Netflix Quietly Retires Shuffle Feature Due to Low Usage
Netflix’s shuffle feature, an effort to help users find new content on the streaming service, has been quietly removed due to low usage.
The feature, also known as “Play Me Something” and later rebranded as “Surprise Me,” debuted in 2021. But on Tuesday, the company told(Opens in a new window) The Wall Street Journal that it removed the function.
“We have sunset the ‘Surprise Me’ feature on Netflix for members around the world on TV and Android devices,” a spokesperson told PCMag. “We will continue to invest in other ways to give members more options and ways to explore and discover content they want to watch.”
The company officially discontinued the feature last month, according(Opens in a new window) to a Netflix help document, although some users noticed(Opens in a new window) it was missing back in December with an app update.
Shuffle mode was intended to help users find something to watch in Netflix’s expansive video library, but usage was relatively low.
The shuffle mode also created a video experience more akin to TV, allowing you to channel-surf on Netflix. But it didn’t play a video at random. Instead, the feature selected a TV show or movie based on your viewing history, in the hopes it would land on something you liked. However, Netflix said subscribers usually resort to browsing for videos in certain categories, such as horror or romantic comedies, rather than bet on the shuffle mode surfacing enticing content.
Although the feature is gone, Netflix still tries to recommend new content to users through the "Trending Now," and "Top 10" lists along with a TikTok-like mode called "Fast Laughs," which can show a rolling selection of short comedic clips from various Netflix series.
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