What to watch next? Netflix is now launching its “Play Something” instant-streaming shuffle feature on mobile — expanding the tool for customers paralyzed with indecision in the face of thousands of choices.
This April, Netflix launched Play Something on connected TV platforms worldwide. Starting Monday (Oct. 4), Play Something will begin rolling out to all Android mobile devices globally.
Netflix says Play Something isn’t totally random: The TV shows or films are selected based on an individual user’s viewing history and preferences. On Android, the option shows up in a new row and a floating action button on the homepage.
“Play Something helps Netflix members discover new shows and movies when they don’t want to make decisions,” said Patrick Flemming, Netflix director of product innovation. “Today, we’re excited to bring this feature to Android, too — choosing what to watch on your phone has never been easier.”
Also Monday, Netflix is launching Fast Laughs, its curated short-form comedy clips, on Android in select markets. Those include the U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia, Ireland, India, Malaysia and the Philippines.
Netflix’s goal, of course, is to boost the overall time customers spend streaming video — a metric correlated with account retention — via the new content-discovery tool.
The company also tries to encourage binge-viewing with Downloads For You, an opt-in feature for Android that automatically downloads recommended titles to your device based on viewing tastes (with support for iOS coming later this month). In addition, this summer Netflix introduced Play Partial Downloads, which members start playback of a movie or episode on iOS and Android apps before the title has finished downloading.
Netflix’s mobile apps also show the daily Top 10 shows and movies in a subscriber’s country. “It’s a great, easy way to cue up ‘Squid Game'” — the streamer’s breakout Korean survival drama series — “after getting home from your commute,” Netflix says.
