Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR
- YouTube has been testing various implementations of a “Play Something” button for at least the last year.
- The last one comes in the form of a floating action button (FAB) that displays random content in the Shorts player.
- At this time, it is still unclear when Google will be ready to commit to this feature.
YouTube’s place among streaming services is a bit unique, with its user-created content arguably representing the most diverse collection of videos the world has ever seen. And while that means there will almost always be something new to discover, the sheer number of viewing options available can absolutely seem a little overwhelming. Today we’re looking at an in-development change to the app that could soon offer a simple solution when you can’t decide what to watch next.
Between subscriptions, suggestions, and just turning on autoplay and forgetting about it, it’s not like we really need options to get new YouTube videos in front of us. But Google seems to be toying with the idea of an even more explicit option to simply play a new video with as little friction as possible.
YouTube was spotted testing a “Play Something” Floating Action Button (FAB), as reported 9to5Google. The button in its current form is at the bottom of the screen, and tapping it launches a Shorts player and instantly starts serving you content. The site notes that you still seem to be able to get normal length (and format) YouTube videos here, even with this player format.
Google has been kicking around this idea forever, and various implementations have been spotted during testing. In May 2023, Reddit user ginajcole posted about looking for a “Play Something” banner, and in November Android Font I noticed a new FAB that seemed to be doing the same thing, while dropping the “Play Something” branding. This latest round of testing seems to bring all of these earlier ideas together into one form.
While this appears to be the most mature stage of Google’s testing yet, it’s hard to say exactly when or if this might be ready to become a real YouTube feature. Will Google continue testing sporadically while it considers the future of “Play Something”? Could it show up in YouTube Labs so testers can choose to try it? At this point, we’d just be happy to see Google decide to follow through on this in some way.
