You cannot start a Facebook Watch Party anymore. Facebook discontinued its original Watch Party feature on April 16, 2021. The old option in the Facebook post composer is gone from profiles, Pages, and Groups. If you want to watch videos with friends, the closest approach is Messenger’s Watch Together option, where available. For a larger community, Facebook Live or a Group discussion serves a different purpose.
When Meta launched Watch Party for Facebook Groups in 2018, a host could queue Facebook videos and invite people to view them simultaneously while posting reactions and comments.
The old Create post → Watch Party instructions are obsolete. Neither reinstalling Facebook nor changing Group permissions brings the feature back.
Meta introduced Watch Together for Messenger video calls as a separate way to view supported videos while talking and seeing each other’s reactions. The option and its placement may vary by app version, account, and region. The following flow applies when Watch Together is offered in your Messenger mobile app.
Open Messenger on your iPhone or Android phone. Choose an existing conversation with the friends you want to invite, or start a group chat. Tap the video camera icon and wait for at least one other person to join. A text thread or voice-only call does not provide the same viewing controls.
During the video call, tap the screen or open the call options. If your version supports the feature, choose Watch Together. Meta’s original instructions used a swipe-up call menu, although the appearance of the controls may differ now. Do not confuse this with the defunct Watch Party control in Facebook itself.
Browse the videos offered in Watch Together, or use its search field if available. Select an eligible video and keep the call open so everyone can watch and react together. It is a private call, not a Group Watch Party.
Video eligibility can depend on licensing, location, age restrictions, and privacy settings. If playback fails, choose another clip offered to everyone in the call.
If you want to reach many Group members rather than a few people on a call, use Facebook Live for a presentation, Q&A, or commentary session. It is a live broadcast, not a way to synchronize playback of an existing Facebook video for every viewer.
Open the relevant Facebook Group, choose the Live video option if it is available to your account, and follow the on-screen prompts to prepare and start the stream. You can then speak to your audience and respond to comments as they appear. Your ability to go live depends on account eligibility, Group permissions, and Meta’s current requirements; consult Facebook’s Going Live guidance if the option is missing.
Important: Broadcast content you created or have permission to stream. A paid streaming subscription or the ability to play a movie privately does not automatically give you permission to retransmit it on Facebook. Meta also publishes Facebook Live policies that hosts should review before broadcasting.
For a film, class, or YouTube video you cannot legally rebroadcast, create a Facebook Group post or Event that states the start time, links to the authorized viewing page, and invites discussion in the comments or a separate call. Each person opens the video independently. This is useful for planning, but playback will not synchronize automatically, and every participant may need their own account or access to the source service.
Do not use outdated Messenger Rooms tutorials as a workaround. Meta confirms that Messenger Rooms ended in late 2023, even though old Watch Together announcements mention Rooms and their former participant limits.
The old Watch Party cannot be hosted from a computer either. Messenger calls, Facebook Live, and Group posts offer ways to gather viewers, but none restores the former synchronized Facebook Watch Party playlist.
A practical 2026 guide to shoppable short videos, creator affiliates, and livestream shopping, with dated U.S. forecasts, platform examples, and a buyer checklist for disclosures and returns.
Compare 10 proxy browsers and browser tools, from Tor and Opera to Firefox and CroxyProxy, with practical privacy limits and setup advice.
Learn how to bulk delete Facebook posts on your phone, filter old updates, use Trash or Archive, and restore posts within 30 days.
Fix Chrome’s ERR_TUNNEL_CONNECTION_FAILED error by checking proxy and VPN settings first, then troubleshooting extensions, DNS, and security software.
See how Integrated Inbox brought Google apps into Gmail in Firefox, what still works on paper, and how Gmail’s built-in side panel compares.
Learn how WebFonter once let you try FontShop fonts on live websites, why the original tool is outdated, and how to preview typefaces today.
The old Facebook Undo extension offered a five-second delay. Learn what still works to edit, remove, archive, or restore an embarrassing Facebook post.
Use the Privacy Settings Firefox extension to change supported privacy preferences from a toolbar popup, plus learn when built-in controls work better.
See how Shrink2One originally grouped several URLs into a single short link, its optional password feature, and what to do if the service is unavailable.
Suspect unauthorized Gmail access? Check recent account activity, IP addresses, signed-in devices, and security events—and learn how to secure your account.
