Amazon is bringing a shuffle button to Prime Video, allowing users to choose a series and play a random episode. Android Police first detected the feature on Android devices.
The feature can be used by viewers who know which program they want to watch, but are not bothered to watch in a specific order. The random order of episodes seems ideal for anyone who has a favorite sitcom that likes to play in the background while doing other things around the house. However, as Android Police points out, Amazon’s shuffle feature can only be used after choosing a season from a program, which limits its usefulness.
Amazon Prime is not the only service testing a shuffle feature. After several tests and different names, Netflix finally confirmed earlier this year that an official shuffle feature will arrive on the streamer.
“It’s really working for us, as our members can basically indicate that they want to skip navigation altogether, click on a button and we’ll choose a title for them to play instantly,” said Greg Peters, COO and product director, describing the feature during the call of Netflix Q4 in January.
Unlike the Prime shuffle button discovered by Android Police, Netflix will offer titles from the entire content library, based on previously watched content and viewing preferences.
Jess Barnes