A new teardown of the Pixel Ambient Services APK performed by XDA Developers includes a string of code that indicates the Google Pixel 2’s and the Pixel 2 XL’s ‘Now Playing’ feature will keep a history of the songs it has heard.
The ‘Now Playing’ feature allows second-generation Pixels to constantly listen for music. When the devices detect a song, Now Playing will then display the song information on the Ambient Display.
The feature functions similarly to Shazam or Google Assistant, but doesn’t require users to open an app. With this update, Now Playing would further keep a record of the songs it hears, allowing users to go back and find songs they enjoyed.
However, even after downloading the Android Package Kit (APK) the feature still seems to be disabled, according to XDA-recognized developer Quinny899 who tried installing the APK on his Google Pixel 2 XL running Android 8.1 Oreo.
The APK also doesn’t currently work on Android P’s Developer Preview and gives an error message.
When the feature does eventually release, there will be a new button in the notification bar that will represent a recognized song.
There is also set to be a section for scrolling through listening history.
Source: XDA Developers
