Netflix started asking password borrowers to get their own accounts in its new test.
Netflix had started to crack down on users sharing passwords as it started asking password borrowers to get their own accounts in its new test.
The said move came in what Netflix called a test telling password borrowers to sign up for their own accounts without fully blocking them from continuing to use the currently shared account.
Netflix’s move was first spotted by The Streamable and 9to5Mac reported that Netflix users this week who borrowed a password from a friend or family started noticing an alert about not living with the account owner.
“If you don’t live with the owner of this account, you need your own account to keep watching,” the alert stated.
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The said message included an option to “Join Free for 30 Days,” or (if he/she was the account owner) verify the account with a two-factor authentication (2FA) code through email or text, or “Verify Later.”
While it looked like it would be possible to keep using the same account, it wasn’t clear how often Netflix might ask for the verification for those that picked the “Verify Later” option.
9to5Mac also reported that The Streamable heard back from Netflix on the change who stated “This test is designed to help ensure that people using Netflix accounts are authorized to do so.” The phrasing of the pop-up, however, felt more pointed.
O no. Netflix doing the purge?!? pic.twitter.com/XXlHtfgfsy
— chante most (@DOP3Sweet) March 9, 2021
In a report on 9to5Mac, it appeared that Netflix’s test was limited to TV devices for now as the service had been notably lax on password sharing with some surveys showing 50% of Netflix users did this.
The main way Netflix had handled the issue was limiting simultaneous streaming based on the plan, with the most expensive premium plan allowing streaming on four devices at a time.
However, The Streamable noted that Greg Peters — the Chief Product Officer at Netflix — had publicly talked about password sharing as far back as 2019 saying that they continued to monitor it and so they’re “looking at the situation (and look into) consumer-friendly ways to push on the edges.”
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