Watching a movie or TV show with a friend over the internet can be a bit cumbersome. Starting the video at the exact same time, pausing it for bathroom breaks, etc. Facebook Messenger's "Watch Together" feature solves that issue.

What can you actually watch with Facebook Messenger's Watch Together feature? While you can't use popular streaming services like Netflix, it does support any of the videos found on the Facebook "Watch" tab. That includes videos produced specifically for Facebook and some TV shows and movies.

First, open the Facebook Messenger app on your iPhone, iPad, or Android device. Select the person or group chat you want to watch videos with. You can also tap the "Create Room" button, and invite people to join.

select person or group

Next, start a voice or video call by tapping the "Phone" or "Video" icon in the top-right corner of the app.

start audio or video call

Once you're in the call, drag the bottom toolbar up to reveal more options.

drag tool bar up

Select "Watch Together" to start watching a video.

select watch together

You'll see a "Suggested" video tab and a "TV & Movies" tab. Select something to watch and it will begin playing.

watch together videos

When the video is playing, it's synced up with everyone who is watching. Pausing the video will pause it for everyone. If you're in a video call, you will see the members of the call on the screen as well as the streaming content.

watching a video

Tapping the video will bring up a Search icon to go back to the video search and the option to close the video.

video control options

If your phone supports Picture-in-Picture, you can leave the app, and the video will continue to play in a floating player.

watch together PiP

Now you can enjoy videos with your friends and family without being in the same room.