For some users who watch Netflix on their Androids, they might have noticed something strange within the Netflix app. The streaming giant is currently testing out a button feature that would serve as a shuffle mode for playing random episodes of television shows. This would be similar to shuffle mode on music devices, and the idea would be to mimic the flipping of channels on one’s television, allowing for a more unpredictable experience.
Netflix released a statement to The Hollywood Reporter confirming that this test is only occurring on limited number of users who watch Netflix through the mobile app on an Android device. However, it is unclear if this feature will move forward, as this is only one of a myriad of features Netflix has tested out on a small portion of its users, often with many of them never becoming permanent. “We are testing the ability for members to play a random episode from different TV series on the Android mobile app,” a spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter. “These tests typically vary in length of time and by region, and may not become permanent.”
The story was first reported by Android Police, who noticed that the feature includes an option to “play a popular episode” as well as to play a random episode from a series. These types of features might prove useful for reruns of popular shows such as The Office or Friends, the episodes of which fans have seen many times.
Android Police also noticed the test features are specifically working on the v7.6.0 build 19 34157 Android models. The shows currently being tested are The Office, New Girl, Our Planet and Arrested Development, along with many other popular syndicated television series.