Elsie Otachi · September 7, 2020 · 6 min read For many people, the new social distancing protocols have not only destabilized their work life, but also their social lives. Hanging out with family, friends, or colleagues is not the same anymore, at least not without restrictions.
However, just because you can’t meet with your loved ones in person doesn’t mean you can’t still hang out.
There are many things you can do online like hosting a Zoom meeting, playing online games, or doing a group FaceTime. And, if you miss going to the movies, you can watch Netflix with friends online.
How To Use Netflix Party To Watch Netflix With Friends
One of the best ways to enjoy movies on Netflix with your friends is to use Netflix Party.
Netflix Party extension is a free Google Chrome browser extension that allows you to watch Netflix remotely with others. You can play, stop, or pause the same shows or movies on Netflix as your family and friends so you can watch at the same time.
The extension offers a creative way to hold movie nights and watch parties with loved ones.
The extension helps ease the lack of socializing that came with the coronavirus pandemic. It’s easy to install and start using immediately to sync your movie-watching with friends.
Netflix Party allows you to chat with friends during the viewing session, upload emojis, screenshots, and insert GIFs for more excitement. You can also view videos in full-screen, sync video playback, and anyone in the session can play, pause, stop, or scrub through the timeline.
The main drawback with Netflix Party is that you have to create a new session every time you want to watch another movie or a few episodes of a show. Netflix will autoplay the episode, but you’ll have to send a new link out to each of your friends to create a new session.
How To Use Netflix Party To Watch Netflix With Friends
- To get started, install the Netflix Party extension from the Chrome Web Store.
- Next, click Add to Chrome to finish the installation.
- Click Add extension.
- Once the installation is completed, check for a grey NP button next to the address bar on your browser. If the NP button is missing, click on the puzzle icon next to the address bar and then pin the NP button to the browser toolbar.
- Next, go to Netflix website, sign in, and then select a movie or TV show that you want to watch with friends.
- Click the red NP icon and then click Start Party to start your watch party. At this point, you’ll be the host of the watch party, so you can choose whether you want to be the controller or let anyone in the group do it.
- Copy the party URL and share it to invite your friends to watch the Netflix show or movie with you. For this to work, every one of your friends must have a Netflix account or access to Netflix. If they don’t have a Netflix account, they can create one, or you can share your account with up to four other people depending on your subscription.
- You’ll see the chat room on the right side of the screen, and whenever anyone you’ve invited joins the party, you’ll be able to see their names there. Once the movie or show is over and you close the Netflix Party player, the chat room disappears along with the chat history.
Note: If you want to join a party, click on the party URL you have received from your friend. You’ll be redirected to the Netflix website, but you’ll have to click on the NP button to automatically join the party.
Other Third-Party Apps For Watching Netflix With Friends Online
Netflix Party isn’t the only tool you can use to watch Netflix with friends online. There are other third-party apps such as Watch2Gether, Kast (formerly Rabbit), TwoSeven, and Metastream.
Watch2Gether is a popular app for watching YouTube videos with friends. While Watch2Gether’s player is incompatible with Netflix, you can use the W2gSync feature to watch Netflix shows with friends. Create a room, download the Watch2Gether browser extension, paste a Netflix URL into a window in your private room, and start watching.
Kast can also help you watch Netflix with friends. The software allows you – the host – to stream via a proxy on the web portal, and your friends can watch shows with you in the same room. It’s free to download and use, but the premium version offers improved video quality, an ad-free viewing experience, more emojis and reactions.
TwoSeven is one of the few apps you can use to watch Netflix with friends and see their webcams while you’re watching videos. You can use the free version of the app or the optional paid plans to watch Netflix and Disney+ with your buddies.
You can also watch Netflix with friends online using Scener, and use the chatroom to discuss the movie you’re watching.
However, Scener only works with the primary Netflix profile, meaning if you’re sharing your account with your friends, you need to select your profile to set up the watch party. Plus, Scener allows a maximum of 10 people watching the movie concurrently in a room, and only the host can pause or restart playback.
Metastream is another stream-sharing app that works like Netflix Party, except you use a private code to invite friends to your watch party.
The browser extension is free and available on Chrome and Firefox. Metastream also has a chatbox and you can queue videos to watch uninterrupted.
So far, Netflix Party is the best extension you can use to watch Netflix with friends online. Netflix has a strict third-party app policy, which means you may not find other options as secure or reliable as Netflix Party.
Watch Netflix Remotely With Friends
Don’t know what to watch on Netflix? Check out our list of Netflix movies and shows you can binge-watch without guessing. If you prefer to play games remotely with friends, check out the 5 best sites to play Scrabble online with friends or 10 two-player games you can play online.
Were you able to start a Netflix watch party with your friends using Netflix Party or Rabbit? Share with us in a comment.
