Netflix starts testing a ‘random episode’ feature for Android

Do you often binge watch shows and films on Netflix? If the answer to that is yes, we have some news for you. The service is trying a shuffle button on its platform. According to a report that has recently surfaced online, the video-streaming platform has started testing the feature with some users of its Android app.

The report, which was first published on Android Police, claims that the company has already started testing the feature. There are two ways to make it appear: Firstly, there is a dedicated ‘Play a Popular Episode’ column on the home screen of the app which includes shows like The Office, Arrested Development, and Our Planet. If you are a fan of the first two, you can enjoy any random episode of the shows regardless of which season you want to watch. We should mention here that the shuffle feature makes perfect sense for nature documentaries where all episodes have their own theme.

Besides this, Netflix also has a ‘random episode’ button in playback controls that appears once you start watching a series. However, it does not appear for any and every series, the option only pops up for select series where the company feels it would make sense for the user to have access to it. This has obviously been done because there are plenty of shows which show one story being continued in many episodes and seasons. So, it obviously wouldn’t make sense for them to have the new feature.

For those who wish to rewatch some episodes of Friends, NCIS, or Grey’s Anatomy, having this feature makes perfect sense as they would be able to enjoy random episodes from the series. The new Shuffle feature also works well for anthology-type shows on Netflix like hello and Black Mirror.

In an unrelated piece of news, the platform is set to change its policy of not sharing viewership data of its original shows and films as the company has promised more transparency. Netflix has also added that the viewership data will be shared first with producers, followed by subscribers and then finally the press.

We should mention that this is a big step for Netflix as in the past, the company has declined to reveal the viewing habits of its members. The platform has also been criticised because on one hand, it is very secretive about its ratings and on the other hand, it does not shy away from making occasional claims about how strong the ratings are.