Mar 24, 2020 Each viewer needs a Netflix account; once downloaded, the extension appears in Netflix’s own browser. Pick what you want to watch, click on the Netflix Party extension to share your choice with. There were 167.1 million Netflix subscribers at the end of 2019. With all those subscribers, there are bound to be plenty of users in households ranging between little kid and teen. Luckily for tweens, Netflix knows what's up and is dishing out loads of titles for all ages.
Just because you're isolated in your room due to the ever-important social distancing protocols happening right now doesn't mean you have to watch Netflix all on your own. There are plenty of ways to recreate the experience of watching a show or movie with a friend or loved one on Netflix without worrying about getting each other sick.
Trying to all hit play at the same moment — as well as juggling between Netflix and Skype, a Facebook chat, Slack, Discord, or any other online chat program — isn't exactly the most convenient thing in the world. Luckily, there is another way.
SEE ALSO: Get rid of Netflix's annoying 'Continue Watching' button with this extension
There are several great apps, extensions and websites with the goal of syncing up Netflix streams across the Internet, but they all have their ups and downs. Some are exclusive to Chrome, some have top-notch chat features and some don’t go full screen.
Here are the pros and cons of the best ways to watch Netflix with your friends online.
1. Netflix Party
Netflix Party is a Google Chrome-exclusive extension that only requires one person to install it, making it the easiest of the three to set up.
Once you install it, choose a movie or show, pause it, and then click the red “NP” button at the top right of your browser to get a link to a shared session. The extension allows you to chat with everyone in the viewing session, but doesn’t allow you to put in a name, so you’ll have to remember your friends’ random symbols.
Netflix Party allows for full-screen viewing and anybody in the session can hit pause, play or scrub through the timeline. The stream adjusts seamlessly.
The biggest downside to Netflix Party is that if you want to watch a few episodes of something or another movie, you’ll have to create a new session every time. Even if Netflix autoplays to the next episode, it will kick everyone out of the session and you’ll have to send out a new link to everyone.
SEE ALSO: Netflix has tons of hidden categories — here's how to see them
2. Rabbit
Rabbit is one of the most well-rounded stream-sharing services available, partially because it can be used with any browser and partially because you can share all your favorite streaming services including Netflix, Hulu, Crackle and more.
Rabbit requires you to have an account and add the people you want to share a stream with as your friends. It works by having one person in control of the stream, which is shared via a proxy browser right on the Rabbit website. This means you're essentially sharing the view of a full browser with everyone in your party, and you can go anywhere on the web that you like.
While this is a great feature, it doesn't give the best stream quality. Even when watching something in a Rabbit room alone, the Netflix stream is pretty pixelated. It also cannot be put in full-screen mode or resized, relegating your viewing area to a small portion of your actual screen. If you're watching on a laptop or tablet that's 13 inches or less, good luck seeing much of what's happening.
The chat options on Rabbit are great, though. The chat window on the right shows everyone's username and picture, and you can even do voice and video chat.
Netflix Chatting Games
These services have their upsides and downsides but they are the best Netflix-sharing services available, at least for now. Happy viewing with your friends.
Just because you're isolated in your room due to the ever-important social distancing protocols happening right now doesn't mean you have to watch Netflix all on your own. There are plenty of ways to recreate the experience of watching a show or movie with a friend or loved one on Netflix without worrying about getting each other sick.
Netflix Chatting Games
Trying to all hit play at the same moment — as well as juggling between Netflix and Skype, a Facebook chat, Slack, Discord, or any other online chat program — isn't exactly the most convenient thing in the world. Luckily, there is another way.
SEE ALSO: Get rid of Netflix's annoying 'Continue Watching' button with this extension
There are several great apps, extensions and websites with the goal of syncing up Netflix streams across the Internet, but they all have their ups and downs. Some are exclusive to Chrome, some have top-notch chat features and some don’t go full screen.
Here are the pros and cons of the best ways to watch Netflix with your friends online.
1. Netflix Party
Netflix Party is a Google Chrome-exclusive extension that only requires one person to install it, making it the easiest of the three to set up.
Once you install it, choose a movie or show, pause it, and then click the red “NP” button at the top right of your browser to get a link to a shared session. The extension allows you to chat with everyone in the viewing session, but doesn’t allow you to put in a name, so you’ll have to remember your friends’ random symbols.
Netflix Party allows for full-screen viewing and anybody in the session can hit pause, play or scrub through the timeline. The stream adjusts seamlessly.
The biggest downside to Netflix Party is that if you want to watch a few episodes of something or another movie, you’ll have to create a new session every time. Even if Netflix autoplays to the next episode, it will kick everyone out of the session and you’ll have to send out a new link to everyone.
SEE ALSO: Netflix has tons of hidden categories — here's how to see them
2. Rabbit
Rabbit is one of the most well-rounded stream-sharing services available, partially because it can be used with any browser and partially because you can share all your favorite streaming services including Netflix, Hulu, Crackle and more.
Rabbit requires you to have an account and add the people you want to share a stream with as your friends. It works by having one person in control of the stream, which is shared via a proxy browser right on the Rabbit website. This means you're essentially sharing the view of a full browser with everyone in your party, and you can go anywhere on the web that you like.
While this is a great feature, it doesn't give the best stream quality. Even when watching something in a Rabbit room alone, the Netflix stream is pretty pixelated. It also cannot be put in full-screen mode or resized, relegating your viewing area to a small portion of your actual screen. If you're watching on a laptop or tablet that's 13 inches or less, good luck seeing much of what's happening.
The chat options on Rabbit are great, though. The chat window on the right shows everyone's username and picture, and you can even do voice and video chat.
Help Netflix Chat
These services have their upsides and downsides but they are the best Netflix-sharing services available, at least for now. Happy viewing with your friends.
Netflix Party Chrome Extension