Netflix provides guidelines for password sharing
Netflix has detailed its plans to stop people from sharing its family plan passwords outside of a household - a practice that violates its terms of service and one that hurts its overall revenue.
It aims to prevent account sharing this year by asking its users to pay extra money to use the streaming service outside the household for extended periods of time.
The streaming giant updated has updated its FAQ pages for countries where they were already testing extra membership fees for account sharing; Chile, Costa Rica, and Peru.
It stated that only accounts within one household will be shareable and to ensure devices were associated with the primary location, Netflix will ask users to connect to the Wi-Fi once every 31 days.
The account holder will need to define a primary location through their television (TV).
If a user does not set a primary location or does not have a TV, Netflix will automatically set a primary location based on IP address, device IDs, and activity.
“A primary location is set by a TV that is signed into your account and is connected to your Wi-Fi network. All other devices signed into your account on that Wi-Fi network will be associated with your primary location and will be able to use Netflix.
“To ensure that your devices are associated with your primary location, connect to the Wi-Fi at your primary location, open the Netflix app or website, and watch something at least once every 31 days,” the company outlines on its support page.
What if you grabbed an iPad before leaving the house for a long train ride but you rarely use this iPad at home?
Chances are the device won’t be associated with your household when you try to watch something on the go. In this case, you can ask the main account holder to verify the device for you.
The account holder will receive a code that they can relay to the person who is traveling. If the verification is successful the traveling member can watch Netflix for seven more days without any additional prompt.
It’s unclear if you can request temporary codes several times in a row.
For instance, some students would rather request a code from their parents every week instead of paying for Netflix.
These conditions also prevent folks from using Netflix through VPN connections for a long period of time.
How can you prevent Netflix from blocking your devices?
Your devices will become "trusted devices" after signing into your home Wi-Fi at least once every 31 days, which Netflix will remember and leave unblocked. You must get in touch with Netflix to have your device unblocked if it has been mistakenly blocked.
Can you still share Netflix with someone who doesn’t live with you?
No, accounts can only be used by members of a single household. Users who attempt to sign into your account elsewhere on Netflix will be prompted to create their own accounts instead, and access will be suspended until they do so.
Netflix won't start automatically billing users whose data is utilised outside of their homes.
The streaming company has made a ton of efforts to get more paying users on its platform. In November, it launched a cheaper $6.99 ad-supported monthly plan in the U.S., the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Australia, Japan, Korea, and Brazil.
Meanwhile, it has also launched tools to kick devices off a subscription and transfer a profile from one membership to another to stop account sharing.
All these efforts have brought in more subscribers to the service. During its recent Q4 2022 quarterly results, the company said it added 7.7 million subscribers - much higher than the anticipated 4.5 million additions.
Netflix will go through a product overhaul under the new co-CEO Greg Peters (formerly COO) after founder Reed Hastings stepped down from the post last month.
At the same time, the company said that it will crack down on password sharing “more broadly” in the coming months. Extra member fees will likely come to more countries soon.
