Well, the long-anticipated day has finally arrived. On May 23, Netflix officially rolled out its rules against password sharing in the United States. These rules are intended to help Netflix switch the estimated 100 million people worldwide who are sharing someone else’s account to paying subscribers.
Whether Netflix will achieve that goal remains to be seen, but in the meantime users likely have plenty of questions. The Streamable will try to answer as many of those questions as it can, even with Netflix’s seemingly intentional vagueness on several key points.
What Does Netflix Consider a Household?
On May 23, Netflix began sending a form email to its customers, informing them that henceforward their service was only meant to be shared with members of the same household. By this, Netflix means that accounts should be used only by a group of people occupying the same living space, be it house, apartment, or anything else.
How Do You Set Up a Netflix Household?
You can set or update your Netflix Household when signed into Netflix from a TV that is connected to your home internet.
- From the Netflix home screen on your TV, press left on your remote to open the menu.
- Select Get Help > Manage Netflix Household.
- Select Confirm Netflix Household or Update My Netflix Household.
- Select Send Email or Send Text. A verification link will be sent to the account email address or phone number. Verification links expire after 15 minutes.
NOTE: If you have not added a phone number or email address to your account, you will only see one option.]
If you do not receive the verification link by email or text, click Resend Email or Resend Text. Or you can choose another option or select Remind Me Later.
- Select “Yes, This Was Me” in the email, or tap the link in the text message, then “Confirm Netflix Household” or “Update Netflix Household” to continue.
- You will see a confirmation on your TV screen and receive a confirmation email. Select “Continue to Netflix” to start watching.
What if You Don’t Watch Netflix on a TV?
If you don’t watch Netflix on a TV or don’t have one, you do not need to set a Netflix Household for your account.
How Does Netflix Know You’re Using the Internet at Your Household?
Netflix will automatically identify the Wi-Fi or internet connection you set up your as your Netflix Household via your home broadband connection. If a Netflix Household hasn’t been set, the service will automatically set one for you based on IP address, device IDs, and account activity.
Will Netflix Use GPS Data to Ensure You’re Inside Your Household?
No, Netflix does not collect GPS data or track your location to try to determine the precise physical location of your devices. Instead, information such as IP addresses, device IDs, and account activity are used to determine whether a device signed into your account is part of your Netflix Household.
What if You Try to Connect to Netflix Outside Your Household?
If you want to watch Netflix on devices that are connected to Wi-Fi networks using different internet service providers or that have different external IP addresses, you may be asked to verify that device as part of your Netflix Household.
Will Netflix Block Devices That Attempt to Access Service Outside the Home?
Not at this time. Device blocking was one of the countermeasures listed when Netflix first unvieled its rules against password sharing in January. Netflix informed customers via its U.S. Help Center page that it would block access to its service on devices that tried to use it outside the household.
However, Netflix quickly backtracked on that particular provision, claiming it had posted those rules on its American Help Center page by accident. Many of the other rules posted simultaneously are essentially unchanged, which could mean Netflix will resort to device blocking later if it doesn’t see the initial results it wants from its new account-sharing rules.
Will Netflix Automatically Start Charging You if Someone Else Continues Sharing Your Account?
One of Netflix’s new rules against password sharing provides for the addition of an extra user to accounts for an additional cost of $7.99 per month. The added person can then set up their own household location and retain their watch history and user profile.
Although Netflix will prompt account holders to add this new charge to their monthly bill if someone is using the service outside the home, it will not automatically start charging users with extra people on their accounts.
Can You Still Use Netflix While Traveling?
Yes, although this is an area where Netflix has been vague about the specifics. Users who log into their Netflix accounts from a hotel or Airbnb will likely receive an email asking them to verify their information since they will be attempting to access the service from outside their household.
How Can You See Who’s Using Your Netflix Account?
You can see who’s using your Netflix account at any given moment with the Manage Access and Devices feature in the Settings menu. This will allow you to view where your Netflix is in use, and shut down access to any device that is using your service without permission.
Netflix
Netflix is a subscription video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 3,000+ movies, 2,000+ TV Shows, and Netflix Originals like Stranger Things, Squid Game, The Crown, Tiger King, and Bridgerton. They are constantly adding new shows and movies. Some of their Academy Award-winning exclusives include Roma, Marriage Story, Mank, and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.