Netflix is reportedly cracking down on users who share passwords, with suggestions that the streamer will be doubling down on account sharing to increase its subscriber count.
The US streaming giant, which remains the world’s most popular despite the rise of Disney+ and Apple TV+, has begun issuing a warning on accounts, acknowledging that they’re not the account holder and that, if they want to continue using Netflix, they’ll need to subscribe.
“If you don’t live with the owner of this account, you need your own account to keep watching,” it reads. Users must then verify their account with a text message code, or they’re pushed to sign up for their own Netflix account, a change from previous habits.
Netflix has responded to the tests, telling The Streamable, who first broke the story, that the new warning was “designed to help ensure that people using Netflix accounts are authorized to do so.” However, we don’t know whether this will result in further changes.
The streamer’s terms do state that account sharing is not allowed, though many families and groups subscribe and share an account to cut costs.
Netflix’s basic plan allows users to stream from a single device, while a standard plan offers streaming on two devices. The premium plan, priced at $17.99 in the United States, streams on up to four devices.
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