Netflix password sharing: how will Netflix stop it and how much will it cost?

Date:
Sat, 11 Feb 2023 10:00:02 +0000

Description:
Free Netflix password sharing will soon be a thing of the past, here's everything you need to know about the new rules.

FULL STORY ======================================================================

Netflix has been warning us for some time that its going to be clamping down on users that are sharing their password and account with others. With its paid password-sharing scheme and tighter restrictions starting to roll out to new regions, free password-sharing could soon be a thing of the past. But how will Netflix stop it?

Netflix has explained that it wants users to stop sharing their accounts with others because the plethora of people not paying for its content are
weakening its position as one of the best streaming services . Because these people are accessing the service without paying, theyre enjoying the best Netflix shows but failing to support the production of new series or improve the Netflix platform.

However, the change is not popular, with subscribers in parts of Latin and South America unhappy with the new paid password-sharing scheme that was trialed last year. On top of that, its not been entirely clear when password sharing is and isnt okay, nor how Netflix will prevent it. Were here to explain everything we know about how the policy will work but note that the rules below might change as even before launch the official FAQ has changed three or four times; if this happens though well update this page as soon as possible to keep you informed. What are the Netflix password-sharing rules?

Under Netflixs password-sharing rules its fine for multiple people to use and share one account provided they live together. So if youre a family or a friendship group that lives together in the same home youre golden; you can keep sharing your account as one Household.

However, if youre part of a group thats sharing a Netflix account and you
dont all live together then youre no longer going to be allowed to do this. Well, not for free.

When the new restrictions are rolled out to your region, youll be asked to
set a primary location, which Netflix will likely determine based on your devices IP address (for more on that jump to the How will Netflix stop password sharing? section below). Once this primary location is set, people who dont live at it will have three options. Option 1 : abandon Netflix forever Option 2 : sign up for their own private Netflix account Option 3 : pay an additional fee and become an extra member to the existing account

This extra member feature does offer users a few benefits chief among them
is that the fee is cheaper than paying for a Standard or Premium subscription
but it also comes with a few restrictions. Firstly, its only available for subscribers at the Standard and Premium tiers. Additionally, a Standard subscription can only have one extra member, while a Premium account can only have two extra members. You can continue to share Netflix outside of your household if you pay up (Image credit: Netflix) Where are Netflixs password-sharing rules being enforced?

Netflix is getting stricter on password-sharing in every region where it operates. However, most of its current efforts seem to be focused on
countries where users can pay for extra member sub-accounts. At the time of writing (February 9, 2023) these are: Canada Chile Costa Rica New Zealand
Peru Portugal Spain

If you arent in one of these regions you may find youre able to share your Netflix password with people from outside your Household without much
trouble, but we expect it wont be long before youre forced to stop free-loading. How will Netflix stop password sharing?

Right now, we dont actually know exactly how Netflix will go about detecting and stopping password sharers. All we have to go on is previously available information that it has since removed from its official FAQ.

Earlier this year Netflix explained that it will use data such as IP addresses, device IDs, and account activity from devices signed into the Netflix account to determine if a Netflix user is part of an accounts Household. If Netflix determined that the user wasnt part of the household and may be trying to break its password-sharing rules it would ask them to verify their device. A one-time code would be sent to the accounts registered phone number or email address and the user would have 15 minutes to input the code or be locked out from Netflix.

For a brief period of time, the rules were slightly different ; instead of this verification method a user would instead need to sign into Netflix from the Households associated Wi-Fi connection at least once every 31 days. If this deadline passed you could only regain access by using a temporary seven-day code, by signing up for a new Netflix account, or by setting the device up as an accounts extra member. However, Netflix later clarified that these rules were posted in error and were only meant to apply to users in Chile, Costa Rica, and Peru the only regions at the time that could pay for extra members. One Netflix account for one Netflix Household (Image credit: Netflix)

However, after reverting the rules back to the email/text verification method the FAQ has changed again. If you visit the FAQ at the time of writing (February 9, 2023) youll now only see this brief statement in most regions:

A Netflix account is meant to be shared in one household (people who live in the same location as the account owner). People who are not in your household will need to sign up for their own account to watch Netflix.

In countries where you can pay for extra members like Canada youll find details for how that works, but thats the only extra info you get.

When we reached out to Netflix to find out why the most recent changes were made to the FAQ it told us that the help center was too confusing before, so the information on it has been simplified. The information was certainly confusing especially when it changed for about a day before the info
reverted back to what it used to be but its not all that helpful for the exact rules to be hidden.

We, therefore, suspect part of this change is also an effort to obscure the rules to keep people from finding ways to circumvent them. Under the email verification method, users would just need to set up a shared email account; while under the use a specific Wi-Fi connection every 31 days method youd
just need to make sure to visit the accounts primary location regularly if you live nearby that wouldnt be a tough ask. By hiding the rules Netflix can alter its methods for detecting accounts that break its password-sharing
rules without anyone knowing, and because of this itll likely be easier for the streamer to catch these accounts and get them to pay up. How much is Netflix charging for password sharing?

If you want to keep sharing your Netflix account youll need to pay up, though we dont currently know how much the extra member feature will cost in every region (particularly the US, UK, and Australia). This is partly because the price seems to be different everywhere it launches.

Here are the prices (per month) in the regions where the feature is
available:

Clearly, Netflix is using factors beyond straight currency conversion to determine how much an extra member costs in each region otherwise Spain and Portugal would be paying the same amount for a start as they both use Euros. This means well have to wait and see how high its extra member fees are when it introduces the feature in the US, UK, and Australia. Our ur best guess right now is that itll charge $7.99 / 7.99 / AU$7.99, but thats currently
just speculation.

While this estimate is more expensive than it is in other regions and is certainly pricier than sharing the account for free it is still cheaper than paying for a Premium tier subscription at $19.99 / 15.99 / AU$22.99. What if
I want to use my Netflix account on holiday?

If your account is associated with a specific Wi-Fi network and you then go away on holiday you might be worried that youll be locked out of Netflix from abroad.. Thankfully, the streamer has said its upcoming restrictions wont
stop you from accessing your favorite Netflix content while away from home
for a limited time. (Image credit: Shutterstock / Oleksii Synelnykov)

Exactly how it will do this is unclear, though it has previously outlined plans to use its email/phone verification method to grant access, and also a limited-use code that lets you access the service for seven days. Those ideas (along with its other public rules) have since been removed from its FAQ, so at the moment were not entirely sure what approach itll take to make sure you can stay connected to Netflix. Will Netflixs rule change stop me from using a VPN?

Over the past few years the best VPNs or virtual private networks have skyrocketed in popularity as they let you watch content thats not available
in your regions version of Netflix.

When you access a website or online service while your VPN is active, your connection doesnt head straight to the destination; instead, it first takes a detour through the VPN providers encrypted servers. When it does, the VPN is able to disguise your devices real information (including its IP address) and use the servers info instead keeping your data private. If services like ExpressVPN can help you dodge Netflix's password-sharing rules it might ban them (Image credit: ExpressVPN)

However, if Netflix wants to use a devices info and IP address to verify if users are in a Household or not, it might not want them using tools that obscure this data. By using a VPN people who are not actually living together may be able to all connect to the same server and look like they are.

Currently, Netflix says that you can use a VPN with Netflix on the Basic, Standard, or Premium plans but theres no telling if its stance will change if using a VPN does allow users to skirt around its new password-sharing policy. Potentially, itll just ask VPN users to verify their device every time they access Netflix, but it could take a much more hardline stance against VPN
use. Well have to wait and see and will update this guide if Netflixs stance on VPNs changes.

If you're planning to leave Netflix when password-sharing restrictions are brought in then here are the best Netflix movies you need to watch before you unsubscribe. And if you're thinking about joining one of its rivals then here are the best Disney Plus shows , and the best Prime Video movies that you might want to check out.



======================================================================
Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/news/netflix-password-sharing


--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 (Linux/64)
* Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100)