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- Facebook introduced a new Messenger feature called Watch Together on Monday.
- Watch Together lets you watch any video on Facebook with your friends via Messenger video call so you can chat and react while the video is playing.
- Watch Together is free and will roll out to iOS and Android devices this week.
Facebook has spent much of 2020 expanding the functionality of its Messenger app, and that continued this week with the introduction of Watch Together. As the name suggests, Watch Together lets you watch videos on Facebook with your friends and family while everyone is on a Messenger video call together. If this sounds familiar, you may be thinking about the Watch Parties feature that Facebook debuted in 2018, but the key difference is that with Watch Together, you can talk to each other and see each other’s reactions while the video is playing.
The main limitation of Watch Together is that you can only watch live videos on Facebook. YouTube, Netflix, and other video platforms and streaming services are not supported, so you will need to find another method to watch those videos, shows and movies with your friends. What you can see are trending videos, sports highlights, clips from your favorite creators, and Facebook Watch originals like Sorry for your loss and Strangers.
If you want to virtually stay in touch with friends and family, but are fed up with aimless Zoom calls, this could be an attractive alternative. Instead of telling everyone once again how bored you are while trying to stay safe during a pandemic, you can watch a bunch of silly videos together and react to them. Facebook Messenger Product Manager Nora Micheva also notes that the social network has partnered with fitness trainer Melissa Alcantara to make a series of exercise videos that Messenger users can watch together.
“According to a study we conducted in the US, 70% of people who exercise with a partner have achieved a fitness goal in the past six months,” says Micheva in a blog post about introducing Watch Together. Meanwhile, she adds, “only 45% of people who exercise alone have done the same.”
If you want to try the new feature yourself, all you have to do is start a Messenger video call or create a Messenger Room in your phone app, swipe up to access the menu, and tap Watch together. You will then be able to choose from a variety of different categories, including television and movies, He suggestedand Uploaded. There is also a search bar that you can use to find specific videos that you want to watch. Up to eight people can watch together in a video call, while 50 can watch in a room. The feature is free and will roll out on iOS and Android this week.
Jacob began covering video games and technology in college as a hobby, but quickly realized that this was what he wanted to do for a living. He currently resides in New York writing for BGR. His previously published work can be found on TechHive, VentureBeat, and Game Rant.
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