Ways to Continue Watching Movies with Friends After Plex Discontinues Watch Together

The pandemic in 2020 was certainly tough for many of us. However, one silver lining was that it gave us more time to binge-watch shows and movies online with friends. Streaming services became extremely popular during this time, and many allowed people to share accounts so they could enjoy content together. Some even introduced features for virtual “watch parties” so we could feel closer to loved ones while watching our favorite shows from a distance.

Unfortunately, those days are mostly behind us now. Many streaming platforms have tightened their rules on password sharing, and the costs for family subscriptions have surged. For instance, Disney Plus quietly removed its GroupWatch feature in 2023, and Amazon got rid of its Watch Party feature in 2024. While alternatives like Teleparty exist, they are not as convenient, especially for group viewing in a living room setting.

It seems like streaming services care more about each person having their own subscription than about the enjoyment we get from watching together. This shift is frustrating, especially for fans of Plex—a popular streaming server software—who are now unhappy about the removal of the Watch Together feature in the new app design. Streaming platforms are likely hoping to incentivize everyone to pay for their own subscriptions, but in the long run, this strategy risks alienating users who find joy in experiencing films and shows together.

If you’ve been feeling down about this trend, there is an alternative worth considering: Jellyfin. This open-source media server has its own solution called SyncPlay, which lets users connect to a single server to watch movies in sync. This means that everyone in the group can start the movie at the same time, making it feel like you’re all together, even if you’re miles apart.

To use SyncPlay, you first need to set up a Jellyfin server. If you want friends or family to connect from outside your home network, you’ll need to expose your server securely to the internet. Unfortunately, Jellyfin doesn’t make this simple, unlike Plex, because it doesn’t use a third-party service to help with remote connections. Therefore, you’ll need to manually configure a way for users to find your server. Common methods include setting up a reverse proxy, a VPN, or using a service like Cloudflare Tunnels. Jellyfin provides a helpful guide for figuring this out, making it easier to get started.

Once your Jellyfin server is online, using SyncPlay is straightforward. You just click the SyncPlay button on the app’s main page to either create or join a group and then start watching the movie together. Playback controls like play, pause, and skip will be synchronized for all participants, ensuring everyone is watching at the same time.

However, there are some limitations. SyncPlay mostly works only on Jellyfin clients that serve as web applications. This includes platforms like Android and PC, but it does not currently support viewing on Android TV, which many users might prefer. Although an Android TV version with SyncPlay is reportedly underway, it has yet to be released. Additionally, if your media needs to be transcoded, it might cause sync issues or prevent videos from loading properly, so it’s better to use clients that support direct playback of your files.

While using Jellyfin might not be as seamless as using Plex overall, it’s an excellent alternative if you want to keep the idea of virtual watch parties alive while enjoying your own private media library. The setup may require a bit of tweaking, but it’s certainly worth considering for anyone who values watching content together with friends or family.