[UPDATE: Netflix has told Streamable that the new circulating about changes to Netflix streaming rules for ‘Netflix Households’ is only applicable for Chile, Costa Rice and Peru. This does not mean the change won’t roll out globally, and the company said as much by sampling, stating that if they did commit to any changes, they’d tell the customers beforehand.]
Netflix has launched its changes to how account sharing works, and the process is rolling out globally now. Long story short: you will not be able to share or access an account outside your home.
Netflix only wants accounts to be used in one household, and to them is as simple as it sounds, “people who live in the same location with the account owner.” Moreover, they have found a way to stop people outside that “Netflix Household” from accessing a Netflix account by relying on the account syncing up to the Netflix Households wi-fi every 31 days. Netflix will verify your device’s location using your IP address and device IDs.
When you log into a new device, Netflix is now going to verify it to make it part of your Netflix Household:
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Netflix sends a link to the email address or phone number associated with the primary account owner.
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The link opens a page with a 4-digit verification code.
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The code needs to be entered on the device that requested it within 15 minutes.
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If the code expired, you will need to request a new verification code from the device.
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Once successful, that device can be used to watch Netflix.
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Device verification may be required periodically.
If a device is recognised as being outside your Netflix Household, it’ll be blocked.
If you are travelling, as long as your device was initially turned on and synced at the Netflix Household, you won’t have any problems. Unless you’re travelling for longer than 31 days, you can re-verify while away.
This change has been coming for a long-time now, and Netflix is well-aware there will be some reactionary plan cancellations, but it’ll be interesting to see if this also gets them back some subscribers whom this gentle nudge is enough to get them to sign up for their own account. Netflix is always ready to remind viewers that “it’s easy to sign up for Netflix and we offer a variety of plans. As always, members can change plans or cancel at any time.”
What do you think of the new policy and changes to how Netflix tracks who is accessing an account? Let me know in the comments section below.
