Frequently asked questions
Short, honest answers. We don't say “it works” about things we haven't tested.
Using it
Which sites does it work on? Does it work on Netflix?
It tries on any page with a video element: YouTube, Vimeo, Twitch, news sites, corporate players and players embedded inside shadow DOM included. DRM services (Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video) may restrict external control of the player; those haven't been tested yet, so we don't claim they work. This answer will be updated as they are tested.
What if we're on different pages?
The host's page is recorded for the room. If you're somewhere else, the panel offers “Open the video”; one click takes you there. Sync doesn't run until you're on the same page, and you are never redirected automatically.
Does it work in fullscreen?
Yes. The purple sync button and the chat toast move into the fullscreen element, so they show even with the panel closed.
Who closes the room?
When the host presses “Close room” or “Leave”, everyone is removed. A dropped connection doesn't close it; the extension reconnects with increasing intervals between 1 and 30 seconds. The room is deleted from server memory when the last person leaves.
Why at most 5 people?
Sync would work with more. The limit is here because everyone's buffering, ads and play/pause affect the whole room. Past 5 people, “someone stalled, everyone waits” happens too often. If you run your own server you can change the limit.
Technical
Does the video go through your server?
No. Everyone watches in their own browser with their own account. Only small JSON messages pass through the server: position, play/pause, chat. The host's page URL is sent so the others can be offered “open the video”.
How much lag? Really the same second?
The target is under 250 ms; while “drift” in the panel is green, you're there. The 3-second countdown locks both sides at start; afterwards, if a gap opens, the one behind speeds up by 2 to 5 percent to catch up. “Latency” in the panel is the round trip to the server and has nothing to do with the video.
Do different connection speeds cause problems?
If the slower side buffers for longer than 700 ms, the other pauses and both resume together. Frequent buffering means frequent pauses; the fix is lowering video quality on that side.
What about ads?
Ads on YouTube, JW Player and Video.js are detected: while you're in an ad the other side waits, and when both are done, both resume. Ads in other players aren't detected; the other side then sees a normal pause and you may need “Sync now” afterwards.
Does it work in Firefox, Safari or Edge?
It's built for Chrome 116 and newer; it needs Manifest V3 and the side panel. Chromium browsers like Edge, Brave and Opera are expected to work but haven't been verified. Firefox and Safari are not supported.
Can I run my own server?
Yes. In Settings › Server, enter your own address starting with wss://. Everyone in the room has to use the same server.
Privacy and price
Do I need an account?
No. The extension gives you a random name like “Neşeli Panda”; change it if you like, it's stored on your device. No sign-up, e-mail or password.
Are chat messages stored?
Not on the server: a message is relayed, timestamped, and gone. On your device the last 200 messages are kept for the browser session and cleared when you close the browser. With the panel closed, a message shows as a Chrome notification.
Is it paid? Will there be a paid tier?
Free. Because the server doesn't carry video it's cheap to run: about 155 KB of memory per connection. No paid tier is planned.