Everything gets better when enjoyed with friends, and watching classic comedies or scary horror movies on Netflix is no exception. However, during one of the unprecedented darkest periods in history, the privilege of hanging out with our friends was severely tested. While this has put an end to a lot of social activities, watching Netflix with your friends isn’t one of them.
If you want to get rid of your quarantine sadness and enjoy a movie with your friends, here is a post to help you understand how to use Netflix Party to watch movies with friends.
How to use Netflix Party to watch movies with friends
What is Netflix Party?
Teleparty or Netflix party, as it was previously known, is a Google Chrome extension that allows multiple users to create a group and watch online shows and movies together.
Within the feature, each member of the group can play and pause the movie, making sure everyone watches it together. In addition, Teleparty offers users a chat, which allows them to talk to each other during the screening of the film.
If these prospects don’t sound exciting, Teleparty now works with all video streaming services and isn’t limited to just Netflix. If you want to spend some quality time with your friends remotely, read on to learn how to set up the Netflix Chrome party extension.
Download the Netflix Party extension on Google Chrome
Netflix party is an extension of Google Chrome and can be added to the browser for free. Before proceeding, make sure all your friends have a Netflix account and access Google Chrome on their respective PCs. With that done, here’s how you can watch Netflix with friends:
- Open Google Chrome on your PC/Laptop and go to the official Netflix Party website.
- In the upper right corner of the web page, click on “Install Teleparty”. ‘
- You will be redirected to the Chrome Web Store. Here, click on the button “Add to Chrome” to install the extension on your PC and the extension will be installed in seconds.
- Then, via your browser, log in to your Netflix account or any other streaming service of your choice. Also, make sure that all the people who intend to attend the party also have the Teleparty extension installed on their Google Chrome browser. By installing the Netflix Party extension in advance, your friends can watch the movie without any problems.
- In the upper right corner of the Chrome tab, click the Puzzle icon to see a list of all extensions.
- Go to the extension titled “Netflix Party is now Teleparty” and click the Pin icon in front of it to pin it in the Chrome address bar.
- Once the extension is blocked, start playing any video of your choice.
- After starting to play a video, click the Pinned extension in the upper right corner of the screen. This will activate the Teleparty function on your browser.
- A small window will appear at the top of the screen. Here you can decide if you want to give others control over the screening by enabling or disabling the ‘ Only I have control ‘ option. Once you’ve selected your preferred option, click “Start Party”.
- Another window will appear, containing the link for the watch party. Click the “Copy Link” option to save it to your clipboard and share the link with anyone you want to add to your party. Also, make sure the “ Show chat ” checkbox is enabled if you want to talk to your friends.
- For people joining via the link to watch a Netflix party with their friends, they need to click on the Teleparty extension to open the chat. Depending on the host’s settings, other group members can pause and play the video and also talk to each other through chat.
- The feature also gives users the ability to change their nicknames and add an extra level of fun to the party. To do this, click on your profile picture in the upper right corner of the chat window.
- Here you can change your nickname and even choose from a series of animated profile pictures to match your name.
- Enjoy movie nights with your friends and family using Netflix Party without putting your health at risk.
Other alternatives
- Watch2Gether: W2G is a feature that works similar to Teleparty and can be downloaded as a Chrome extension. Unlike Teleparty, however, W2G has a built-in player that allows people to watch YouTube, Vimeo, and Twitch. Users can also watch Netflix together, with the host sharing their screen for all other members.
- Kast: Kast is a downloadable app that supports all major Internet streaming services. The host creates a portal and all participating members can watch the live stream. The app is also available on smartphones allowing users to connect with the device of their choice.
- Metastream: Metastream comes in the form of a browser and allows multiple users to sync Netflix and videos from other major streaming services. While the service doesn’t have dedicated applications, the browser itself is perfect for chatting and watching movies together.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q1. How do I use the “Netflix Party” Chrome extension?
To use the Netflix Party Chrome extension, you must first download the extension from the Chrome Web Store. Make sure the extension is pinned to the Chrome taskbar. Once installed and locked, open any video streaming service and start playing the movie of your choice. Click on the extension option at the top and you are good to go.
Q2. Can i watch Netflix movies with distant friends?
Watching Netflix with your friends is now a possibility. While countless software and extensions will help you achieve this, the Teleparty or Netflix Party extension is the clear winner. Download the extension on your Google Chrome browser and you can watch movies and shows together with your family and friends even if you are away.
During these unprecedented times, spending quality time with your family becomes more important than ever. With features like Teleparty, you can virtually recreate a movie night with your friends and family and face the block blues.
We hope you found this guide useful and that you were able to use Netflix Party to watch movies with friends or family from a distance. If you still have questions about this article, feel free to ask them in the comments section.
