How to Watch Movies with Someone Remotely
Watching movies with someone else, who just happens to be in another room (which may be in another city), is no longer just for people in long-distance relationships. Thanks to COVID, more people are looking for ways to spend time together remotely. It’s easier than ever before, here’s how.
Teleparty
You probably know this service as Netflix Party. It’s now Teleparty though. Basically, you can install it on your device and it will sync up playback on Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, and now HBO. It also adds a group chat feature. On the upside, it’s free. On the downside, it only works on Windows or Opera browsers on laptops.
Amazon Prime Watch Party
Want to watch a movie or TV show with 100 friends? Well, Amazon Prime Watch Party will let you do that. It’s currently only available on desktop and laptop browsers; other devices, like game consoles and smart TVs, will be added in the future. Also, all participants need to have an Amazon Prime account to participate—or they’ll have to rent the movie themselves.
Disney+ GroupWatch
If you want to watch something with a group, Disney+ makes it easy. You just select the GroupWatch button, which looks like three people huddled together, and Disney+ will sync up your stream with the friends you invite. It works on computers, smart TVs, and game consoles—basically anywhere you consume Disney+.
Kast
Kast works by letting you share your screen with up to 100 other people. You put your movie on, share your screen, and everyone can watch—even if they don’t have the same streaming services you do.
Kast also has a small library of independent films, just in case you need something else. You’ll have to sit through a few ads, but you can get rid of them with Kast Premium.
Scener
With Scener, you can host a watch party for up to ten friends. The host can share their screen with said friends, who don’t need to have a subscription to the streaming platform being shared. There’s also a web chat and video chat feature. You can even create a public theatre to share with unlimited guests, but there’s no video chat feature for that.
Plex Watch Together
If you have a big library of your own content, you’ve probably heard of Plex, the service that lets you organize and share your content and stream additional content from Plex’s massive library. Well, much like other streaming services, Plex has their own remote viewing service, Plex Watch Together. In addition to Windows devices, it also works on iOS and Android.
The Big Takeaway
As things open up, why not keep some of our new remote togetherness? It’s nice to watch a movie with Grandma and Grandpa who live across the country or host a big movie watching party with a bunch of friends from college.
