Netflix password sharing days are over

A few weeks back Netflix posted a spoiler to the plan that they had in mind about the future of password sharing on the platform. They said that was an accident, but as of today, it’s looking like that was a temporary way to save face.

Through the use of a “primary location” setting, Netflix is requiring users to buy extra members in other households outside of the primary location. Let’s get into what the future of Netflix password sharing is going to look like.

Per the Netflix help center, “a Netflix account is meant to be shared in one household (people who live in the same location with the account owner).” Furthermore, “people who are not in your household will need to sign up for their own account to watch; or in some countries you can buy an extra member and add them to your account,” Netflix said.

As of last week, Canada, New Zealand, Portugal, and Spain, had the policies enacted with fees for additional users added to accounts. Here’s the breakdown for each countries “new user” fee:

Per this blog post, Netflix here are the rest of the new features Netflix has rolled out in order to contain password sharing:

• Set primary location: We’ll help members set this up, ensuring that anyone who lives in their household can use their Netflix account. 
• Manage account access and devices: Members can now easily manage who has access to their account from our new Manage Access and Devices page. 
• Transfer profile: People using an account can now easily transfer a profile to a new account, which they pay for — keeping their personalized recommendations, viewing history, My List, saved games and more. 
• Watch while you travel: Members can still easily watch Netflix on their personal devices or log into a new TV, like at a hotel or holiday rental. 
• Buy an extra member: Members on our Standard or Premium plan in many countries (including Canada, New Zealand, Portugal and Spain) can add an extra member sub account for up to two people they don’t live with — each with a profile, personalized recommendations, login and password — for an extra CAD$7.99 a month per person in Canada, NZD$7.99 in New Zealand, Euro 3.99 in Portugal, and Euro 5.99 in Spain. 

It is nice to see that using Netflix while traveling is still an option, though it’s not likely to comfort most users based on the severity of these new rules. Based on our assessment, moving a profile to a new account is pretty straightforward and is also likely to offer some consolation to those being ousted from their parent’s account.

Verified devices are a thing?

The new account and password sharing page on Netflix’s website introduces the concept of “verified devices.” If a device that is not recognized as belonging to your household attempts to sign in to your account, it may need to be verified. The verification process involves the main account holder approving the use of the device within 15 minutes. Netflix may request verification of new devices periodically to prevent devices from being verified outside of the account holder’s household.

According to Netflix, if you are the primary account holder or if you are using the primary internet connection in the primary account user’s household, you should not need to verify your device. As the main account holder, you should be able to use your account from anywhere, regardless of your location. However, it is unclear how Netflix can accurately determine who is holding a device or who belongs to a particular device household at any given time.

Lastly, it’s not clear when these rules might come into effect for customers in the United States, but we’ll be sure to add any updates that come out in the coming days.