Room codes, join requests, and the shared queue
VideoKe rooms are built around a simple idea: one shared stage, one ordered queue, and a gatekeeper (the host) who decides who enters. This guide explains the mechanics so hosts and joiners share the same expectations.
Room codes are invitations, not passwords
A room code is a short identifier like those shown in the live header bar. Anyone who knows the code can *request* to join, but they cannot enter until the host approves. That distinction keeps parties private even if a code leaks to the wrong group chat.
Codes belong to active rooms. When the host leaves and the room closes, the code stops working. For a new night, start a fresh room and share the new code. Do not screenshot last month’s code and expect it to open a door.
Join requests and approvals
After a joiner submits a code on the Room page, their status shows as pending until you act. Hosts see a join-requests panel listing names (or guest labels). Approve friends; deny strangers.
Room capacity may be limited by your plan or site settings. If approval fails because the room is full, remove someone who already left physically or kick an inactive participant, then approve the waiting person. Subscriptions can raise limits; browse Pricing if you regularly host bigger groups.
A guest who is stuck on pending is not a site outage until you have looked at the panel. Approve the correct name. If they refreshed and appear twice, approve the live request and ignore the stale one.
Participants list
Approved joiners appear under In this room. Hosts can remove (kick) a participant with confirmation — useful if someone joins by mistake or breaks room rules. Kicking does not ban them from the whole site; it only removes them from this session. They can request again if they still have the code and you still want them.
Use kick for the person who turned guest controls into a skip war, not for someone who queued a song you dislike. Songs can be removed from Up next; people should stay unless they are actually a problem.
The shared queue
The queue is the ordered list of songs waiting to play. The first unplayed item is always Now playing; everything after that is Up next.
- Add (+) — Appends a song to the end. Duplicates are allowed but the app warns you first.
- Play now (▶) — Moves a song to the front and interrupts the current track after confirmation.
- Skip — Host (or guests with controls) ends the current song and advances.
- Remove (×) — Deletes an item from Up next; confirms before removing.
- Drag — Reorders Up next when you have queue-control permission.
Play now is a tool, not a default. In family rooms it should be rare. In a trusted trio it is how you jump to the song everyone just shouted. Queue etiquette is the social layer on top of these buttons.
Guest controls toggle
By default, only the host pauses, skips, reorders, or removes queue items. When you enable Guest controls, approved joiners receive the same playback and queue powers. That is great for trusted groups and chaotic for mixed crowds. Toggle it from the room toolbar anytime. You do not need to restart the room.
If the queue becomes a fight, turn guest controls off, restore order with drag, and leave them off for the rest of the night. You can still let people *add* songs; you just take skip and interrupt back. Host vs guest controls is the longer decision piece.
Adding songs without leaving the room
The room sidebar has three sources: Search (catalog + categories), Recents (songs you recently queued or opened), and Playlists (your saved lists). Open a playlist and use Play all to dump every track into the queue — handy for themed sets.
Bookmark icons save a song into a playlist without navigating away. Gold bookmarks mean the track is already saved somewhere in your library.
Playback sync
The host’s player is the source of truth for timing. Joiners typically watch the same embedded video; if someone is mirroring the host on a projector, they can use Hide my video to avoid double audio on their own laptop.
If a row looks stale after a network blip, have the host skip or re-add. Do not have three people refresh at once hoping to “desync-fix” — you will just create extra join noise.
Room chat
Text chat appears below Now playing for approved participants. It is meant for short messages during songs — cheers, requests, or “BRB.” Keep it friendly; hosts can still remove disruptive joiners. Chat is not a public comment section and it goes away with the room.
When something goes wrong
- Black or missing video — The YouTube uploader may block embedding. Remove the item and pick another search result.
- Friend stuck on pending — Refresh their browser tab; confirm you approved the correct name.
- Queue out of sync — The app refreshes periodically; have the host skip or re-add if a row looks stale after network blips.
Next: Library, playlists, ads, and subscriptions.