#TechBytes: How to watch Netflix with faraway friends?
What's the story
Binging movies with friends is a real treat, as you can spend hours together, creating some of the most precious memories to cherish.
But, as time flies, friends grow apart, relocating to different cities, sometimes even countries.
Now, this breaks the watch party, but worry not, we have a solution to let you and your friends watch Netflix movies and shows together.
Here's more.
Solution
Dedicated co-watching apps to binge Netflix together
Often, people connect via Skype and start a movie at the same time to watch together, but, honestly, that solution is far from ideal.
To tackle this juggle between multiple applications, some creative developers have come up with dedicated co-watching applications and tools that let you and your friends watch a movie online while chatting about it from the same screen.
Tool #1
Netflix Party chrome extension
This Chrome extension lets you generate a special viewing session link while watching a movie or show on Netflix.
Once you generate this link, you can send it to any of your friends to open, log into their Netflix account and start watching and chatting with you.
It even provides the option to keep video control to yourself or leave it for all joiners.
Tool #2
Kast for instant watch parties
Like Netflix Party, Kast is also a link-based real-time video sharing program, but it works on several platforms, including web, Windows, Mac, and iOS.
You can use it to host watch parties for content available on leading streaming services like Netflix and Hulu and also enjoy a complete pack of communication features, including voice, text, and video chat, to interact with your friends.
Downsides
These services have some downsides too
These services can let you and your faraway friends enjoy movie time, but do note that these solutions are also far from perfect.
For instance, Netflix Party doesn't show every joiner's name in chat (just icons) and kicks everyone out once an episode ends and the other one starts.
Similarly, Kast has issues like poor stream quality and no full-screen switching.