Throw a Netflix Party with this extension that turns your stream into a group chat

Ain’t no party like a Netflix Party party, ’cause a Netflix Party party… allows you to social distance from the self-quarantine-approved comfort of your respective homes. A Google Chrome extension called Netflix Party now allows people to gather virtually and synchronize their Netflix viewing in a group chat. Think of it as an introvert’s ideal compromise.

If this sounds way better than turning notifications back on for that group text chain and trying to all press play at the same time, here’s how you can get the party going at home.

1. Go to netflixparty.com on a Google Chrome browser and click on “Install Netflix Party”—or the even more frenetically worded “Get Netflix Party for free!”

2. Click “Add to Chrome” and then “Add extension” in the pop-up window. If it worked correctly, an “NP” will appear in the top right corner of your Google Chrome browser.

3. Using Google Chrome, go to Netflix.com and select the title you want to watch. (May we suggest something off our list of The 25 best TV shows of 2019? Most of them are available on Netflix.)

4. Click that nifty little “NP” and then select “Start the Party.”

5. Send the URL that pops up to anyone getting your super exclusive invite and have them open it in Google Chrome and then click their own “NP” button.

If you’re a group that argues over the remote, you can select yourself as the one controlling the pausing, rewinding, etc. And when using the group chat, you can choose avatars and a screen name. It’s like flashing back to your college AIM years.

If you want to get really meta, group chat while watching The Circle.