Today (September 29), Disney Plus released GroupWatch, a social distance viewing feature, in the United States This new option allows up to seven accounts to remotely watch Disney Plus content, with movies and TV synchronized across devices

Cross-sync playback is a feature that virtually all streaming services require When trying to watch a movie or TV show with friends, one person will inevitably watch it first, leading to spoilers and confusion

GroupWatch is supported on most Disney Plus devices, including web browsers, mobile apps, streaming devices, and smart TVs In addition, each member of the watch party can control playback, not just the host who initiated playback This allows anyone to press pause when they need to pick up a delivery or take a bathroom break

There is one missing feature, if you ask me Instead, Disney Plus allows you to send emojis that appear on the screen, which I find a bit distracting

Also, Google Meet has a 60-minute call time limit, which means that when you are watching a full-length movie, you have lost another option for how to talk to each other while streaming such as this

This release follows features that were tested earlier this month in Canada (starting September 10) and Australia and New Zealand (starting September 18) GroupWatch on Disney Plus could not be better timed as we prepare to watch "The Mandalorian" Season 2 on October 30

Hulu and Amazon have launched their own viewing options, and third-party options like Netflix Party are also thriving

Here's how to use Disney Plus GroupWatch:

Repeat steps 2 and 3 until your GroupWatch Party is complete