The Coronavirus pandemic has generated a series of needs that have forced many services to modify their characteristics and even reinvent themselves. Netflix, YouTube and other streaming services were forced to lower the quality of broadcasts to reduce bandwidth consumption worldwide, and video conferencing services like Zoom saw their user base multiply exponentially. And it is that, the demand asks to consume from home, and if it can be accompanied, then better.
Plex with friends
One of the companies that has been seen in this situation is Plex. Some users requested through the networks the arrival of a function that would allow content to be played in company remotely, so that, if you want to watch a movie with your family, you can do so without having to meet with your family.
Well, the company got down to business, and decided to develop the Watch with friends function, which allows the same thing that was asked for: watching movies with remote company. This new feature will allow you to view content synchronously with a group of friends, so that if someone pauses, your playback will also be paused at the same time.
The function comes directly integrated into the new versions of the service, so we are going to explain what you need and what you have to do to enjoy this new function. The advantage of using Plex is that only one of the participants in this virtual meeting should have the movie or multimedia content, while the rest will connect remotely to their session to view the content.
What I need?
- The most important thing is to have updated Plex to the latest version. This involves both the Plex Server version and the client version for Android or iOS, so check your apps to confirm that you have the latest version installed.
- To download the latest version of Plex Server , just go to the download website of the service and choose the version you need for your system. In our case we have updated the Synology NAS device package.
- On the other hand, you must also download the latest version of the client application , and for this you must go to the corresponding application store to get the latest version.
Right now, the View with friends feature is available on Android, iOS, Android TV, Apple TV and Roku. The Plex web client does not offer the possibility of using this function, so you will have to use any of the previous platforms to be able to use it.
How to activate the View with friends function
Once you’ve got your updates and updates up to date, it’s time to use the feature. The application will receive you with the message of the arrival of the new utility and will basically explain how to use it. It is very simple.
- You just have to select the content you want to see in a group, and instead of clicking on play, select the icon with the three dots and find the option “View with friends”.
- If you click on this option, a new menu will appear with your personal friends list so that you can select those with whom you want to start the cinephile evening.
- Once you choose who you want to watch the session with, guests will receive an invitation to play on the Plex home screen, and they only have to join to start the show. From this point on, everyone invited can take control of the playback.
Remember that to add new friends you just have to click on the users icon within the application’s drop-down menu.
