Netflix Working On Measures To Stop Account Sharing Between Friends

The days of sharing a Netflix account among multiple users may well come to an end. Indeed, the streaming platform has reportedly started sending warnings to certain users who use an account that is not recognized as theirs.

If you were going to use a Netflix account that didn’t belong to you to watch Money Heist, it might not be possible soon. Netflix has started taking steps to warn users that they should not share an account if they are not in the same household. In fact, under Netflix’s terms of service, a customer’s account on the VOD platform “cannot be shared with people outside your household”, even though Netflix has tolerated this practice for several years.

However, already in 2019, Netflix wanted to end the sharing of accounts between friends.

Netflix Is Testing Ways To End Account Sharing

Some customers started receiving a message when they log into Netflix, telling them that they must live in the same household as the account holder. The message includes a verification process using a code sent by email or text message to whoever happens to be the account holder, if they log in from another location. In addition, the message also contains a button “Try free for 30 days” if it detects that you are not on your account.

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Some users are currently taking advantage of the possibility of watching a series on several different screens. On the Premium plan, for example, it is possible to use 4 screens simultaneously. This inevitably led to internet users coming together on one account to split the price into quarters, or even take advantage of another user’s account for free.

At this time, it is not clear exactly what leads users to receive this alert or if all markets are affected. However, Netflix said it was a “limited” test, without specifying whether it will be generalized in the future. Account sharing is a real scourge for society, as it would make it lose 2.4 billion dollars per year. As a result, if everyone used their own account, it might encourage Netflix to lower its prices or to offer more original content.