How to Watch Movies Online with Your Friends
When you are stuck at home, your social life becomes limited to online activities only. And you are going to miss going to the movies with friends. However, you can still enjoy movies with your friends without going to the theaters. You got it right, you can watch movies online together with your friends.
Several online services allow you to watch movies of your choice online with your friends. The best part is that movies are completely synced between all the participants. You can also use video chat and messages to interact with your friends.
SEE ALSO: How to Start Watch Party on Amazon Prime Video?
In this tutorial, we are going to explain, how you can watch movies online together with your friends. We are going to explain two of the services that are easy to use and provide better service, i.e. Netflix Party and Metastream.
A) Watch Movies together with Friends Online on Netflix Party
As the name suggests, Netflix Party is a popular way to watch Netflix movies and TV series online together with friends and family. It offers smooth playback sync and a chat box for interaction with friends. But sadly there are no webcam or audio chat options available. The service is free to use. However, there is a limitation that all the participants need to have a separate Netflix subscription to join the party.
Step 1: Install Netflix Party Extension in Chrome or Microsoft Edge
First, download the Teleparty (former Netflix Party) extension for Chrome from here. Add this extension to Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge browser. We will use this extension to watch movies online with friends.
After adding this extension to Chrome, you will see it at the end of the address bar along with other extensions installed on Chrome or the Microsoft Edge browser.
SEE ALSO: How to Install Chrome Extension on Microsoft Edge Brower?
Step 2: Create a Netflix Party
Now, open Netflix in Chrome or Edge browser and play your favorite movie or show that you wish to watch online with your friends. After that, click on the NP icon (Netflix Party) on the toolbar and click on “Start the Party“. You can also enable the “Only I have control” checkbox so that nobody else messes with the playback controls.
Step 3: Share the Link with Friends to Watch Movies Online
After you click on “Start the Party”, a shareable URL will be generated. Now, copy the link and share it with your friends via WhatsApp or text messages. Your friends need to click on the link to join the party and watch movies together online.
Step 4: Enjoy the Online Watch Party
As soon as your friends click on the link, they will join the party immediately. There are no approvals required here. If you have limited the controls to yourself, only you can play, pause, and fast forward the movie and it will sync in real-time with your friends’ playback. Also, you will have a chat box that will stay active on the right side for interaction with your friends.
Enjoy the Netflix Party with your friends. Being stuck at home is no longer boring.
SEE ALSO: Here’s How Netflix VPN Improves your Streaming Experience.
B) Watch Movies Online with your Friends via Metastream
Like Netflix Party, Metastream also allows you to watch movies together with friends and family online in complete synchronization and also has a chat option.
One of the best things about Metastream is that you don’t need to create an account for using this service. And Metastream supports a long list of online streaming services including Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, and many more.
Besides that, Metastream is completely free to use which is awesome. However, it does not support video and audio chat. Let’s get started with Metastream.
Step 1: Add Metastream Extension to Browser
Download and install the Metastream extension for Chrome or Firefox. You can also install Chrome Extensions on the Microsoft Edge browser.
After successful installation, open Metastream’s online portal and choose a display name. Next, click on the “Get Started” button.
Step 2: Start Session on Metastream to Watch Movies Online
You will be taken to the next page after you click the GET STARTED button. On the next page, click START SESSION.
Step 3: Add Video to Online Watch Party
It’s time to add the movie or show that you want to watch. To add a movie or show to your playlist, click on ADD MEDIA to watch movies online with friends.
Finally, you can simply paste any video link from the internet, be it a movie or a TV show. After adding the URL of the video, click on “ADD TO SESSION“. You can also select from the list of available services.
Step 4: Share the Watch Party Link with Friends
After adding the media link to Metastream, the playback will start on your computer. To enjoy the online watch party with your friends, simply click on the INVITE button on the USERS window.
Next, copy the invite link and share it with your friends. After your friends click the link on their computers, you will receive a notification to approve the request. Click on the green tick icon on the same USERS window and your friends will join the stream immediately to watch movies online together.
Step 5: Chat while Watching Movies Online
You can also chat with your friends. To start a chat with your friends, click on the 3-dot icon at the bottom-right corner and select “Chat“. The chat box will show up on the left side of the screen using which you can chat with your friends while you watch the movies online.
Step 6: Add more Movies to the Playlist
If you are willing to watch more movies or shows together, you can click on the [+] button to add movies and shows to the queue.
INFO: The setup process was one-time only. You don’t need to open Metastream’s portal every time you want to watch movies or shows online with your friends. Whenever you are playing a video on Netflix or any other streaming site, just click on the Metastream extension icon on the toolbar. From there, you can share the stream with your friends.
Watch Movies and Shows Online with your Friends
Now, with those online movie-watching services, you can enjoy free time with your friends and avoid boredom. The above tutorial explained two easy and best ways to watch movies online with your friends and family. While there are many online services available out there, we have selected only the best two of them which offer a smooth experience with good streaming speed.
Hope you liked the tutorial. In case, you are facing problems while configuring the above-mentioned services, feel free to comment down below. We suggest you subscribe to our newsletter and receive notifications for the latest tutorials via email.
