PlayPair

Introduction

PlayPair is a Windows app that mirrors play, pause and seek between two or more computers, so friends can watch or listen together in sync. It works with the player each person already has open: Spotify, Plex, VLC, and YouTube in Chrome or Brave.

It needs no accounts. One person creates a room, shares a 6-character code, and the others join.

Where it stands

A portable Windows build is available to download. It connects through a shared relay server, which you can replace with your own. Android is the next direction, and it is planned, not started.

The Problem

Watching or listening together at a distance usually means counting down to press play at the same moment, then fixing drift by hand. Most watch-together tools cover one service, or make everyone use the same app or browser extension.

The Solution

PlayPair does not stream anything. Each person plays their own copy or subscription, and PlayPair only shares the controls. When one person pauses or seeks, everyone else's player does the same.

Limits to know about

Controls travel through a relay server over the internet, so players stay close together but not frame-exact. The sync logic tolerates small differences and recovers from drift. Each person needs their own access to what they are watching, and the free shared server may take a moment to wake up after being idle.

What comes next

An Android client would mirror the controls of the apps already on the phone, using the same rooms and relay, so a Windows laptop and an Android phone could share a room. iOS is unlikely, because the platform restricts one app from controlling another app's playback.

Core Features

• Shared controls: Play, pause and seek in one player, and every other player follows.
• Works with your players: Detects what is playing through the Windows media session system, with no setup per app.
• No accounts: Share a 6-character room code. There is nothing to sign up for.
• Runs in the tray: Stays out of the way while you watch or listen.
• Self-hostable relay: Point the app at your own server with one line in a config file.