What you need to know
- Netflix might finally be putting an end to account sharing on its platform.
- Users are starting to see prompts telling them they'll need their own account if they don't live with the account owner.
- Thankfully there's a verification process you can use to get around it.
Netflix might finally be putting a stop to one of its best exploits, sharing accounts with family and friends.
According to a new report from The Streamable
Earlier this week, some Netflix subscribers began to notice that it might be a bit harder to "borrow" someone's password.In the prompt, customers are told that "If you don't live with the owner of this account, you need your own account to keep watching." In order to continue, they need to verify the account with a E-mail or Text Code, or create a new account with a 30-Day Free Trial.
The test is only on TV devices, rather than mobile devices like iPhone or iPad, and Netflix says it is designed "to help ensure that people using Netflix accounts are authorized to do so," that is, it is designed to stop you sharing your account with your family and friends even if you (or they) aren't the ones paying for it.
Netflix's T&Cs state you can only share an account with members of your own household and the company had previously hinted that it might be looking at ways to try and make the practice harder. The report notes a screenshot of a TV with a prompt that states "If you don't live with the owner of this account, you need your own account to keep watching." To get around this, users are required to enter an 'Email Code' or 'Text code', presumably sent to the account holder, however, there's also an option to 'Verify later' which will likely postpone the process.
