Currently, Netflix is explaining how it intends to maintain password sharing within a household while taking action against outside usage of passwords. Streaming service provider Netflix intends to curb account sharing this year by asking people to pay an additional fee if they wish to use the service outside of the household for extended periods of time.
It is reported that the streaming giant has published a document outlining how it intends to control the experience within a household. Chile, Costa Rica, and Peru are countries where it has already started testing extra membership fees for account sharing, and the FAQ pages for those countries have been updated.
As a consequence of these new terms, people are asked to define a primary location through their TV set. In order to use the TV, all the accounts and devices need to be connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
There is a primary location that is set by a TV connected to a wireless network and that is logged into your account in order to establish a primary location. There is a possibility that all other devices signed into your Netflix account on that Wi-Fi network will be associated with your primary location and will be able to use Netflix as well,” Netflix explains.
As long as the user does not set a primary location and doesn’t have a TV, Netflix will automatically set a primary location based on the IP address, device IDs, and the activities of the user.
Thereafter, anyone living in this house who wants to use Netflix on their own device will need to launch the app at home at least once in every 31 days if they want to use it.
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On the Netflix support page, the company mentions that it recommends connecting your devices to the Wi-Fi at your primary location, opening the Netflix app on your phone or computer, and watching something at least once every 31 days in order to ensure your devices are associated with your primary location.
However, what if you grab an iPad before leaving home for a long train ride, but you rarely use it at home, and yet you grabbed this iPad before leaving for the journey? When you are trying to watch something on the go, it is likely that the device will not be associated with your household. Alternatively, you can ask the main account holder to verify the device on your behalf if that is the case. As soon as the account holder receives a code, they will be able to share it with the person traveling to the country. It is likely that the traveling member will be able to watch Netflix for at least seven more days if the verification is successful.
Currently, it is unclear if temporary codes can be requested several times in the same period of time. A student might prefer, for instance, to request a Netflix code every week from his or her parents instead of paying for Netflix every month. Moreover, these conditions make it impossible for people to use Netflix for a long period of time via VPN connections due to these conditions.
Streaming company Netflix has made a lot of efforts in the last few years in order to attract more paying subscribers to its platform. It has been announced that it will launch a cheaper $6.99 monthly plan in November in the U.S., the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Australia, Japan, Korea and Brazil. Meanwhile, it has also developed tools to kick devices off a subscription, transfer profiles between memberships for account sharing to be prevented, and kick devices off a subscription entirely.
This has resulted in a higher number of subscribers joining the service as a result of all these efforts. In its recent earnings report for Q4 2022, the company stated that it added 7.7 million subscribers – a much higher number than the 4.5 million subscribers that were expected.
After Reed Hastings stepped down from his position as Netflix’s founder last month, the company is being overhauled by its new CEO Greg Peters, who was previously the company’s chief operating officer (COO). At the same time, as part of its campaign against password sharing, the company stated that it will crack down on this activity “more broadly” in the coming months. There is a good chance that more countries will soon be able to charge extra member fees.
