The company appears to be finally ready to roll out anti-password sharing measures after months of warning users about them.
Soon you’ll only be able to share a Netflix accounts for users within a single household, The Streamable has reported.
Netflix now requires users to connect to the Wi-Fi at their primary location, open the Netflix app or website, and watch something at least once every 31 days in order to make sure that their devices are connected to their primary location.
Accounts can only be used by members of a single household. So, 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.
According to estimates from Netflix, over 100 million users worldwide access the service using another person’s login information.
By ending account sharing, the company anticipates receiving a fresh influx of income. In North America, where the service currently has the highest market penetration, it is essentially the only way for Netflix to add a significant number of subscribers.
There is now a page in the Netflix Help Center that explains when and how your account should be shared.
Netflix won’t start automatically billing users whose data is utilised outside of their homes. However, in several Latin American nations in 2022, Netflix has already started experimenting with ways to charge customers $3 each time someone from outside the house accesses their account.
These steps appear to be cautious precautions to prevent a large-scale exodus of account-sharing users.
If they fall short of Netflix’s expectations for reducing password sharing, more drastic measures, like charging users who continue to share their login details, may be taken.
Users have the option to transfer their show recommendations, viewing history, and other information to their new accounts if they choose to do so. Thus, password sharers will now have the chance to keep their profile intact if they create their own Netflix accounts.
If you sign into Netflix from a location other than your home, Netflix may block the current device.
Netflix has come up with a solution for those traveling. Users will receive a temporary code when logging in if they want to use Netflix on a hotel smart TV, a work laptop, etc. They will then have seven days’ worth of access to their account.
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 incorrectly blocked.
To determine whether a device signed into your account is connected at your primary location, Netflix uses data such as IP addresses, device IDs, and account activity.
You can sign into your account, sign out of all other devices, and then change your password if someone is using your device outside of your home without your permission.
However, Twitter users were quick to point out issues that arise from Netflix’s plan.
“Netflix seems to have forgotten that college students exist. Not exactly a demographic that’s know for having tons of disposable income, or for visiting home every month,” wrote one user.
Additionally, many do not believe that Netflix has enough variety in its streaming collection, and say that they will cancelling their subscriptions.
“If we all don’t cancel our subscription it’s gonna set the precedent for other streaming services to do the same thing,” tweeted another Netflix user.
What do you think of Netflix’s new measures?
