13 ways to watch movies and series together

One of the main consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic was the closure of public establishments such as cinemas. Fortunately, many services streaming current as Netflix, Amazon PrimeVideo e Disney Plus they helped us pass the time, but the problem is having to watch the movies and series alone.

Technology is here to help us and show that, even in times without a pandemic, it is still possible to enjoy movies and series together. In this article, you will learn about programs that you and your friends can use to watch movies or series together in a group in the comfort of your own home.

teleparty

formerly called Netflix Party: teleparty is one of the most popular extensions/apps to watch movies and series with your friends. The name change is due to the fact that now the teleparty works not only with Netflix, but also with Disney Plus, Hulu and HBO Max. Below are instructions on how to use the teleparty:

1. Download and install the extension teleparty from the Chrome Web Store or by Microsoft Edge;
2. Launch Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus, or HBO Max on your PC and access the movie or series you want to watch with your friends;
3. In the browser address bar, click on the “TP” icon;
4. Finally, click on “Start Party” and you will see a URL that you should share with friends.

Best of all, the teleparty has a chat bar that you can use to communicate with your friends while watching the movie or series, in addition to allowing you to send images, emojis and much more.

The extension is completely free to use, in addition, if you use the extension on Microsoft Edge you can watch movies and series on Netflix in 4K! There are some features that can be used with the Premium version, like watching anime on Crunchyroll.

Stage

In the same way as Teleparty, the Stage it's a chrome extension to be used on the PC. However, the differential of this application is that it supports several services of streaming such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus, HBO Max, Shudder, Alamo Drafthouse, YouTube, Funimation and Vimeo. Below are instructions on how to use Scener:

1. Create a free account on Scener website;
2. Download and install the extension Stage na Chrome Web Store;
3. Click the “Private Theater” option in the extension, and then select the streaming service you want to use;
4. Finally, go to the movie or series you want to watch and send the URL to your friends.

O Stage allows its users to chat via text, audio or video while watching movies and series with friends. In addition, you can also create groups to hold private movie sessions.

There is even a secondary mode that allows you to create a stream public. In theory, this feature would allow up to 1 million people to watch the movie or series you're watching. To access this functionality of Scener, just perform the same procedure to create a “Private Theater” and select the “Host a Public Live Theater” option.

With this feature you can host the event and invite up to nine people to host the attraction along with you, so you don't sacrifice too much of your connection speed to show the movie or series. O Stage even allows you to use your camera so your spectators can see you while they are watching the event.

Rave

O Rave it's perfect if you want to watch Netflix with friends on the go. The app is available for both Android how much for iOS, allowing you not only to watch Netflix movies and series with others, but also to YouTube, DisneyPlus, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max e Vimeo.

In addition, Rave still supports watching videos stored in Google Drive and Dropbox, but it also works on computers with Windows e Mac.

Kast

O Kast, previously known as Rabbit, it's also a great app choice for watching Netflix with friends. In addition to Netflix, the Kast supports YouTube and other media services. To use it, just download the official app for Windows and Mac PCs from its official website.

O Kast is also available for the Android e iOS. In addition to video sharing, the apps also offer video chat and other features. It is free to download and use, but there is a subscription Premium Cast by U.S. dollar 4,99 per month that eliminates annoying ads, improves video quality, among other things.

Twitch Watch Parties

O Twitch, service of streaming of shows and games Amazon, recently started supporting its new feature Watch parties. Currently, Twitch PC users who have subscribed to Amazon Prime Video can join Watch Parties run by others. They can run these parties using all the thousands of movies and series available on Amazon Prime Video. to use the Twitch Watch Parties just follow the steps below:

1. Go to Twitch and log in to your account. If you don't have one yet, create an account: it's quick, simple and you can link it to your Amazon Prime account;
2. Click on your Twitch user/icon on the platform website in the upper right corner, then select “Creator Control Panel”;
3. Now, click on “Stream Management” in the side menu and in the right menu select “Start Group Session” under “Quick Actions”;
4. You will now see a menu displaying various Amazon Prime Video options. Just type the movie or series you want to watch with friends and that's it: your stream will start and the Twitch Watch Party will start!

metastream Remote

O Metastream Remote is an extension to the Google Chrome ou Firefox very useful if you like to watch a lot of videos on YouTube or Vine. With the extension installed in your browser, members of your group of friends can navigate to the Metastream window and add the media you want to watch.

For now, the Metastream Remote it still doesn't work very well with Netflix, Hulu and Crunchyroll, because when trying to access one of the services and selecting a movie or series, the extension will open the media in a new window. However, one of the great advantages of Metastream Remote compared to the other services is that you can create video queues like playlists, making it the perfect extension to watch videos on the internet for several hours with friends.

Using Metastream Remote is very simple and easy. As soon as you install the extension of the Metastream Remote in Google Chrome or Firefox, log in to Metastream and click the invite icon to get a share link. From there, add whatever media you want and have fun with your friends while chatting with the extension's dedicated chat.

Disney Plus GroupWatch

If you have a subscription to Disney Plus, know that the platform streaming has a feature that allows you and six friends to watch movies and series from the service remotely. O Disney Plus GroupWatch works both on PC browsers and on mobile platforms and even Smart TVs. Unfortunately, the feature doesn't have video chat, but you can communicate with your friends via messages and emojis.

Subscribers can initiate the invitation to a Group Watch through the corresponding icon on the series and movies details page. They will receive a link to invite up to six other people to watch with them. Invitations must be made from a mobile phone, tablet or Internet browser, but guests can join the sessions Group Watch from any compatible device. Each participant can pause, rewind or fast forward video playback for the entire group.

Watch2Gether

Whether you want to listen to the next episode of your favorite podcast with friends, listen to the same music, or just browse the same sites together, Watch2Gether is the perfect option for you. This one doesn't require any fancy Chrome extensions (probably because it's the most limited in scope), but it works fine for simple sharing. Just start a room, upload a link, and share the room using the people icon at the bottom of the screen.

Despite making screen sharing with multiple users possible, the Watch2Gether does not support services streaming, happily YouTube, Vimeo, Twitch and other similar services can be used to create a video session for you and your friends without too much hassle. The chat option is in the lower right corner. Furthermore, you can also enable your camera for some live reactions.

TwoSeven

O TwoSeven It's perfect if you want to watch movies and series together with your friends without having to share links. To use the tool, just install the extension TwoSeven in your browser. After that, you will be able to reproduce the desired content directly in the browser, in this way, you have a range of services of streaming who use the web to use in TwoSeven like YouTube, Netflix, Amazon, HBO Max, Vimeo, Apple TV, Crunchyroll, among others.

Another advantage of TwoSeven is that you can also send files of movies you would like to watch with your friends (how about reviewing the college graduation video?). The best bonus TwoSeven is that in addition to normal chat, it supports video and audio, so if you want to miss your friends' faces, it's perfect.

shareplay

If all your friends and/or family members have an Apple device, it is possible to use the native function of Apple's operating system. it works with Apple TV+, Apple Music, Disney+, HBO Max, NBA, TikTok, MasterClass, Paramount+, ESPN+, Hulu, PlutoTV and Twitch. Until the closing of this article, there was still no for Netflix or Amazon Prime Video.

And it's worth remembering that you also need to have a device Apple Lossless Audio CODEC (ALAC), com iOS 15, iPadOS 15, tvOS 15 or macOS Monterey installed. Following this prerequisite, it is then enough to start a FaceTime call with one or more people who will watch the movies in a group.

Then open the application you want to play the series, movie or music. Now just press the Share button and select the shareplay so that everything plays for whoever is on the video call. Apple points out that the audio will automatically adjust so that everyone can both hear and talk about what is being played in the call.

The feature works for free, so if you're friends with an iPhone, iPad, or Mac device, don't waste time watching in a group. But we remind you that each person must have an active subscription to the respective service selected for the video call.

Discord Live Streaming

More than being used to chat about games and other subjects, the Discord application also serves as a good option for those who want to watch movies together. With a server already created, you just need to have hardware acceleration enabled in your browser and then open a server tab. streaming you want to see the content.

A warning: Netflix has a filter to avoid screen sharing and for that, we recommend that you use Teleparty, mentioned at the beginning of this article. But before casting the screen, you need to perform some settings. Watch the step by step right now:

Step 1: access the Settings from the app by clicking the gear icon next to your profile picture. Here:

Step 2: now scrolls the options screen to Activity setup and then click on registered games.

Then just click on Add to place the browser that will play the movie or series. You can search by name and then it will be added to stream the series. That way:

Back on your friends' server, just click on the screen icon and perform the final configuration. You can choose the voice channel and make the transmission settings, choosing the quality that people on the other side will watch.

When you finish all the details, just click on Go Live so everyone on the live stream can see the same thing that's on their computer. We remind you that there may be some delays depending on your internet connection, but everything works very well.

It is possible for a maximum of 51 people to watch the same movie or series (50 guests and one host). For higher quality and higher frame rate, you can subscribe to Discord Nitro and boost your server, but the free version works very well and can be an interesting alternative.

Chrome Watch Party

This extension works in a similar way to Teleparty, but it can be considered a little more complete for those who want to watch movies in a group and comment on everything in real time. That's because it has capabilities for sending GIFs, voice or video calls. And a chat chat is also available over here.

Despite bearing the name of Chrome Watch Party, there is also support for those who use the Mozilla Firefox e Microsoft Edge. It requires each person to log into their streaming service account to watch as a group, but the feature works great. Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, HBO Max, Google Play, Chrunchyroll, Paramount+, Vimeo, Dailymotion, Roku and more are supported.

hearo

Working in a similar way to Rave, but with an application only for smartphones, Hearo supports more than 35 services streaming, all you have to do is create a virtual room and then everyone can watch movies together. there is app for Android e iOS.

Among the services of streaming supported, there's Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, Amazon Prime, ESPN, YouTube and more. The developers point out that the service is free, but as with Rave, there are ads displayed in some parts of the application. However, it doesn't spoil the experience.

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Source: Android Authority, Polygon

Text proofread by: Pedro Bomfim (09 / 08 / 23)