Questions, answered
Short answers about how ReelMate works. Anything missing? Tell us on the Contact page.
What is ReelMate?
A film and TV diary you share with friends. You log what you watch, rate it, keep a watchlist and lists, get recommendations, decide what to watch together in a Movie Night, and watch together in a Watch Room. More about ReelMate.
Is ReelMate free?
Yes. Everything in ReelMate is free today, including Watch Rooms, and there are no ads.
How do recommendations work?
ReelMate looks at what you have rated and watched (your favourite genres and the titles you loved), your Taste DNA, and what your friends have been logging, where their privacy settings let you see it. It leaves out what you have already watched and anything you marked Not interested. Pick for Me also asks for your mood, time and style. Every pick shows the reason it was chosen, and it is worked out inside the app from your own data; ReelMate does not sell it or build advertising profiles.
What is a Watch Room?
A room where one person (the host) shares a browser tab, window or screen and everyone in the room watches the same picture, with chat, reactions and GIFs beside it. Rooms are private (invite only) or public. Start one from Home or from People.
How many people can join?
Free hosts can have up to 3 people at a time, including themselves; Pro hosts can have larger rooms. Joining is always free: the host’s plan sets the room’s limits. The host can keep a guest list of up to 8 invited people, and can remove someone from the room.
Does ReelMate host or store the movie?
No. ReelMate does not host, provide or record any film or show. The host’s picture and sound go directly from their browser to the other people’s browsers; they are never uploaded to ReelMate. Only the text chat is stored, and it is deleted about a day after the room ends. The host is responsible for having the right to show what they share.
Why might screen sharing not work on some streaming services?
Some streaming services protect their video, so a browser can only capture a black picture. ReelMate cannot get around that, and shouldn’t. If the picture is black, try sharing a different tab or window, or another browser. Sharing a browser tab usually includes the sound; sharing a whole window may not, and ReelMate tells the host whether sound is included.
Why can quality change?
ReelMate asks for 1080p at 30 frames a second. When the network or the computer sharing the screen struggles, it lowers the resolution, frame rate or bitrate to keep the picture and sound steady, and raises them again when things recover. Audio is protected first.
What does the connection indicator mean?
The signal bars rate the connection from live measurements (delay, lost packets, jitter and available bandwidth): Excellent is 4 bars, Good 3, Weak 2 and Poor 1. Press the small info button next to it for the numbers and a plain-language reason. A person who is not connected shows as offline, which is different from a weak signal.
How do I delete my account?
Open Settings → Account → Delete account and confirm with your password (or with Google). It permanently removes your account and what you created, and it cannot be undone. You never need to email anyone to do it.
Who can see my profile and activity?
You choose. Your profile, diary, watchlist, favourites, lists and activity can each be set to public, friends only, or only you (Settings → Privacy & social). These choices are enforced by the database’s security rules, not just hidden in the interface. Your settings, notifications, block and mute lists are always private to you.
How do Block and Mute work?
Block stops someone sending you requests or interacting with you; they are not told. Mute keeps them as a friend but hides their activity from your feed; they are not told either. Both are in the ⋯ menu on someone’s profile, and you can undo them under Profile → Edit profile → Blocked & muted people.
Where does movie information come from?
From TMDB (The Movie Database): titles, posters, photos, cast and crew. This product uses TMDB and the TMDB APIs but is not endorsed, certified, or otherwise approved by TMDB. See Credits. Ratings, reviews and lists are written by ReelMate people.
Why is some media unavailable?
ReelMate does not show sexually explicit titles: they are filtered out of search, browsing, recommendations, person pages and direct links, and such a link says “This title isn’t available on ReelMate”. Mature mainstream films (for example R-rated ones) are not affected. Otherwise a title may simply be missing or incomplete in TMDB’s data.