Now, you can have 'watch parties' on Facebook Messenger calls
In a bid to make virtual connections more fun and exciting, Facebook has launched a new 'Watch Together' feature inside its Messenger app. The capability comes as a free tool that offers users of the social network a way to launch instant watch parties with their friends and family, no matter where they are. It is quite similar to Facebook's own 'Watch Party' feature.
What exactly is Watch Together?
The feature is aimed at letting users co-watch and interact with their friends at the same time. You can easily start a clip on Facebook Watch and then view it in real-time with up to 50 people through a standard group video call or Messenger Room conference. Interestingly, it also supports users' own video uploads, so you can co-watch your own clips while chatting.
How to use it?
To use it, you just have to start a call on Messenger, swipe up from the home screen, and tap the new 'Watch Together' button. From there, you can browse through suggested videos, sift through categories, or search for specific clips, and play it to watch with other participants on the call. In that sense, it will be more immersive than Watch Party.
Interesting idea but with limitations
While the feature will make your group video calls more interesting, especially when watching movie trailers or meme videos, there is one noticeable limitation - long-form content. The content on Facebook Watch is a mix of many things, but there are hardly any long-form videos that can match those offered on Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime Video.
Rolling out on Android and iOS
The co-watching feature is being rolled out globally but only for people using Messenger on Android and iOS devices. There is no word on the desktop availability, which many users would have preferred, especially considering all other players offering co-watching solutions, including Twitch and Netflix, offer it for the big screen, along with tablets and phones.
