YouTube is experimenting with a new feature that could revolutionize the way users discover content on the platform. The "Play something" button, spotted in the YouTube app for Android, allows users to randomly select a video to watch, similar to Google's iconic "I'm Feeling Lucky" feature.

The button, which floats above the bottom bar of the app, uses the portrait-oriented YouTube Shorts player to display videos, regardless of whether they are vertically formatted Shorts or standard YouTube videos. This has raised some concerns, as users may not always want to watch videos in a portrait format. However, it is likely that this issue will be addressed before the feature is widely released.

This is not the first time YouTube has tested this feature. Over the past year, the company has experimented with various incarnations, including a "Play Something" banner and a simple button that resembles a black-and-white YouTube logo. The feature's name may sound familiar to some users, as Netflix previously offered a similar random video picker called "Surprise Me," which was originally launched in 2021 as "Play Something."

The introduction of this feature could have significant implications for YouTube's user experience. On the one hand, it could help users discover new content and reduce decision fatigue when browsing through the platform. On the other hand, it could also lead to a loss of control over what users watch, potentially resulting in a less personalized experience.

It remains to be seen how YouTube will implement this feature and how users will respond to it. However, with the rise of streaming services and the increasing importance of content discovery, this move could be a significant step forward for the platform. As YouTube continues to evolve and adapt to changing user habits, it will be interesting to see how this feature develops and how it impacts the overall user experience.

For now, the "Play something" button is only available to a select group of users, but it is likely that it will be rolled out more widely in the coming months. As more information becomes available, we will continue to provide updates on this developing story.