Netflix has announced an update on its efforts to crack down on password sharing. In a blog post published today, Netflix explained that “over 100 million households are sharing accounts,” which impacts its “ability to invest in great new TV and films.”
With that in mind, Netflix says that it is expanding its restrictions on password and account sharing to new countries. There’s also a new way to easily manage who has access to your account via the Netflix website…
Netflix expands password sharing rules to four new countries
Starting today, Netflix says that password sharing restrictions are now in place in four new countries: Canada, New Zealand, Portugal, and Spain.
The restrictions will roll out “more broadly in the coming months,” but Netflix doesn’t have any further details to share at this time. Previously, Netflix had only been testing the new restrictions in a handful of Latin American countries.
Netflix’s method to crack down on password sharing is aggressive. The company says that Netflix accounts are only “meant to be shared in one household,” which means “people who live in the same location with the account owner. As such, a new “primary location” will be set for each Netflix account.
As we reported last month, a device logged into a Netflix account must log into the home Wi-Fi network of that account at least once every 31 days. The company will use things like IP addresses, account activity, and device IDs to “determine whether a device signed into your account” is actually associated with the account’s primary location.
In specific cases where a device hasn’t been connected to your home Wi-Fi in 31 days, such as while traveling, Netflix says it can send a temporary to the account holder to verify the device. The details here, however, are still unknown, and there will likely be restrictions on how many times you can request that code.
Netflix is allowing Standard and Premium plan subscribers to add an “extra member sub account” for up to two people they don’t live with. The company also reiterates that it now offers a “transfer profile” feature that allows users to move a profile to a new account and keep their watch history and recommendations.
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.
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.
How to check who has access to your Netflix account
Netflix is also rolling out a new option to “manage account access and devices” to all subscribers. This new option is accessible from your Netflix account settings, allowing to to “control access to this account, view the most recently active devices, and more.” This includes the ability to sign out of any unfamiliar devices.
On this page, you’ll also see details on the location and IP addresses of those devices. This is presumably the location information that Netflix will use when determining the “primary location” of your account and associated devices.
This new webpage is available to all Netflix subscribers, so you can view the information ahead of the password sharing crackdown arrives in your country.
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