“Play Something” Button Takes Flight: YouTube’s Bold New Experiment

YouTube Tests New “Play Something” Button to Pick Videos for You

YouTube is always looking for ways to make the video-watching experience more enjoyable and convenient for its users. The latest addition to the app is a new floating “Play something” button that will automatically pick a video for you to watch. This feature was spotted by 9to5Google in the YouTube app for Android, and it’s designed to encourage users to discover new content and reduce the time spent searching for something to watch.

The button is found just above the bottom bar of the app and can be tapped to select a random video to play. The selected video will be displayed in the portrait-oriented YouTube Shorts player, regardless of whether it’s a vertically formatted YouTube Shorts or a standard YouTube video. This feature is not yet available to all users and is still being tested by the company.

YouTube’s “Play something” button is similar to the feature that’s been tested earlier, where users could click a button and YouTube would suggest a video to play based on their viewing history and preferences. However, the new floating button is a significant improvement, as it’s more accessible and conveniently located for users.