If you’re looking to watch TV and movies together with friends and family while abiding by social distancing and gathering restrictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic, “Watch With Friends” is a new app that helps you do just that. The app works with Roku and Apple TV, which is a notable difference compared with some of the other remote viewing services that generally only work with a PC.
As first reported by the Verge, “Watch With Friends” comes from Caavo, a company known for its Caavo Control Center universal remote. The app is available for iOS, Android, and as a Google Chrome extension, so it will work regardless of the device your friends are using.
When you launch the “Watch With Friends” app, it will prompt you to paste in a direct link to the TV show or movie from Netflix. You can then create a party and invite friends and family to join you. “Watch With Friends” will automatically sync the video so that everyone in the group is watching at the same time, though Apple TV users will also need to install the Caavo Companion app to keep things in sync.
Furthermore, the “Watch With Friends” app or Chrome extension will also automatically identify the Apple TV or Roku on your network. For example, when you create or join a party, the app will ask you which Roku or Apple TV you want to watch on. Plus, there is built-in chat for talking to the group during the show or movie.
If you want to give “Watch With Friends” a try, you can download the iOS app from the App Store for free, from the Play Store for Android, or from the Chrome Web Store. Unfortunately, it’s limited to the US for now.
