(Pocket-lint) – Facebook Messenger is the latest service to offer a group watch party feature. Called Watch Together, the new feature lives inside the messaging app, letting you view videos from Facebook Watch as well as live videos of your friends. Here’s what you need to know.
What is Watch Together?
More than 150 million video calls are made via Messenger on a daily basis, and that doesn’t even include the roughly 200 million videos sent over Messenger every day. So, Facebook said it came up with Watch Together so that you can begin enjoying some of those videos with your friends, virtually, in real time:
“We created Watch Together to make spending quality time with friends and loved ones feel as close to an in-person experience as possible. Whether it’s watching a trending video, a movie, a sports highlight, a makeup tutorial or a Facebook Watch original, the feature allows you to watch your friends’ reactions.”
How does Watch Together work?
To use the feature, make sure you’re running the latest version of the Messenger mobile app. You can swipe up on a video call or Messenger Room and then tap the new Watch Together option to get started. Facebook will suggest videos for you to watch, or you can search for a specific video.
- Just start a Messenger video call or create a Messenger Room
- Swipe up to access the menu and select Watch Together.
- From there you can select a video suggested for you or choose one from a category.
How many people can watch together?
You can watch videos with up to eight people on a Messenger video call and up to 50 people in Messenger Rooms.Â
When will Watch Together be available?
Watch Together is rolling out globally from 14 September on iOS and Android.
Is Watch Together free?
Yes. Watch Together is totally free to use.
Writing by Maggie Tillman.
