Netflix 'Shuffle Play' Feature Rolling Out to All Users Later This Year

Netflix is planning to roll out a new "Shuffle Play" feature to users this year following a successful period of testing, the company announced Tuesday during its Q4 2020 earnings.

netflix shuffle play

Image via TechCrunch

Noting the feature briefly during the call, Netflix said it would give "members the ability to choose to instantly watch a title chosen just for them, versus browse."

According to TechCrunch, Shuffle Play places a big button on the Netflix home screen under the user's profile icon. When the button's selected, Netflix randomly plays content that the service's personalization algorithms think the user will like.

Content can include a movie that has recently been played, something saved to the user's watch list, or a title that is similar to something they've already watched, for example.

A variation of the feature has also been spotted in the TV app's sidebar navigation menu. When selected, the question "Not sure what to watch?" is displayed and the page goes on to explain how Shuffle Play works.

Shuffle Play is still only being tested on TVs right now, but the company said the feature, which may yet take another name, will reach all users worldwide sometime in the first half of 2021.

Shuffle Play is just the latest feature that Netflix has tested in search of a better way to connect users to something to watch. In April 2019 it began testing a feature on mobile that allowed users to "Play a Popular Episode" of certain TV shows, without having to scroll through and pick which one they want to watch.

Tag: Netflix

Popular Stories

carplay next gen hero

RIP, CarPlay 2?

Sunday December 29, 2024 7:32 am PST by
Apple's website continues to state that the first vehicle models with next-generation CarPlay will "arrive in 2024." With less than three days remaining in the year, however, that timeframe is looking more and more unlikely. It would not be entirely Apple's fault if the stated 2024 target is missed, given that it is ultimately up to automakers to roll out the software in vehicles, but it is...
Apple Intelligence General Feature 2

Five Apple Intelligence Features Coming in 2025

Friday December 27, 2024 2:43 pm PST by
Even though iOS 18.1 and iOS 18.2 added multiple Apple Intelligence features like Image Playground, Genmoji, Writing Tools, and more, there are still new Apple Intelligence capabilities that we're waiting on. Apple has at least one more major Apple Intelligence update coming in 2025, and the functionality that we're expecting is outlined below. Priority Notifications Notification summaries...
New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18

22 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.2

Monday December 23, 2024 6:30 am PST by
Apple released iOS 18.2 in the second week of December, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. Apple has added a handful of new non-AI related feature controls as...
apple tv plus teaser

Apple Teases Apple TV+ Surprise on January 4 and 5

Thursday December 26, 2024 10:35 am PST by
Apple this week began teasing some kind of upcoming Apple TV+ surprise that's set to happen on January 4 and January 5, telling customers to "stay tuned" and "save the date" in social media posts. Apple's images have a tagline that says "See for yourself," but it isn't clear what Apple has planned. Some users on Reddit have speculated that Apple might be planning to launch a promotion that...
Sudoku Apple News iOS 18

iOS 18.2 Added a New Game to Your iPhone

Saturday December 28, 2024 12:03 pm PST by
Starting with iOS 18.2, released earlier this month, Apple News+ subscribers in the U.S. have access to daily sudoku puzzles in the Apple News app. There are easy, moderate, and challenging difficulty levels for the daily puzzles. A scoreboard tracks your sudoku stats, including your total number of puzzles solved, fastest completion times per difficulty level, and more. Sudoku is the...
AirTag and Lavender iPhone

AirTag 2 Launching Next Year With These New Features

Tuesday December 24, 2024 8:35 am PST by
Apple is expected to release an AirTag 2 next year, and a few new features and changes have already been rumored for the item tracker. Below, we recap what to expect from the AirTag 2: The new AirTag is expected to be equipped with Apple's second-generation Ultra Wideband chip for longer range. The chip debuted last year in the iPhone 15 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2, and Apple said it...
Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock Light

iOS 19 Rumored to Be Compatible With These iPhones

Sunday December 22, 2024 8:09 am PST by
iOS 19 will not drop support for any iPhone models, according to French website iPhoneSoft.fr. The report cites a source within Apple. The report said that iOS 19 will be compatible with any iPhone that is capable of running iOS 18, which would mean the following models: iPhone 16 iPhone 16 Plus iPhone 16 Pro iPhone 16 Pro Max iPhone 15 iPhone 15 Plus iPhone 15 Pro ...
airpods pro 2 gradient

AirPods Pro 3 Expected Next Year: Here's What We Know

Monday December 23, 2024 4:18 am PST by
Despite being released over two years ago, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 continue to dominate the wireless earbud market. However, with the AirPods Pro 3 expected to launch sometime in 2025, anyone thinking of buying Apple's premium earbuds may be wondering if the next generation is worth holding out for. Apart from their audio and noise-canceling performance, which are generally regarded as...

Top Rated Comments

selamet Avatar
52 months ago
At first they should do a proper user interface which can hide already seen movies.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MJaP Avatar
52 months ago
"We see you like Baseball... playing Season 7 Episode 1 of The Walking Dead"
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
velocityg4 Avatar
52 months ago
Given that 98% of the recommendations from Netflix are claptrap. I can't imagine using this feature.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
imlovinit Avatar
52 months ago
I rather see an easier way to block their recommendations straight from the app.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
contacos Avatar
52 months ago
I question anyone that has the time in a week to just shuffle play something lol! I can barely keep up with the shows I do watch frequently.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
and 1989 others Avatar
52 months ago
It doesn't solve the problem. We click on shuffle, then on the next button several times because what it suggests is just as bad as scrolling through the standard selections.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)