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Movies & TV

20th Feb 2023

Netflix just got rid of a fun feature that almost nobody used

Stephen Porzio

surprise me

Did you ever use this feature?

Netflix’s “Surprise Me” feature has been discontinued, the streaming giant has confirmed.

Introduced in 2021 and previously named ‘Play Something’, it was introduced to help the streamer’s subscribers avoid spending too long browsing for something to watch.

Users were able to click a Surprise Me button on the platform and Netflix would pick a movie or TV show for them to instantly play. The content was chosen based on the viewing history of the subscriber using the feature.

However, the help centre on Netflix’s website confirms that “the Surprise Me feature was discontinued in January 2023”. A spokesperson for the streamer told the Wall Street Journal that it was removed on account of relatively low use.

Ultimately, Netflix found that its subscribers tended to come to the platform with a specific movie, show or genre in mind to watch, thus undermining the point of the Surprise Me feature.

“We will continue to explore other ways to give members more options and ways to explore and discover content they want to watch,” the Netflix spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, earlier this month, Netflix provided an update regarding its anti-password sharing rules and regulations for account holders. The new rules were already being tested in Latin America, and from this month, the new system is being rolled out to account holders in Canada, New Zealand, Portugal and Spain, and going broader in the coming months.

You can read more about it right here.

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