Twitch Stream Together Explained: Complete Guide to Shared Chat, Shared Viewership & Drop-Ins

Key Takeaways

• Stream Together is available to ALL accounts - no Affiliate or Partner status required.
• Shared Chat merges communities - viewers from all collaborating channels can interact together.
• Shared Viewership combines view counts - improves discoverability without affecting Partner eligibility.
• Drop-Ins enable spontaneous collaboration - "knock" on other streamers' channels to collaborate.
• Replaces Squad Stream - Stream Together is the modern collaborative streaming solution.

Stream Together Core Features

The system includes three main components:

• Shared Chat: Merges chat rooms so all collaborating streamers' audiences can interact together
• Shared Viewership: Combines view counts to accurately represent collaborative reach
• Drop-Ins: Enables spontaneous collaboration requests between live streamers
• Flexible layouts: Viewers can adjust stream arrangements in the multi-view player
• Favorites list: Quickly invite frequent collaborators

Eligibility Requirements

To use Stream Together:

• Any Twitch account: No monetization status required
• Must be live: You need to be actively streaming
• Account in good standing: No active restrictions on your account

This accessibility represents a major shift from the old Squad Stream model, which was restricted to Partners only. Now, small streamers can collaborate with established creators without technical barriers.

Why This Matters for Small Streamers

Stream Together levels the playing field for collaborative content. Small streamers can now:

• Collaborate with other creators regardless of status
• Benefit from Shared Viewership for improved discoverability
• Access the same collaboration tools as Partners
• Build networking relationships through Drop-Ins

How Shared Chat Works

When Shared Chat is active:

• Unified conversation: All collaborators' audiences can directly interact
• Visual indicators: Badges show which channel each chatter belongs to
• Cross-channel messaging: Messages appear in all participating streams
• Real-time sync: Chat updates instantly across all channels

Enabling Shared Chat

The host of a Stream Together session activates Shared Chat:

1. Start your Stream Together session
2. Open the backstage window
3. Click "Start Sharing Chat"
4. All guests must be actively streaming to participate

Non-hosts can opt out of Shared Chat while remaining in the Stream Together session, and can rejoin later if desired.

Shared Chat Moderation

Moderators maintain control during Shared Chat sessions:

• Delete messages: Moderators can delete messages from any channel (deletion only affects their channel)
• Timeout/ban: Can timeout or ban viewers from other channels during the session
• Session-only enforcement: Restrictions from cross-channel moderation only apply during the active Shared Chat
• Visual identification: Moderators can easily distinguish their own community members

For comprehensive moderation strategies, see our Twitch Moderation guide.

Shared Chat Limitations

Some channel-specific features don't cross over to Shared Chat:

• Hype Trains: Remain channel-specific
• Polls: Only display on the originating channel
• Predictions: Not shared across channels
• Power-Ups: Channel-specific
• Shoutouts: Don't display across all shared channels

However, monetization events like subscriptions and Bits cheers apply only to the channel where transactions occur, preserving individual earnings.

How Shared Viewership Works

When enabled:

• Combined display: Total unique concurrent viewers shown across all collaborating channels
• Automatic activation: Triggers when Stream Together sessions have Shared Chat enabled
• Dual display: Shows both combined viewership and individual channel counts
• Discovery impact: Combined view counts affect ranking on discovery surfaces

Shared Viewership Qualification Requirements

According to Twitch's developer documentation, two essential criteria must be met for Shared Viewership:

1. Collaborative content: Streamers must be sharing audio and/or video together while live simultaneously
2. Shared Chat enabled: Communities must be able to co-create together through merged chat

The basic definition: two or more streamers present and creating something new together while live at the same time, that their combined communities can engage with through chat.

What Shared Viewership Does NOT Affect

Important clarifications about Shared Viewership:

• Path to Partner: Individual metrics remain unchanged for eligibility
• Ad revenue: Payout calculations use individual channel counts
• Analytics: Your personal channel analytics remain separate

Streamers should experience minimal trade-offs when streaming with someone else - the feature enhances discoverability without penalizing individual growth metrics.

How Drop-Ins Work

The Drop-In process:

1. Find collaborators: Check your Followed Channels list or visit a streamer's channel page
2. Look for availability: Available streamers show a collaboration icon
3. Send a "knock": Click the icon to request collaboration
4. Wait for response: The other streamer receives a private notification in their chat
5. Start collaborating: If accepted, begin with an audio-only call
6. Add video: Expand to video through OBS browser sources if desired

Drop-In Availability Settings

Control who can send you Drop-In requests through the Collaboration panel in Stream Manager:

You can also pause Drop-In requests entirely during specific broadcasts.

Creative Drop-In Use Cases

As Twitch CEO Dan Clancy noted, Drop-Ins are "improvisational and you simply don't know what you are going to get." Popular uses include:

• Pre-raid hangouts: Quick chat before raiding to another channel
• Spontaneous co-op: Jump into a friend's game unexpectedly
• Drop-in parties: Organized events where multiple streamers cycle through
• Mentorship moments: Larger creators dropping in on smaller channels
• Real-time reactions: React to events together as they happen

Stream Together vs. Guest Star

See our Guest Star guide for detailed coverage of that feature.

Stream Together vs. Squad Stream (Deprecated)

Stream Together is the modern replacement for Squad Stream, which Twitch deprecated in January 2024:

• Accessibility: Stream Together is available to all; Squad Stream was Partner-only
• Shared Chat: Stream Together includes this; Squad Stream did not
• Shared Viewership: Stream Together provides combined counts; Squad Stream kept them separate
• Drop-Ins: New feature unique to Stream Together

If you were a Squad Stream user, Stream Together provides everything Squad Stream offered plus significant improvements.

Step 1: Go Live

Start your stream as normal using your preferred streaming software (OBS, Streamlabs, etc.).

Step 2: Access Stream Together

Open Stream Together through one of these methods:

• Stream Manager: Click the Collaboration panel
• Channel page: Look for the collaboration icon on channels you follow
• Followed Channels list: Check availability indicators

Step 3: Invite Collaborators

Add streamers to your session:

1. Click "Invite" in the Stream Together panel
2. Search for the streamer's username or select from Favorites
3. Send the invitation
4. Wait for them to accept

Invited streamers must be live and have Stream Together availability enabled.

Step 4: Enable Shared Chat

Once collaborators have joined:

1. Open the backstage window
2. Click "Start Sharing Chat"
3. Confirm the action

Shared Viewership activates automatically when Shared Chat is enabled.

Pre-Stream Coordination

Prepare before going live together:

• Agree on content: What game, topic, or activity will you collaborate on?
• Set expectations: Duration, format, and any special segments
• Test audio: Ensure voice chat works without echo (use Discord, in-game voice, etc.)
• Coordinate scheduling: Sync start times for simultaneous go-live
• Brief moderators: Inform your mods about the collaboration and cross-channel moderation

During the Collaboration

Keep the experience smooth:

• Acknowledge both communities: Welcome viewers from all channels
• Cross-promote: Use shoutouts to highlight your collaborator
• Engage Shared Chat: Respond to messages from all communities
• Monitor moderation: Keep an eye on chat across channels

Post-Collaboration

Maximize the aftereffects:

• Raid each other: Send viewers to your collaborator when ending
• Social media promotion: Share clips and highlights from the collaboration
• Plan future content: If it went well, schedule regular collaborations
• Analyze analytics: Review engagement metrics from the session

Finding Collaboration Partners

Look for streamers who are:

• Similar audience size: Mutual benefit is more likely
• Complementary content: Related but not identical niches
• Compatible schedules: Able to go live at the same times
• Good chemistry: Personalities that work well together

Networking Through Drop-Ins

Use Drop-Ins strategically:

• Start with followers: Drop-In on channels you already follow
• Be respectful: Keep initial Drop-Ins brief
• Offer value: Bring entertainment or interesting conversation
• Follow up: Connect on Discord or social media after positive interactions

Measuring Collaboration Success

Track these metrics using Twitch Analytics:

• New followers: Did the collaboration bring new followers?
• Viewer retention: Did collaborative viewers stick around?
• Chat engagement: Was Shared Chat more active than usual?
• Return viewers: Did viewers from the other channel come back?

Can't Find Collaboration Icon

If you don't see the collaboration option:

• Ensure the other streamer is live
• Check their availability settings (they may have restricted Drop-Ins)
• Verify you're logged into Twitch
• Try refreshing the page

Shared Chat Not Working

If chat isn't merging:

• Confirm the host clicked "Start Sharing Chat"
• All participants must be actively streaming
• Check for browser extensions interfering with Twitch
• Try refreshing the Stream Together session

Shared Viewership Not Appearing

If combined view counts aren't showing:

• Shared Chat must be enabled for Shared Viewership
• Both streamers must be creating content together (not just in the session)
• There may be a brief delay before combined counts appear

Extensions That Work Well with Collaborations

Consider adding:

• Sound Alerts: Let viewers from both communities trigger sounds
• Stream Avatars: Combined avatar communities on screen
• Polls and voting: Engage both audiences in decisions
• Loyalty extensions: Reward viewers who follow both channels

What is Twitch Stream Together?

Twitch Stream Together is a collaborative streaming feature that allows multiple streamers to broadcast together with merged chat and combined viewership. It includes Shared Chat (merged chat rooms), Shared Viewership (combined view counts), and Drop-Ins (spontaneous collaboration requests). Unlike the deprecated Squad Stream, Stream Together is available to all Twitch accounts regardless of monetization status.

Who can use Twitch Stream Together?

Stream Together is available to all Twitch accounts, regardless of Affiliate or Partner status. This is a significant change from the old Squad Stream feature which was Partner-exclusive. Any streamer can host or join a Stream Together session, making collaborative content accessible to creators at all levels.

How does Shared Viewership affect my Partner status?

Shared Viewership does NOT affect your Path to Partner eligibility or ad revenue calculations. Individual channel viewership metrics remain unchanged for these purposes. Shared Viewership only combines view counts for display on discovery surfaces and helps accurately represent the collaborative experience viewers can expect when joining a stream.

What's the difference between Stream Together and Guest Star?

Stream Together connects multiple independent streams with Shared Chat and Shared Viewership - each streamer maintains their own broadcast. Guest Star brings guests directly onto your single stream via video/audio. Use Stream Together for multi-streamer collaborations where each person has their own audience; use Guest Star for bringing non-streamers or viewers onto your broadcast.

How do Drop-Ins work on Twitch?

Drop-Ins allow streamers to spontaneously request collaboration with other live streamers. You can "knock" on another streamer's channel if they're available. If they accept, you start an audio-only call that can be expanded to include video. Streamers control who can Drop-In through availability settings: All Streamers, Affiliates and Partners only, Partners only, People you Follow, or Favorites list only.

Does Stream Together affect my ad revenue?

No. Ad revenue calculations use your individual channel's viewer counts, not the combined Shared Viewership numbers. Your payouts remain based on your channel's performance, ensuring you're not penalized for collaborating.