Angela Lang/CNET
You and your friends are missing in-person movie nights and watch parties. Quarantine has made that impossible, but fortunately, a free extension for the Google Chrome browser called Netflix Party lets you start, stop and pause a Netflix movie or show so you can watch it at the same time as a group of friends and family — remotely.
There’s also a side chat bar where you and your friends can discuss what’s going on in the movie, much as you would if you were sitting together on the couch.
Netflix Party helps ease the sudden and severe lack of socializing we’ve all had to deal with in this new coronavirus reality. Read on for how to download, install and use the Netflix Party extension to sync your movie-watching with family and friends.
And here’s other free entertainment to help you get by, as well as tips to stay healthy, educated and sane during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Make sure everyone in your group has a Netflix account
In order for this to work, everyone you send an invite to will need to have access to Netflix. If they don’t have an account, Netflix is offering a free 30-day trial for new subscribers. If they’re not a new subscriber, they can reactivate their account for $9 a month and cancel at any time. You can also share your Netflix account with two to four other family members, depending on which subscription you have.
Download the Google extension
After everyone has logged in to Netflix on their computers, they’ll need to download the Netflix Party extension. Here’s how.
1. Visit netflixparty.com in your Google Chrome browser.
2. Click Get Netflix Party for free.
3. You’ll be redirected to the Google Chrome web store page to download the extension. Click Add to Chrome.
4. A pop-up box will open. Select Add Extension. You’ll now see a grey NP icon in your browser toolbar.
Start watching movies with friends
Now that you’ve got the extension downloaded, you can begin watching shows and movies with your friends and family. Here’s how to get started.
1. Open a new tab in your Google Chrome browser and log in to Netflix.
2. Find a show or movie you’d like to watch and click on it.
3. You’ll now see that the NP (Netflix Party) icon has changed from gray to red. Click the icon and select Start the party. You’ll become the host, so you can either select the option for you to be the only controller pausing and playing the show, or you can let anyone take control.
4. Copy the URL from the pop-up box and send it to everyone you want to invite to the group.
5. The chatroom will appear on the right side of the screen. From there, you’ll be able to see when someone joins the party.
6. Now you can laugh, cry and howl with your family and friends, and feel a little less on your own.
Need more things to do during this time of social distancing? Here’s free entertainment to help you get through coronavirus social distancing, free video chat apps to use if you’re social distancing, the best two-player board games, and ways you can help during the coronavirus pandemic.
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