How do you play Name That Tune in the car?

A passenger holds the phone and taps a clip length: 1 second of a well-known song, then 2, 4, 8 or 16 if nobody has it yet. Everyone races to name the song, and the fewer seconds it took, the more points the team scores.

Does the Name That Tune game on this page work offline?

No. The clips are Apple Music previews streamed from Apple, so they need a signal. On a stretch with no coverage, switch to a game that works offline, like the license plate game, road trip bingo or I Spy.

How do you make Name That Tune fair for kids and adults?

Let each player pick a few songs from their own era, and give kids the title alone while adults must also name the artist. A child who knows every song from a film soundtrack can beat a parent every time.

Name That Tune in the Car: Guess the Song in One Second

Name That Tune in the car is simple: a few seconds of a song play, and the first player to name it wins the round. The fewer seconds you needed, the more points you score.

The player at the top of this page has the clips ready. Pick a playlist and tap a clip length: 1, 2, 4, 8 or 16 seconds of Apple’s official preview. Guess on the first second for 5 points, on the last clip for 1. You can always go longer, never shorter, so once the 4-second clip has played, 1 and 2 are gone. Reveal shows the cover, the year and a link to the full song on Apple Music.

The default playlist is Hits everyone knows: songs from the 1960s to now, picked by how much they are streamed worldwide rather than by US radio, so a car from Manchester or Melbourne knows them too. Decade playlists, Road trip classics and Kids & family are one tap away. For the songs themselves, see the 100 best road trip songs.

How a round goes

One passenger holds the phone. The driver plays by ear and answers out loud.
Tap 1 s. Anyone who knows it shouts the title.
Nobody? Tap 2 s, then 4 s, and so on. Each chip shows what a guess is worth.
Tap Reveal, then the team that got it. The points are those of the longest clip you played.
Next song.

Scoring that settles arguments

The title alone counts for kids. Adults must name the artist too, or the answer earns half points.
One guess per player per song. A wrong guess locks you out of that song.
If two players shout at once, the phone holder decides. That decision is final, and complaining costs a point.

Pick the right playlist

Hits everyone knows is the fair start for a mixed car, because every song on it is still streamed heavily around the world. A decade playlist puts one generation in charge: the 1980s list for the parents, the 2010s list for the teenagers. Kids & family is film songs and chart hits younger players know by heart. US country is there for fans, and it’s a niche list, so expect fewer correct guesses.

Versions by group

Families

Hits everyone knows or Kids & family, titles only for the kids, and let the youngest hold the phone for a round. Tapping the right chip at the right moment is a serious job at age 6.

Friends

A decade playlist, artist required, and a bonus point for naming the year within two.

Couples

Two teams, first to 20 points picks dinner.

Tips for long drives

Clips stream, so play where there’s signal. On a dead stretch, switch to the license plate game or I Spy until the bars come back.
Keep the volume at a level the driver can still hear the road over.
Stop after 30 or 40 songs, then return to it later in the day. Ears get tired.

When it stalls

If the same team wins every song, give the phone to their best player for the next ten.

If nobody’s getting anything, switch to Hits everyone knows. And when the car wants a break from music, the Movie Game uses the same pop culture memory with no stereo needed.