Following Google’s recent crackdown on popular Discord music bots like Groovy and Rythm, Discord has introduced a new feature, Watch Together, enabling users to watch YouTube videos with server members. This article covers everything you need to know to start a YouTube co-viewing experience effortlessly.
Co-Viewing YouTube with Friends on Discord (2022)
Before we begin, note that Discord’s Watch Together feature is gradually rolling out. Discord aims to make Watch Together available on all servers by the end of October. If you don’t immediately see the feature on your Discord server, check back in a few weeks. Now, let’s get started!
Set up Discord Watch Together
1. Join a Discord voice channel on your server and look for the new rocket icon next to the screen-sharing icon.
2. Click on the rocket icon to start a new ‘Watch Together’ session. Unlike what you see in the image below, you will not see games like Poker Night and Chess in the Park on your server as they have not been fully released yet.
3. Discord now prompts you to review YouTube’s terms of service and privacy policy. After reviewing, click ‘Continue’ to proceed. As indicated, ads will appear while watching YouTube videos on Discord, even with a YouTube Premium subscription.
4. Next, another pop-up appears to authorize Watch Together. Click ‘Authorize’ to begin an official YouTube watch party in Discord.
Join YouTube Watch Party on Discord
1. To join an existing YouTube watch party on Discord, simply open the server, hover over the voice channel, and click ‘Join Activity‘.
2. You can also invite server members to the watch party. To do so, simply click the ‘Invite To Activity’ button in the bottom-left corner.
3. From the invite screen, you can search for Discord friends or copy the activity invite link and paste it into the chat.
Using Discord Watch Together
Now that you know how to start and join a YouTube watch party on Discord, here’s how to use the feature.
1. When starting the YouTube co-viewing session, you’ll see three sections — a search box, trending videos, and a thumbnail preview of participants.
2. Use the search box to find the YouTube video you want to watch with friends on Discord. Alternatively, paste the YouTube link directly. On the search results page, click the ‘+’ icon to add videos to the queue.
3. By default, the creator of the Watch Together session in Discord has the remote control. With it, you can control video playback, pause for everyone, and select & scrub videos. Changes you make sync and apply to everyone watching with you.
Wondering how to share the remote while watching YouTube videos in Discord? To share it, toggle off below the video queue. It will switch from red to green.
4. Everyone can select and scrub the video when sharing the remote. However, no one (including you) can pause the video for the group. Additionally, the video quality preference isn’t synced in both cases.
Remote toggle turns from red to green while sharing remote
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Will I see ads while watching YouTube videos on Discord?
Yes, you’ll see ads while watching YouTube videos on Discord.
Q. Will Discord Watch Together have ads if I have YouTube Premium?
As of now, YouTube will show you ads on Discord even if you have a YouTube Premium subscription. That’s because there isn’t a login mechanism at the moment.
Q. Can I watch YouTube videos with friends on Discord mobile?
No, Discord Watch Together is currently limited to the Discord app and the web client on desktop. However, you could try using the feature from a web browser in desktop mode.
Q. Why am I not seeing Watch Together on my Discord server?
Discord is gradually rolling out Watch Together to all servers. You should get the feature by the end of October this year.
Q. Can I stream Netflix movies and TV shows on Discord?
Yes, it’s possible to stream Netflix movies and TV series on Discord. You can check our linked guide for streaming Netflix on Discord, but note that the feature is not officially supported.
Stream YouTube Videos on Discord
This concludes our guide on streaming YouTube videos with friends on Discord. The only inconvenience is ads. It will be interesting to see if Discord and YouTube developers collaborate to enable YouTube Premium users to watch ad-free videos on Discord. Meanwhile, explore these Discord bots and add them to your server.
Pritam Chopra is a seasoned IT professional and a passionate blogger hailing from the dynamic realm of technology. With an insatiable curiosity for all things tech-related, Pritam has dedicated himself to exploring and unraveling the intricacies of the digital world.
