YouTube sneakily testing out a surprise video button for shorts

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YouTube sneakily testing out a surprise video button for shorts
Ever find yourself aimlessly scrolling through YouTube, unsure what to watch next? YouTube's latest test feature could be the answer to your indecision.

Some users have spotted a new play button that's popped up discreetly in the app and its mission? To throw a dash of spontaneity by playing random Shorts tailored to your tastes.

According to Android Police, the context of the videos you get is mostly based on your YouTube history or the YouTube videos you may have liked. It can also be based on the creators you have subscribed to.

Now, we should flag this up—it's not a grand release just yet. It's a test feature. In fact, YouTube hasn't even made a peep about it officially, so consider it a kind of secret menu item for the time being. This undercover feature is getting a trial run with just a small slice of users. If they seem to like it, the button might stick around.

If you’re one of the chosen few, you’ll spot this button hanging out at the bottom right of your screen. Hit it, and you are off on a random adventure. It's like YouTube playing matchmaker between you and videos it thinks will catch your fancy, based on all your activity so far.

 

What's cooking behind YouTube's doors is often shared through the YouTube test features and experiments page, where curious viewers can opt-in to test upcoming features. However, this surprise play button isn't listed among those trials, making it something of an enigma.

While you're digesting this, remember that YouTube's got a lot going on – from AI-generated video summaries for creators to giving them more control over comments, not to mention they are also testing out the ability to pause comments.

The testing Pause feature lets creators stop new comments on individual videos while keeping existing ones visible, offering a middle ground between full moderation and disabling comments completely.

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But back to the button–it could just be the perfect thing for those moments when you want YouTube to surprise you. Keep a keen eye out, because who knows? Your YouTube might be the next to get this random play of fate.

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