After months of testing in selected areas in the year, Netflix has finally launched the “play something” shuffle mode to Android users globally.
The feature initially introduced in April was designed to help take the stress out of finding something to watch, which is a battle on its own with streaming services.
“Play something” is a shuffle mode option that simply opens and plays a movie or TV show based on your previous watch history and interests.
The option can be found in several places, including the profile selection screen, but the easiest is tapping the pill-shaped “Play Something” button in the main homepage view that includes the shuffle icon.
Tapping that will immediately launch a random show or movie in a landscape preview window. The feature also allows you to “skip” to another recommended show if the pre-determined one is not to your liking. Users so far have reacted positively to the new addition. Netflix even noted a few tweets that praised the feature.
For Netflix however, it’s not about giving users an easier way to watch, but retaining them before jumping to another entertainment option. Netflix recently researched that people are watching less TV and opting for short-form video apps like TikTok.
That’s why Netflix has been making additions such as the creation of mobile games and launching Fast Laughs to keep their customers happy and engaged.
Alfred Gitonga is a passionate tech news writer with a deep interest in smartphones and related technologies. He is a staff writer at Mobitrends.co.ke.
