Netflix’s shuffle play feature has officially rolled out.
The "Play Something" button, which Netflix has been testing since last year, will automatically pick a TV show or film for you to watch. However, the selection criteria for Play Something isn’t completely random like a normal shuffle button. Instead, it’ll try to pick a Netflix title you’ll enjoy by looking at your previous viewing history.
Netflix created the feature for those times when you can’t decide what to watch. "Sometimes you just want to open Netflix and dive right into a new story. That’s why we’ve created Play Something, an exciting new way to kick back and watch,” the company wrote in its announcement.
In addition, the button comes with an extra mode called "Play Something Else," which will stream a Netflix title based on four selection criteria:
- A brand new series or film
- A series or film you’re already watching
- A series or film on your list
- An unfinished series or film you may want to revisit
For now, Play Something appears limited to the smart TV interface; it did not show up for us on mobile or via the browser. We reached out to Netflix and will update the story if we hear back about an expanded rollout.
On the TV, Play Something makes Netflix a lot like channel surfing. It appears when you start scrolling, but there's also a dedicated button under the profile section.
Once you click it, Netflix will start showing you a random title. However, with a right-click of your remote, you can access “Play Something Else,” which effectively changes the channel and shows you a new title. Right-click again, and you’ll change the title once more.
In our case, we used Play Something Else to go through a string of science-fiction TV shows and crime movies. But unlike a preprogrammed TV channels experience, Netflix starts the content at the beginning of each episode or film.