Netflix Password Sharing Just Ended In The US & Here's When You'll Be Charged Extra
Make sure your friends, your out-of-state siblings and your exes know!
Someone on Netflix on their lap top. Right: Netflix Headquarters.
The time has finally come. Netflix is cracking down on password sharing per account in the U.S.
That means if someone is using your account who doesn't live in your household, they're going to get the boot...unless you want to pay an extra fee to keep their profile logged in.
Netflix wrote a blog on the website informing U.S. customers about this rollout on Tuesday. If you want to share your Netflix account with someone who doesn't live with you, you will have to pay an additional $7.99/month or you can transfer their profile to a new account, which they pay for.
"Your Netflix account is for you and the people you live with — your household," the release states.
The streaming service will now allow you to see who is using your account and give you access to sign them out, as well as encourage you to change your password.
So, make sure your friends, your out-of-state siblings, and your exes know before they get a surprise because, according to Variety, the company said they may start blocking devices that frequently use an account with a different primary residence address.
However, it's a bit of a slippery slope to do so, as they will still allow members to access the app while traveling with their personal devices, or logging in to new TV at a hotel or vacation rental. So, it seems it will be determined by how often the app is used at a separate location.
In a Q1 letter to investors, Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters said he's ready to see a "cancel reaction" to this new rule.
Peters went on to say in an interview with Variety that, "It's very much like a price increase — we see an initial cancel reaction, and then we build out of that, both in terms of membership and revenue as borrowers sign up for their own Netflix accounts, and existing members purchase that extra member facility for folks that they want to share it with."
Even though the company dropped the axe on password sharing, they're confident they won't see a blip in their revenue and the number of subscribers. In fact, they expect they'll see even more people signing up.
Netflix introduced the change and emailed everyone about it on Tuesday, so if your Netflix is acting up, just chill and check in with whoever has your password!