?

Song stuck in your head? Hum or sing a few bars and Midomi SoundHound, a remarkably accurate music-identification app, can probably tell you everything you could possibly want to know. Title, artist, lyrics, YouTube performances, iTunes buy link. Everything is neatly displayed on one screen. SoundHound recognizes recorded music even faster, in mere seconds. But its ability to recognize songs from live performances is what sets it apart from the inferior Shazam Encore.

App Details

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