Netflix Party has gotten a facelift and a name change: Teleparty. With its new features and other streaming services integrated within, you can still watch all the cringey reality TV shows you got hooked on with your family during quarantine – even if you’ve since moved away.
What exactly is Teleparty?
The premise is simple: One member of the watch party acts as the host by playing a show or movie and using the Teleparty browser extension to retrieve a shareable link. Everyone who clicks on that link will then be transported into a virtual streaming room. There’s even a chat feature so you can feel like you’re still watching in the same room as your Survivor superfan brother. More: The 5 best Netflix alternatives: Binge-watch elsewhere
What devices support Teleparty?
Currently, the extension works only on laptop and desktop computers. If you have an HDMI converter, however, you can connect your laptop to your TV. As of right now, the extension is not compatible with iOS and Android devices, but Teleparty says that an update will come soon. Ready to host your Teleparty? Here’s how to set it up.
Step 1: Download the Teleparty extension
You’ll first want to download the Teleparty extension from your internet browser’s add-ons store. Note that Safari does not support the service, so you’ll have to resort to an alternative. For Chrome users, you can install the extension from the Google Chrome store. For Microsoft Edge, visit the Edge Web Store. Opera users, click here. Click “Install.” Your browser will then prompt you to Add on or Get to apply the extension. A browser restart may be required to start using the service.
Step 2: Pin the Teleparty extension
Pinning the extension to your browser makes Teleparty easier to find and quicker to access. On Chrome, click the puzzle piece icon/toggle on the top right corner of your browser. Edge users should look for the star icon. Then pin the extension to the top by clicking the pin or star icon. Opera users can open the Teleparty extension, right-click on the tab, and click Pin.
Step 3: Grant permission
Now grant your browser permission to change the data on the websites you visit. This sounds way scarier than it actually is. You can read about Teleparty’s Privacy Policy here, but basically, you’re granting the extension access to your streaming services so that it can create a synchronous video playback and chatting experience across all participants.
Step 4: Select your streaming service(s)
Teleparty will now prompt you to choose which streaming service(s) you want it to connect with. You can select as many you’d like or as few as one.
Step 5: Start streaming
Once you sign in to your desired streaming service, you will be prompted to start the video you want to watch. There’s no limit on how long the content must be.
Step 7: Creating a party
Finally, you are ready to invite people to the streaming party. Pause the video and click on the pinned Teleparty extension. You will see a prompt that says Create a Teleparty, with the option to give yourself host control (meaning no one else in the room can play and pause the video), and a Start the party button. If you know your friend is a chronic pauser who likes to pause at every scene and overanalyze, make sure the control setting is toggled green.
Step 8: Share and stream
After you’ve selected Start the Party, a link will populate for you to copy and share. Hit the red Copy URL button so that the link is copied to your clipboard and paste it into your group chat or message app, etc. As people join the Teleparty, you will see their names and personal icons pop up on the right-hand side. From there, watch, chat, and binge together from afar. More: Netflix says Stranger Things 4 gave it a boost. But it still lost a million subscribers
