As the coronavirus spreads, communities are forced to practice social distancing and stay indoors to prevent becoming infected. With jobs allowing staff to work from home, gyms closing, and most major social events cancelled, there is more time to catch up on your favorite shows. All though the idea of spending hours to yourself may seem relaxing at first, it is also possible for cabin fever to set in real quick. Well have no fear! Netflix has added a new feature to their monthly streaming service to help you with that in house boredom.
A new feature, Netflix Party, is a way to watch Netflix shows and movies with your friends online. Even if you are physically distant from your favorite people, Netflix Party synchronizes video playback and adds group chat to your favorite Netflix shows. You can now enjoy a long distance date night on the couch or spend quality time with your frineds while binge watching episodes of shows, including Grey’s Anatomy.
There are a few cool things about this feature. First, you have a group chat to talk about what is happening in the show. You also have the ability as the host to be the only one who can control the video feed, or you can relinquish that power to all the viewers. Members of the group can customize their username and icon so not everyone looks the same. Just last night, Beyonce’s BeyHive had a giant Homecoming watch party that was trending on Twitter as #StayAtHOMEcoming. That’s one way to make up for Coachella 2020 being postponed.
As of right now, Netflix Party is only available for Chrome browsers. To access the feature, log in to Netflix, send your friends the Netflix Party code, and start watching together. Happy chillin’!