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We all enjoy watching TV shows and films via Amazon Prime, but doing so with friends makes the experience all that more enjoyable.

With the help of modern technology friends and family members don't always need to be in the same house in order to watch things together anymore. It's possible to turn your viewing into a social experience with just a few clicks thanks to the power of Watch Party. But what is it? How does it work? And what can you do with it? We're here to help you get to grips with Watch Party and what it can do for you.

What is a Prime Video Watch Party?

Amazon offers its Amazon Prime Video subscribers the ability to watch TV shows and movies with friends via a feature called Watch Party.

An Amazon Prime Video Watch Party can include up to 100 participants in one group, but each person must have an Amazon Prime membership.

You should be able to still take part in a Watch Party if you're on holiday or away for work (pending the availability of content) but UK-based Prime members can't take part in a Watch Party started by someone with an Amazon US account, and vice versa. If you were in the US and wanted to participate with a UK Watch Party though, that would be possible, as long as you signed in with your UK account.

Once you have a membership, you can use Prime Video to join or start a Watch Party. You can even choose from thousands of titles, including originals and licensed content. Amazon Prime Originals include things like Fleabag, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Jack Ryan, The Big Sick, The Boys, Homecoming, and My Spy. Titles available for rent or purchase are also available to watch in a Watch Party, but each participant would need to buy or rent the title, as they would if they were watching on their own.

How does Watch Party work?

Obviously, you've always been free to watch the same things as your friends whenever you want. No doubt you've done so and then discussed the latest episode of your favourite show when you next saw each other, but you might have done it on different days or at different times. If you hate spoilers or just want to enjoy shows together more than Watch Party is the perfect solution.

Essentially Watch Party allows you to synchronise a show and have everyone start watching it all at the same time. There's also a chat function so you can remotely talk to the other viewers and discuss what's happening on screen.

What can you watch in a Watch Party?

For a Watch Party to work though you need to be trying to watch eligible titles.

Not everything on Amazon Prime Video will work with the Watch Party option. So it's worth checking that the thing you're trying to watch is compatible. The easiest way to do that is to open up the show you want to watch in the Prime Video app on your viewing device of choice and look for the party hat icon. If it's there then you should be able to view it with a Watch Party.

If it's a Prime Original show or film then the chances are it will be compatible but other things might be harder. If you're trying to watch something that's available via Prime Video but also requires an additional subscription (like Paramount+) then that might cause issues too. You can see a list of Watch Party enabled TV shows and movies here.

What devices can you use Watch Party with?

As you'd expect Amazon Watch Party works with a variety of devices. You can use Watch Party with almost any device that supports the Prime Video app and other devices too. So yes, it'll work with various Amazon Fire TV devices, but it's also compatible with Android smartphones, Android tablets, Fire tablets, Apple iPhones and Apple iPads. You can start a Prime Watch Party directly from your favourite browser on a desktop or laptop machine as well. In theory, you can start a Watch Party with friends and family no matter what device they're using.

There is one caveat though. In order for a Watch Party to work you all need to be in the same country as the host of the Watch Party. So unfortunately you'll probably find you can't use a Watch Party to view things internationally with friends from abroad, even if you're using a VPN.

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Amazon

How to start a Prime Video Watch Party

Prime Video Watch Parties allow synchronised playback and a chat function, so you can watch and talk to other viewers in real-time. Setting up a Watch Party is fairly straightforward.

In order to use the Watch Party tool you must first share a link with family and friends, so be sure that before you start this process you have a way to do that.

  1. Browse to an eligible title on a supported device or browser.
  2. Select the "Watch Party" icon (party hat) next to the Watch Trailer and Add to List icons.
  3. Enter a desired user name under "Chat as"
  4. Click "Create Watch Party" to generate a Watch Party link.
  5. Invite friends using the "Share" icon via email, Twitter or Facebook
  6. Select "Copy Link" to share the Watch Party via available third-party applications.
  7. When people have joined you can then press play to start the playback
Watch party from your phone

How to start a watch party from your Android phone

Starting a Watch Party from your Android phone might be one of the most logical ways to do it as it makes it easy to share the link for a start. It's also logical if you're away from home but still trying to watch together:

  1. Open up the Amazon Prime video app on your phone
  2. Find the show or film you want to watch
  3. Tap the three-dot menu icon
  4. Select the Watch Party option (if it is available)
  5. Enter your chat name and click create
  6. Share the link with others
  7. Wait for them to join and then start watching and chatting

How to join a Watch Party

If you've been invited by someone else to Watch Party then you just need to open the link they've sent you on a supported device.

Once you've done that you should then be redirected to the title, where you can enter your desired username under "Chat as" and then click "Join Watch Party" to join the Watch Party.

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Amazon

How to chat on Amazon Watch Party

While watching content as a member of the Watch Party it's possible to use the built-in chat to talk to the other people watching. On the details menu, you should see an option for chat. Click that and you can then talk to everyone else. You can also see who's watching and is in the Party so you know who you're talking to.

Is a Watch Party private?

When you create a Watch Party you get a link to share with others. Only people who have that link can access the Watch Party so it should be private as far as that link travels.