YouTube has been testing a new floating "Play Something" button that will randomly select a video for you, as reported by Google's 9 to 5 in the YouTube app for Android. This button, located right above the app's bottom navigation bar, lets users browse content with a single tap.

However, this functionality displays films using YouTube's portrait shorts player, regardless of whether they are in shorts or conventional landscape format. It has to be seen whether this design choice will be carried over to the final edition, as it may have an impact on the user experience when employing non-short content. YouTube has been testing several versions of this functionality for over a year now. Earlier versions had a button resembling a black and white YouTube logo and a banner reading "Play something". The concept is similar to Netflix's now-defunct "Play Something" feature, which was later renamed "Surprise Me," and was designed to assist customers in selecting random content before being removed in 2022.

If YouTube's "Play Something" feature is expanded, it could become a fun tool for users who want to discover new content without endless scrolling. Whether it avoids the fate of the Netflix version will likely depend on how well it integrates into the larger YouTube viewing experience.