How to Create a Watchpubs Room and Invite Friends

To create a Watchpubs room, open the site and start a new room, then share the room link with your friends — anyone who opens that link in a browser joins the same room. You can then watch YouTube videos, listen to SoundCloud tracks, or paste links from other sources together, with a room cap of 100 users. This guide covers the exact steps, what to expect at each stage, and the common snags.

What You Need Before Starting

• A browser on desktop or mobile.
• A Watchpubs room link (you create this in step 1).
• For video playback from arbitrary sites: a direct video link ending in something like videos/example.mp4. The site states this works with not every website, so test your source before relying on it.
• A source you're allowed to use: YouTube, SoundCloud, Google Drive files, and Twitch clips are named on the site. Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and similar subscription services are not supported — the site itself points to Scener or Metastream for those.

Step-by-Step: Create a Room and Invite Friends

1. Create a new room

On the Watchpubs homepage, use the "Create a new room" action. The site describes the flow as: create a new room, invite friends with a link, spend time together.

Expected result: you land in your own room, which functions as your "YouTube chilling place."

2. Copy the room link

Your room is identified by its link. Copy it from the browser address bar or the share option in the room.

Expected result: you have a single URL that, when opened, places the visitor in your room.

3. Send the link to friends

Share it through any channel you already use — chat, email, or a group message. There is no separate invite list to manage; the link is the invitation.

4. Friends open the link and join

Each friend opens the link in a browser. They join the same room and see the same playback.

Expected result: everyone in the room watches and listens together, and the chat is available for reactions and coordination.

5. Add something to watch

Use the YouTube search bar inside the room and play a video in two clicks. You can also paste a link from another source — the site says "just paste a link and app will do the rest" for sources like Google Drive files or Twitch clips.

Expected result: the video or track plays for the whole room, and you can share it to the chat or add it to a playlist.

6. Optionally install it as an app on mobile

If you want fullscreen playback on a phone, open the room link in your mobile browser and use the browser's options menu to install Watchpubs as an app. On iOS, that menu item is "Add to home screen."

Expected result: Watchpubs opens from your home screen like an app, which the site presents as the way to get fullscreen on mobile.

What the Room Gives You Once Everyone Is In

Common Snags and How to Handle Them

• A pasted link won't play. The site requires a direct video link (ending like videos/example.mp4) for arbitrary websites, and notes it doesn't work everywhere. If a page link fails, look for the direct file link instead.
• A friend can't find the room. They need the room link itself, not the homepage. Re-send the URL from step 2.
• Fullscreen doesn't work on mobile. Install the room as an app via your browser's options menu ("Add to home screen" on iOS), then open it from there.
• Someone wants to watch a subscription service. Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime aren't supported here; the site recommends Scener or Metastream for those.
• The room feels crowded. The current cap is 100 users per room, so split into a second room if you're near that limit.

When This Setup Fits

This approach works well for casual group watching — memes, music, learning videos — where everyone can open a link and you don't need account-based invites. It's less suitable if your group relies on subscription streaming services or on sources that don't expose direct video links. For a deeper walkthrough of every feature, the site points to its own "how-to-use" tutorial and blog post.