Netflix rolled out its 'Play Something' shuffle feature on TV releases in April. Now it is also expanding to Android mobile devices. Netflix will begin testing the Play Something feature on iOS in the coming months. The new functionality is akin to the "random" feature offered by many music streaming services. "Play Something helps Netflix members discover new shows and movies when they don't want to make decisions," said Patrick Flemming, Netflix's chief product innovation officer.
How the new function works
The random function is not truly random. It is quite intuitive. When you hit the "Play Something" button, you'll instantly be presented with a TV show or movie based on what you've watched. Or with one more click you can "Play something else" and get something new. As a feature, it's not truly new or ready to use. But it has supposedly had buyers, which is why Netflix is expanding it to Android devices. Meanwhile, Netflix has also extended its TikTok-like feature to Android devices that features tons of comedy clips from its singles, series, and movies. Named Fast Laughs, it essentially displays video in full-screen portrait format in an autoplay stream and lets users share their favorite songs with their friends and social media. It was released in March earlier this year for iOS devices. Netflix is now rolling out Fast Laughs on Android in select markets including the US, Canada, UK, Australia, Ireland, India, Malaysia, and the Philippines. In addition to this, Netflix has also announced that it is bringing its download tool to iOS soon.