Confirmed: Netflix Unveils First Details of New Anti-Password Sharing Measures
After months of warning subscribers that anti-password sharing measures were coming to Netflix, the company appears to be finally set to unleash them.
Netflix has estimated that over 100 million users worldwide are using the service through the login credentials of someone else. It hopes that by putting an end to account sharing, it will bring a new infusion of revenue to the company. It’s essentially the only way that Netflix can make meaningful subscriber additions in North America, where the service currently sees its highest share of market penetration.
The Netflix Help Center now has a page outlining how your account should be shared, and how it shouldn’t. Check below for all the details you’ll need regarding sharing a password on Netflix.
Update: Netflix Claims It Errantly Posted Password Sharing Rules that Would Block Devices Outside of Subscribers’ Homes
Who Can Use a Netflix Account Now?
Netflix accounts are still shareable, but only within one household. To ensure that your devices are associated with your primary location, Netflix is now asking users to connect to the Wi-Fi at your primary location, open the Netflix app or website, and watch something at least once every 31 days.
Can You Still Share Netflix With Someone Who Doesn’t Live With You?
No, accounts are only meant to be used within one household. Netflix will prompt users who try to sign into your account elsewhere to sign up for their own account instead and block their access until they do.
Netflix will NOT begin automatically charging account holders whose information is used outside of their homes.
Can Other Users on Your Netflix Account Save Their Profiles?
Yes, Netflix offers users a profile transfer feature that will allow them to migrate their show recommendations, watch history, and more to their own account if they decide to create one. This will give password sharers the opportunity to preserve their profile if they sign up for their own Netflix accounts.
Can You Still Use Netflix While Traveling?
Signing into Netflix outside of your home may lead to the device in use being blocked from Netflix. This could prevent you from signing into new devices while traveling, but Netflix has devised a workaround.
Traveling users who want to use Netflix on a hotel smart TV, company laptop, etc. can request a temporary code from the service when signing in. This will give them access to their account for seven consecutive days.
How Can You Prevent Netflix from Blocking Your Devices?
Signing into home Wi-Fi at least once every 31 days on your devices will make them “trusted devices,” which Netflix will remember and leave unblocked.
If your device has been blocked incorrectly, you’ll need to contact Netflix in order to get it unblocked.
How Will Netflix Know if You’re Not in Your Home/Primary Location?
Netflix uses information such as IP addresses, device IDs, and account activity to determine whether a device signed into your account is connected at your primary location.
If your device is being used outside your home by someone you haven’t authorized, you can sign into your account and sign out on all other devices, then change your password.
How Many Devices Will Netflix Let You Use Simultaneously in One Location?
That all depends on which plan you’re signed up for. Netflix offers four distinct price tiers, and the number of simultaneous streams varies on which tier you subscribe to.
| Basic With Ads ($6.99 per Month) | Basic ($9.99 per Month) | Standard ($15.49 per Month) | Premium ($19.99 per Month) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Device | 1 Device | 2 Devices | 4 Devices |
These measures seem like cautious first steps to avoid a massive exodus of account-sharing users. If they do not meet Netflix’s expectations in curbing password sharing, harsher measures, such as charging users who continue to give out their login information, could follow. Netflix began testing methods to charge users $3 when someone outside the home accessed their account in several Latin American countries in 2022.
When discussing Netflix’s plans to curb password sharing in mid-January, Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters said the company was seeking “thoughtful experimentation to let our members speak to us in terms of what set of solutions work for them.”
Now that the first details regarding that experimentation are public, all that remains to be seen is how users respond.
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.