# CouchBuddy

> CouchBuddy is a second-screen "X-Ray" app for Plex on iPhone. It follows the movie or TV episode playing in Plex and uses the viewer's own ChatGPT plan to research it in real time: who is on screen, filming locations, music, trivia, production stories, cultural references, language and outfits. Every fact links to its source. CouchBuddy is in a private TestFlight beta.

Website: https://www.couchbuddy.app/
Beta requests: beta@couchbuddy.app
Platforms: iPhone (iOS 27), with an Apple Watch companion, Live Activity and Dynamic Island
Languages: English, Dutch (Nederlands)
Status: private TestFlight beta (not yet on the App Store)

## How it works

- **Plex: what's playing.** CouchBuddy signs in with Plex and follows playback on the user's Plex Media Server: title, episode, playback position and state. No manual searching.
- **ChatGPT: what's interesting about it.** The user's ChatGPT plan is the research engine. It researches the exact title, episode and moment on the web and returns facts with sources. It also answers the user's own questions about the current moment ("Where was this filmed?", "Who's that?", "What song is this?").
- **TMDB: what it looks like.** TMDB supplies artwork and metadata. CouchBuddy's colour palette adapts to each title's artwork.

## Features

- Live timeline of facts synced to the playback position, with colour-coded categories
- Cast: who is on screen, voice roles and actor profiles
- Places: filming locations, real versus fictional places
- Music: songs and score with the story behind them, plus Shazam
- Trivia, Easter eggs, production and behind-the-scenes stories
- References and language: slang, idioms, books, history and jokes found in subtitles
- Outfits and style: clothing and brands per character, with how sure each identification is and where to buy
- Ask: questions about the current moment, answered with ChatGPT
- Sources: every fact links to where it came from (for example Wikipedia, Wikidata, TMDB, studio and press sources)
- Spoiler protection: facts unlock only when playback reaches them
- Artwork-based colour palettes, Liquid Glass design

## Requirements

- iPhone with iOS 27
- Plex Media Server (playback source)
- ChatGPT plan (research and Ask)
- TMDB API key (artwork and metadata, free)

CouchBuddy does not include or resell any of these services.

## Privacy

There is no CouchBuddy server. The iPhone talks directly to Plex, ChatGPT/OpenAI, TMDB and Wikipedia. Tokens are stored in the iOS Keychain.

## Examples from the app

- Toy Story 4: an Easter egg card at 51:15 explains that the house number 237 is another reference to The Shining's Overlook Hotel room.
- Ted Lasso S4E5: the Places tab lists filming locations such as Richmond Green, The Prince's Head pub and the Rivoli Ballroom in London.
- Ted Lasso S4E5: the Outfits tab identifies Rebecca Welton's Dolce & Gabbana double-breasted check blazer, marked "Probable".
- The Odyssey (2026): a soundtrack card explains how Ludwig Göransson turned Troy's bronze alarms into a three-note lament for Odysseus.
- Spider-Man: Brand New Day: a behind-the-scenes card on the cinematographer who once projected Sam Raimi's Spider-Man as a cinema projectionist.

## Not affiliated

CouchBuddy is an independent application and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Plex, Inc., OpenAI or TMDB. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.