Make sure your browser is current. Verify that Metastream is up to date. The version listed in the menu ought to be the most recent version. Chrome: Check to see that the extension is available “on all sites.” Allow third-party cookies–needed as Metastream embeds other websites.
(Chrome) Disable #same-site-by-default-cookies by going to chrome://flags. For the changes to take effect, restart the browser. (Brave) Select “All cookies allowed” from the shield settings menu. Alternately, in the playback controls, press the “Open in popup” button under the “menu.” Try disabling all other extensions. For known conflicts, look at the list of extensions that are incompatible. Toggle any anti-virus/network protection software (McAfee).
Read the rest of the guide for more specific troubleshooting.
Extension issues
Extension Problem Solution
Adblock “An error occurred” on YouTube Disable and prefer using uBlock Origin.
Dark Reader Chat scrollbar blocks content Disable usage on Metastream in extension popup.
Privacy Badger prevents playing on some websites. Turn off for Metastream. By disabling HTML5 Autoplay, media won’t play when you join a session. Remove or disable the extension. How can I utilize Metastream? See this video on Twitter for a quick visual tutorial.
To summarize: To invite your friends, send them the URL of your session. Private sessions (default) require allowing users to join.
Find the media you want to share during the session by opening the media browser. Click the button labeled “Add to Session.” Enjoy watching with friends!
Videos that don’t autoplay Everyone in the session will need to interact with the page to begin playing the video if it does not autoplay. In the event that pressing the play button is required, you can interact with the webpage locally by double-clicking the screen. Why can’t I connect to my friend?
Check out the guide on Network Troubleshooting. I’ve used Rabbit before; what should I know about it? To watch, you need an extension for Chrome or Firefox. Everyone must have their own subscription-based account to watch together (i.e. Netflix, Hulu, etc).
There is no universal browser or virtual desktop like Rabbit. This feature is also not planned to be added. If Netflix gives you the message “Refused to connect,” you might want to give Firefox a shot. Issue 135 reveals the issue and provides documentation of it. How can others watch my Netflix/Hulu/[Paid-streaming-service] stream?
Metastream works by synchronizing each user’s video stream. This means everyone will need to login to an account to watch. Streaming movies purchased requires everyone to own the film. Why am I unable to log in to Netflix, Hulu, etc.? If you are redirected to the login page after logging in, this is most likely the result of a browser policy that disables third-party cookies. If that doesn’t work, try the solution under Metastream. What’s the limit for how many folks can join my session?
Currently, the default option in Metastream is that an unlimited number of users can connect to a session. However, this has not been extensively tested and may be unstable. In practice, there have been sessions with over 50 users which operated smoothly.
Metastream is constructed in a way that the networking between all connected users is managed by the session host. This indicates that the host’s network is the limiting factor. It’s best to use a wired, stable network connection if you want to create a session for more than 50 users. It is important to note that Metastream does not transmit any audio or video data, so bandwidth costs shouldn’t be very high, although this has not been extensively tested. Will Metastream be made available for mobile devices (iOS and Android)? Metastream is unsupported on these platforms. The effort required to develop and maintain apps for them is too great for the resources this project has. Although mobile Firefox is partially supported on Android, it is not a priority for development, so the user experience is inferior to that of desktop Firefox. Is Metastream safe to use?
Metastream lets you watch videos on the web with your own browser. Make sure your browser is running the most recent version. For added security, consider using an adblocker—although I’d recommend disabling it for creators you’d like to support.
There is a privacy policy for the Metastream Remote browser extension, and the source code can be audited for free. In addition, the Firefox browser addon is a part of Mozilla’s Recommended extensions program, which provides code reviews that are more in-depth. How should I close the session? The session will end and everyone will be disconnected when the host leaves. Press the next/skip button until the queue is empty to clear all queued media. How can I hide the UI on top of the video?
Your mouse cursor will disappear while the video is playing if you leave it idle for a few seconds. The chat can be docked to the right if preferred.
How do I stream files saved on my device?
This isn’t supported by Metastream and there are currently no plans to support it.
Plex is supported in part. For usage, see the issue. How do I share my screen with others in the session?
Metastream does not support this, and there are currently no plans to do so. Screen-sharing grows in cost and bandwidth as the number of users increases. If you need this functionality, you can try Discord screen sharing.
Where can I find assistance?
Why is there no longer any support for my Metastream Remote Chrome Extension? Metastream isn’t working
