Disney+ quietly removes a unique feature from site.

Disney+ has been busier with news that Elemental scored a massive debut of 26 million viewers in its first week on the streamer. However, subscribers may not have realized a notable Disney+ feature has been removed. 

Since 2020, Disney+ has featured GroupWatch, which allows viewers (mostly families) to sync up programs to watch together. It also had touches like being able to post emojis and reactions to show more how folks were enjoying the programs. 

It only worked if all users were Disney+ subscribers and in the same area, but it was quite popular at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when folks streamed together. However, it appears this feature has been quietly removed, with Disney confirming it on their customer service page. 

"As of September 18th, 2023, the GroupWatch feature will no longer be available on Disney+. We're always working to deliver the best product experience on Disney+, and as part of recent updates, the GroupWatch feature was removed."

This move comes as Disney plans to increase the prices on both regular Disney+ and the bundle with Hulu and ESPN+. It also would appear Disney+ is following the trend of other streamers to crack down on password sharing.

However, it’s also possible that after the initial pandemic, the feature may not have been used often enough for Disney to justify keeping it. There's also how it's common for streamers to do updates ridding themselves of early features and Disney+ is not alone in eliminating the GroupWatch concept. 

Either way, those who enjoyed using this to link with friends and watch together are out of luck, as Disney+ has put GroupWatch out to pasture.