Netflix Explains How It Will Prevent Account Password Sharing

Netflix claims that users sharing their Netflix accounts reduces the company's revenue.

Written by Sucharita Ganguly, Edited by Richa Sharma | Updated: 1 February 2023 16:40 IST

Netflix Explains How It Will Prevent Account Password Sharing

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A Netflix account will now be shared by people in a single household

Highlights

Netflix announced its intent to crack down on password sharing last year
The changes were tested in some Central and South American countries
They intend to implement the changes by March this year

Netflix announced that it will begin cracking down on password sharing in the first quarter of this year. The OTT company released its quarterly earnings last week. The modification was being tested in a few countries since the streaming giant claimed that users sharing their Netflix accounts reduces the company's revenue. The company expressed its intent to crack down on password sharing last year. Netflix has now specified how it intends to help deter users from sharing their account passwords.

According to a post on the Netflix FAQ page, a single Netflix account will now only be accessible by people living in a single household and people who do not live in the same address as the primary account holder “will need to use their own account to watch Netflix.”

Password sharing with users outside the subscriber's household will be increasingly complicated, and it is likely that an additional amount will be charged to share a single account across different locations.

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If a new device associated with the primary account is in a separate location, Netflix will demand a temporary 4-digit verification code that needs to be entered within 15 minutes of requesting access. Access to the device in another location will be granted consecutively for seven days.

According to the company, users who travel with their main device will have no trouble accessing Netflix in other locations. To ensure smooth Netflix access, a user must connect to Wi-Fi from their primary location at least once every 31 days.

Netflix added a new feature last year called "Profile Transfer" to crack down on the account password-sharing phenomena. The feature enables users who are presently sharing an account to maintain personalised recommendations, viewing history, My List, saved games, and other settings when they create their own Netflix account.

Each plan specifies how many devices can access Netflix simultaneously and as long as they are owned by members of the same household, it will not affect your viewing experience. Netflix added that they verify devices in a household by tracking “IP addresses, device IDs, and account activity from devices signed into the Netflix account.”

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Further reading: Netflix password sharing, Netflix

Sucharita Ganguly

Email Sucharita Ganguly

Sucharita is a writer with Gadgets 360 and is mostly found playing with her cat in her free time. She has previously worked at breaking news desks across organizations. Powered by coffee, The Beatles, Bowie, and her newfound love for BTS, she aims to work towards contributing to a better media environment for women and queer folk. More