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Dynamite News
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DN Bureau

UNCOVERED: Youtube tests floating play something button to randomly select videos | History Defined

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Washington: YouTube is currently testing a new feature aimed at enhancing user experience through its mobile app, particularly for those moments when users are unsure of what to watch next.

The feature, a floating "Play Something" button, has been spotted in the YouTube app for Android, allowing users to instantly play a random video by simply tapping the button, as per The Verge.

The floating "Play Something" button sits just above the bottom bar of the YouTube app, providing a convenient way to discover content without having to browse through endless recommendations.

Also Read | YouTube removes more than 11.4 million videos in second quarter of 2020

Upon tapping the button, the app automatically selects a video and begins playing it, offering a more spontaneous and streamlined experience.

In a twist to its earlier versions, this new button utilizes the portrait-oriented YouTube Shorts player to display videos.

Regardless of whether the selected video is a regular YouTube video or a Shorts clip, the format is optimized for viewing in the Shorts player, offering a vertically oriented interface.

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While this works well for Short-form content, users hope that future updates may allow for the full-screen display of regular videos as well.

While YouTube has been experimenting with various versions of this random video selector for over a year, including previous iterations like a "Play Something" banner and a simple button resembling the black-and-white YouTube logo, the latest floating button design is the most refined.

Currently, it remains in testing phases, and it's unclear when or if the feature will receive a full rollout, as per The Verge. 

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