A Teleparty alternative that works on a phone
Teleparty (formerly Netflix Party) is a desktop browser extension that syncs playback for people who each hold their own subscription. If you need to include someone on a phone, or you would rather not ask everyone to install something, a shared cloud browser like Waddle is the closer fit: the room opens from a link in any browser, and only one browser is playing anything.
| Teleparty | Waddle | |
|---|---|---|
| Install needed | Chrome or Edge extension, every viewer | Nothing. A link opens in any browser |
| Works on iPhone / Android | No — mobile browsers cannot run desktop extensions | Yes, the room opens in a mobile browser |
| How syncing works | Each viewer plays their own copy, kept in step | One browser plays; the room watches it |
| Everyone needs their own subscription | Yes, for the service being watched | No — but the room sees whatever is opened |
| What you can watch | Supported streaming services, done well | Anything on the open web the room can open |
| Voice chat in the room | No, text chat | Yes, plus text chat and reactions |
| Anything else in the room | The video | Browse anywhere, plus games between videos |
Where Teleparty is the better pick
Where Teleparty wins: if everybody already has the same subscription, is on a laptop, and wants to watch one supported service, it is purpose-built for exactly that and each person gets their own full-quality stream from the service itself. It has been doing this for years and it does it well.
The extension is the whole problem
Teleparty is a browser extension, and that single fact decides most of the rest. Extensions run on desktop Chrome and Edge. They do not run on iOS or Android, because mobile browsers do not load them. So the friend on a phone is not having a worse experience, they are having no experience — they cannot join at all.
It also means every person you invite has to install something before the evening can start, which is where remote film nights actually die. Not on playback, on the twenty minutes of "have you got it yet?" beforehand.
What a shared browser does differently
Instead of synchronising several copies of a video, a shared cloud browser runs one real browser somewhere else and streams its screen to everyone in the room. There is nothing to keep in sync because there is only one thing playing. Whoever holds control clicks and types, and anyone can ask for a turn.
The practical upshot is that joining is just opening a link, on whatever device someone happens to have, without an account. It also means the room is not limited to one service: if you can open it in a browser, the room can watch it together.
The honest catch
A shared browser shows everyone the same screen, including anything you sign into. Teleparty's model keeps each person's account on their own machine, which is genuinely better for privacy when everyone already subscribes to the same thing.
And some paid streaming services deliberately block playback outside their own approved apps and devices. No watch-party tool can promise otherwise, and any that does is not being straight with you.
Common questions
Is there a Teleparty alternative that works on mobile?
Yes. Waddle runs in the browser rather than as an extension, so a room opens on iPhone and Android as well as on a laptop. Extension-based tools cannot do this at all.
Do my friends need an account to join?
No. Joining a Waddle room needs only the link. Hosting one needs a free account.
Does everyone need their own subscription?
Not for anything on the open web, because only one browser is playing. For a paid service, whoever opens it is signing into their own account in front of the room, so treat that as a decision rather than a default.
Is Waddle free?
Yes, creating a room and watching together is free.
Is Teleparty still working in 2026?
Yes. Teleparty is still running as a desktop extension. This page is about which fits your group, not about a service that has gone away.