Help for your next LofiCouch watch party

LofiCouch is a free watch-party app for partners, best friends and family watching from different places. Share a private room with up to four people, watch in exact frame-by-frame sync and talk the whole way through with built-in voice and text chat. Miles apart. Same couch.

Yes. Hosting a watch party is free with no credit card, and the LofiCouch extension is free too. Streaming subscriptions stay with each person, so everyone uses their own access to any paid service you choose.

For Netflix, Prime Video, JioHotstar and Crunchyroll, each person watches on their own account, or you can share one if your plan allows it. YouTube and Google Drive need no streaming subscription at all. Here's what everyone needs.

Open LofiCouch and choose the account-creation option. Sign up with Google or an email address and password, complete any verification shown, and you're ready to start your first watch party.

Up to four people, including the host. It's made for a movie date, best friends or a small family night, so everyone can hear each other and still get a word in.

No. LofiCouch runs in your browser, so there's nothing to install from an app store. The only add-on is the free desktop extension, and you need it only for Netflix, Prime Video, JioHotstar and Crunchyroll.

Yes. Hosts and guests both sign in with their own LofiCouch accounts, which keeps your room to the people you invited. Got an invitation? Sign in and join them on the couch.

Double-check the email address you entered, then peek in your spam or junk folder. Still nothing? Email hello@loficouch.com and tell us what happened. Never send your password or verification code.

Sign in to LofiCouch and choose Create Room. Once your room opens, invite your partner or friends. Each room fits up to four people, including you.

Use Copy link or Copy room code in your room and send it to the people you want with you. Everyone signs in to join. Share it like a house key, since anyone you send it to could pass it on.

Open the invitation link your host sent, or enter their room code in the join option, and sign in when prompted. For a streaming-service night, add the free desktop extension and have your own access to that service ready.

Sign in and create a room, then share the link or code with up to three people. Pick something everyone can watch, follow the extension prompt if you choose a streaming service, and let the host press play while you all talk or text along.

Bring snacks. Your couch is ready.

When you play Netflix or another supported streaming service, your room prompts you to install the extension. Follow that prompt to the official Chrome Web Store listing and add it to your desktop browser. It's free.

Chrome and other Chromium-based browsers on desktop, which are the ones we've tested. On a phone, YouTube and Google Drive watch parties work right now in your mobile browser.

Open your browser's extensions page, find LofiCouch Streaming Sync and open its details. The version number is there. Include it when you contact us about the extension.

Check the version and where each copy came from. If one is an old test copy next to the official store version and you're unsure which to keep, email hello@loficouch.com with those details before removing either.

Join your LofiCouch room and play a supported streaming title. If the extension is needed, the room prompts you to install it, then walks you through pinning the video so everyone can join.

Make sure you're on a supported streaming service in a desktop Chromium browser and the title plays on the service's own website. Then follow the setup steps in your room. Still not detected? Email us the service, browser, extension version and any message you see.

For Netflix, Prime Video, JioHotstar and Crunchyroll, yes: the host and every guest add the free desktop extension and use their own account. YouTube and Google Drive play right in LofiCouch without it.

The host leads playback. When the host plays, pauses or skips, everyone in the room follows in exact frame-by-frame sync, while voice and text chat keep the conversation close.

Join the same room on desktop, each with Netflix access and the free extension. Pick a title everyone can watch, pin it from Netflix and let the host lead playback. Netflix watch party guide.

New: join the same room on desktop and add the free extension when prompted. Everyone uses their own Prime Video access for the title, pins it from Prime Video and lets the host start playback. Prime Video watch party guide.

Everyone joins the same room on desktop with the free extension and signs in to their own JioHotstar account. Check the title or match opens for everyone, pin it and let the host lead. JioHotstar watch party guide.

Join the same room on desktop with the free extension. Everyone uses their own Crunchyroll access, agrees on the episode and sub or dub, and the host starts the anime night. Crunchyroll watch party guide.

Paste a YouTube link into your room and let the host press play. It works on any device without the extension, including phones, and you can pin whole playlists, mixes and live streams. The video needs to be available to everyone and allow playback outside YouTube.

Paste a publicly shared, streamable Google Drive video into your room. It works on any device without the extension. Use videos you own or have permission to share, and set the file so anyone with the link can view it.

Both are built into your room. Allow microphone access when asked, then use the voice controls to mute yourself or pick your microphone and speaker. Prefer a quiet night? Stay in text chat with emojis. Video calls are coming soon.

Check that everyone is on the same Netflix title, can play it on their account and has the current extension on desktop. Pause and press play again. Still drifting? Note whether it started after an ad, pause or skip, and send that with your extension version to support.

Make sure everyone is on the same Prime Video title with the desktop extension and nobody is stuck on an ad or prompt. Pause and press play again. If it continues, email us the title, browser, extension version and what happened before it drifted.

Check that everyone can play the same title with the desktop extension, then pause and press play again. If it started around an ad, mention that when you write to us, along with your browser and extension version.

Check that everyone has the same episode selected and can play it on their own Crunchyroll account, then pause and press play again. If it follows a pause, skip or ad, tell us what happened and include your browser and extension version.

Check that everyone is in the right room and the host picked the right video, and that nobody is stuck on a prompt or an unavailable-video message. Refresh the room if needed. If it continues, send us the video link and any error wording.

Check that everyone can play the video, and that the Drive file is publicly shared and streamable. If someone sees a playback error, sort that out first, and send us the exact wording if you need a hand.

Let the ad finish and make sure everyone is back on the main video. If you're still out of step, pause and press play again. Still stuck? Tell us which service you were watching, whether the host or a guest saw the ad, and your extension version.

Pause and press play again first. If sync doesn't come back, note the service, who changed playback and whether an ad or prompt appeared, and send that with your extension version so we can look into it.

LofiCouch is bringing you back into the room. Give it a moment and follow any message shown. If you can't get back in, ask the host to check the room is still open.

Head back to the room and check its connection message. If it keeps happening, note your browser, device and whether you switched tabs, locked the screen or minimized the browser, and let us know.

Check with the person: they may be reconnecting, or leaving and coming back. If the notices keep repeating, send us the rough time, your browser and what everyone in the room saw.

The file needs to be publicly shared, available and streamable, so set it so anyone with the link can view it. Some formats or codecs may not play. If you see an error, note its exact wording and write to us if you need help.

Only share files you have permission to make available.

What's available on a streaming service can differ by country and plan, and each person watches with the access they have where they are. Check on the service's own website and pick something everyone can play.

If the video shows a play prompt, click or tap it to start. If a browser message appears, follow its steps for that page. Browser autoplay permission is separate from your room moving on to the next queued video.

Make sure you have the right invitation and ask the host whether the room is still open. An unavailable room hasn't always been deleted. If you still can't join, send us the exact error wording.

Check that the person speaking isn't muted and has allowed microphone access, then check your own speaker or headphones and the selected audio devices. Lower the video volume if it's drowning out voices, and try headphones if there's an echo. Text chat is there while you sort it out.

Check your email address and use your usual sign-in method. Waiting for verification? Look in spam or junk. Still stuck? Email hello@loficouch.com with the error wording. Never share passwords or verification codes.

Open your profile and choose the photo-upload option. Pick a JPEG, PNG or WebP image up to 10 MB, then choose Save Profile. Use a photo you're happy for friends to recognize you by.

Open your LofiCouch app profile and choose Delete Account. Read the confirmation carefully before going ahead. Need help? Email hello@loficouch.com, and never send your password or verification codes.

Yes. YouTube and Google Drive watch parties work in LofiCouch in your mobile browser right now. Netflix, Prime Video, JioHotstar and Crunchyroll watch parties are best on desktop with the free extension.

Follow the phone watch-together walkthrough for YouTube and public Drive setup, device selection and playback help.

Email hello@loficouch.com and tell us what happened. Include your browser, device, video source and extension version when it helps. Leave out passwords, verification codes and private room codes.

Our only support address is hello@loficouch.com. If an email or message is unexpected, open https://loficouch.com yourself instead of following its account link. A familiar name or logo alone doesn't prove who sent it. Avoid unexpected attachments, and forward anything suspicious to hello@loficouch.com with private details removed.

Never. Don't send your password or verification code by email, chat or in a public thread. When you share a screenshot, hide private room codes, email addresses and other personal details first.

Email hello@loficouch.com with enough detail to identify the content and where you found it. You can read more in our Terms of Service.

Email hello@loficouch.com with what you expected, what happened instead and the steps that led there. Add your browser, device, video source and extension version if relevant. Screenshots help, just hide personal information and room codes first.

We'd love to hear it. Send your idea to hello@loficouch.com and tell us how it would make your watch nights better. Suggestions shape what we build next, though we can't promise every one will be added.