Netflix's Password-Sharing Rules: A Guide To Understanding The Streaming Service's New Restrictions
What was once a fear shared by people piggybacking off their parents, roommates, or exes’ Netflix accounts has become a reality as password sharing is going away. For what seems like years now, the company has been teasing its plans for cracking down on the practice that has allowed so many to watch popular Netflix TV shows like Stranger Things and You and the best Netflix movies like Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery without having to pay for a full subscription. And now Netflix has laid out its password-sharing rules in its quest to bring an end to the practice.
Below is a breakdown of the password-sharing rules, how the restrictions will impact viewers’ streaming habits, and what the future could hold for those in the United States who don’t want to use Netflix’s profile exporting tool to create a new account. Let’s dive into it…
Where You Stream Netflix Matters
There was once a time when multiple people logging onto your Netflix subscription might not be an issue, besides a messed up algorithm, but now the company is cracking down on the practice of password sharing. According to the Netflix Help Center page on password sharing rules and restrictions, it is stated that a “Netflix account is for people who live together in a single household." So users probably won't be regularly logging into Netflix from outside their household, but if they are, Netflix may ask for verification.
Netflix may ask subscribers to verify their device if an account is used “persistently” outside of the household. As the help page notes, Netflix won’t automatically charge the account if it’s discovered that someone outside of the household is using the account at this time.
How The Device Verification Works
Like a lot of things on the internet, Netflix tracks your IP address whenever you’re using the service on your phone, tablet, streaming device, or computer, meaning it’s easy to see if you are or aren’t in the same network as the primary account holder.
Let’s say you are traveling for business or pleasure and you want to watch one of the new movies and TV shows on Netflix. If you end up frequently watching Netflix away from your household location, there’s a chance Netflix will ask you to verify your device. The same could happen if you log in with a device not already associated with the account.
These kinds of measures have been in place for some time and have helped prevent unauthorized users from accessing your account; now it appears the technology is also being used to crack down on password sharing.
Netflix Tested Out An "Add A Home" Feature In Countries Outside The U.S.
Netflix hasn’t come out and said whether or not it will begin charging an additional fee for password sharing in the United States, but the company temporarily rolled an “add a home” feature in various countries in Latin America. In a July 2022 blog post, Netflix revealed the option to add additional homes to an account for the price of $2.99 per month per home. However, Netflix shared an update that they pulled the program that October.
It should be noted that this was in Latin America, and it's unknown if Netflix plans to add a feature like that for U.S. subscribers at any point in the future.
Expect to hear more about Netflix’s password sharing plans in the weeks and months to come, as the initiative will surely go through some changes throughout its implementation. In the meantime, check out our breakdown of all the upcoming Netflix shows, and 2023 Netflix movie releases you can expect to see in the coming months.
