After years of actively encouraging users to share details (Netflix initially viewed password sharing as “free advertising”) the company’s long teased crackdown is finally set to arrive in Spring of 2023.
Netflix password sharing is coming to an end
Netflix is finally making good on its promise to penalize users for password sharing. The password crackdown, which has been on a trial run in the Global South, is finally poised for expansion stateside. Thankfully, the new rules won’t be implemented in too jarring of a way, as some users may have feared.
Primary account holders shouldn’t see any disruption to service, nor will they receive an automatic charge for tag-along users. In an FAQ released by the company, Netflix revealed it will use a combination of “IP addresses, device IDs, and account activity from devices signed into Netflix accounts” to determine which users are actively in the primary household. The company also has contingencies for users who travel frequently and sign into their account from multiple locations. In these circumstances, the company will rely on a verification process during which users will receive temporary codes to ensure they have access to the main account.
With a 15 minute window to enter the code, and promises to insist it be entered at every new location, it seems Netflix’s primary plan of dissuading users from password sharing is to annoy them until sharing stops. According to users in the test run locations, Netflix gently nags the offending extra users until someone breaks and pays the extra sharing cost, or springs for the least expensive (but ad laden) $6.99 plan.
With just two months before the crackdown, users will have to decide if Netflix is still worth the hassle. And, with the choice of dozens of other ad-less streaming services that allow sharing, Netflix may see more departures than the company hoped for.